ish-black lines on the tips and edges of all his 
feathers. A flock of those on a green lawn is a 
very pleasing sight. 
—-- 
THE PROFITS AND LOSSES OF RAISING 
POULTRY. 
JOSEPH WALLACE. 
NO. 3. 
Poultry writers differ about whion is the best 
breed of fowls to keep. Some are influenced by 
motives betsf known to themselves. Others have 
“ axes to grind,” and a few ha.vo their likes and 
dislikes. Farmers, and novices in the poultry 
business are at a loss to know which breed is 
best adapted to their wants. They read in poul¬ 
try journals glowing descriptions of this or that 
breed of fowls. They see the most extrava¬ 
gant, ingenious and exaggerated statements 
about excelsior strains—newly imported breods 
from the northern province of China—or por- 
chance from the jungles of India, and winding up 
as a rule with the same stereotyped three to six 
dollars a “setting” for eggs, and five to fifty 
dollars a pair for these rare birds. 
I have hoard many complaints the past year 
from parties in the West who had patronized 
some of these unscrupulous dealers, and the 
same old story is reiterated about non-impreg- 
nated eggs, and the pedigree fowls were sickly, 
wretched specimens of in-and-in-breeding. 
However, it is well that there iB a class of such 
Shylooks in the country, for honest poultry 
bl eeders who charge moderate prices for their 
eggs aud fowls will always command ready 
sales. 
Poultry raising to ho profitable, requires a 
thorough knowledge of the business on the part 
of the keeper. First, he should be located near 
some city, town, or railroad station. Ho should 
procure one or two or more good breeds. Second¬ 
ly, lie should provide clean, comfortable bouses 
for them in winter and airy roosting places in 
summer. Thirdly, w hen the two former essentials 
have been attended to, he should give his fowls, 
cooked, parched, and raw grain food regularly 
three times a day,with a plentiful supply of fresh 
water. He should feed chopped meat Rcraps, 
vegetables cut fine or cooked w ith some kind of 
ground feed a few times a week during the 
winter months. Ho should provide pulverized 
oyster or clam shells, chalk, bone, or old slakud 
lime, also boxes of coarse sand or gravel for 
their use. Fourthly, he should clean out his 
fowl houses every day, whitewash every week, 
and fumigate every month. He should not 
crowd too many hens into a house—forty are 
enough, lie should colonizo them if possible, 
aud be carcfltl to avoid in-and-in-breeding, no 
matter how valuable tho breed. And by follow¬ 
ing these rules he can make poultry profitable ; 
if ho neglects them, he will find fowl raising an 
“up hill work," and a non-paying business. 
Rock Co., Wls. 
- *-*-+ - 
TO MAKE POULTRY PAY. 
HENRY HALES. 
WINTER TREATMENT. 
For hens to lay in winter, it is necessary that 
they should bo supplied with all tho require¬ 
ments of food, egg-shell matter, cleanliness and 
care, to keep them in a high state of health and 
condition. Good feeding is all that is required 
by nature for egg producing. This substance is 
better supplied by giving them sound, sweet 
food liberally, than by any artificial condiment or 
preparation sold for tho purpose. The high 
price of such preparations, however good they 
may he, puts them beyond reach of the farmer 
to get a profitable return tor the outlay. A trifle 
invested in a few simple things, such as pepper, 
pulverized charcoal, sulphur, and cayenne, an¬ 
swers all tho purposes of keeping the birds in 
health. Even these should bo used sparingly 
once or twice a week. When a fowl is found to 
be ailing, it must be separated from the others 
and treated with proper medicines for the dis¬ 
ease. Such arc now' pretty we understood by 
practical breeders and poultry keepers. 
Some years ago, hardly anything could be done 
for a sick fow l; but care and patience have found 
antidotes even for the most stubborn diseases, 
which, if taken before the bird Binks too low, 
will generally etTect a euro. A farmer, however, 
cannot alTord to spend much time on a hen, 
though valuable fowls are worth the trouble. 
Yet, when he iinds any appearance of disease in 
his (lock, he muHt make an effort to Htop it at 
once, aud not, as many will insist upou, leave 
them to their fate. In most cases, the spread 
of disease is easily prevented, if taken in time. 
After removing the diseased ones, a little sul¬ 
phur and cayenne mixed in their soft food, a 
teaspoonlul of sulphur and half as much of cay 
enno to four quarts of loud given for two or 
three days, will generally arrest an ordinary 
trouble. Tho sulphur should be stopped, but 
the cayenne may be continued to be given as the | 
birds recover. Indeed, it may be given to ad¬ 
vantage once or twice a week all through the 
winter. Iron is a great tonio for ailing fowls, 
when first noticed to be out of condition. It is 
generally used in a simple preparation known as 
“Douglas’ Mixture." It is Bnlphate of iron, 
common copperas eight ounces, and sulphuric 
acid one-half fluid ounce. These, pnt in a bottle 
with a gallon of soft or rain-water, are ready for 
nee as soon as the iron is dissolved. All keepers 
of poultry should have this and other medicines 
on hand before any sickness is discovered, so 
that no delay occurs when promptness is re¬ 
quired. Of speoial diseases I shall treat here¬ 
after. I have in former articles spoken of disin¬ 
fecting the house and tho necessity for the dust- 
bath, and of a supply of bone and oysttr-Bholl 
The food should consist more of other grains 
than of corn. Although all kinds of poultry 
seem to prefer corn to other grain, yet corn has 
been proved by a great many poultry-men to 
be inferior as an egg producer to wheat, barley, 
&o., and occasionally to bnckwbeat and oats. 
Corn may be given sparingly with advantage, 
but com alone makes hens too fat and lazy. So 
fed they lack animation and vigor, especially the 
Asiatic breeds, which are moroprono than other 
strains to this fatness that seems to border on 
disease. Their intestines become encased iri one 
mass of fat, aud to stint fowls to any given quan¬ 
tity of food especially when confined, is quite 
impracticable. Soft food given once a day in 
winter, is very beneficial, particularly during 
spells of severe weather. It promotes laying. 
It should consist of ground grain, as corn, buck¬ 
wheat, barley, wheat or oatmeal, varied at times, 
with some vegetable aud animal food. I make up 
mine by boiling a lot of potatoes or turnips, 
pouring tho hot water (in which they w r ere 
boiled) upon some meal in another vessel, with 
ground beef scraps added twice a week and a 
little cayenne. Make this into a stiff paste. 
Mash the vegetables and add meal enough to 
make this also into a stiff moss. Mix them to¬ 
gether aud feed when just warm. Most breed¬ 
ers recommend this to be done for their morn¬ 
ing meal, but this will often keep the stock 
waiting hungry too long. Have light grain for 
them always, early every morning, and feed 
with the soft food by noon if not sooner, and all 
the grain they will eat for evening meal. 
If these directions, with former ones in the 
Rural, do not make poultry pay, the fault lies 
in some other cause. 
AGRICULTURE AND EDUCATION IN THE 
UNITED STATES. 
PROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
No. .3 
Having indicated in my last, the work that is 
accomplished yearly by tho Agricultural and 
Mechanical schools in the direct ion of instruc¬ 
tion and drill in military tactics, I will pass to 
the consideration of their work in other branches. 
The larger part of what follows is condensed 
from an article written by me, and published in 
Kjudle and Sohjsm’s Cyclopedia of education. 
At tbo close of 1875 there were 27 oolleges or 
departments of colleges, organized by virtue of 
the grant of 1802, aud several others in process 
of organization The date of their organization 
and the places of their location are as follows. 
Arkansas, Fayettville, ’71 ; Alabama, Auburn, 
'72 ; California, Oakland, '09 ; Connecticut, 
New Haven (Scientific School j ’10; Georgia, 
Dalilonuga—; Illinois, Champaign, ’08 ; Indi¬ 
ana, La Fayette, ’74; Iowa, Ames, ’08 ; Kansas, 
Manhattan, —; Kentucky, Lexington, ’00 ; 
Maine, Orono ’09; Maryland, Ilyattaville, ‘68 ; 
Massachusetts, Amherst, ’07 ; Michigan, Lans¬ 
ing, ’55 ; Minnesota, Minneapolis ’63 ; Missouri, 
Columbus. ’70 ; Nebraska, Lincoln, ’72 ; New 
Hampshire, Hanover, —; New Jersey, New 
Brunswick, — ; New York, Ithaca, ’08 ; Ohio, 
Columbus, '78; Oregon, Corvallis, ’68; Pennsyl¬ 
vania, Stato College ; Rhode Island, Providence 
—South Carolina, Orangeburg, — ; Tennessee, 
Knoxville, '69; Vermont, Burlington, '05 ; Vir¬ 
ginia, Blacksburg, ’72: Wisconsin, MadiHon, 
'08. It will be noticed by the dates given, that 
all of these oolleges or departments are of very 
recent origin, with the single exception of the 
one in Michigan. [New Haven ? Eds. j 
All of these oolleges received their proportion 
of the scrip mentioned in the preceding art icle. 
The issuing of such a largo amount of it, caused 
its market value to fall to a very low figure ; and 
even could it have been Hold at the rate of $1,25 
per aero, the fund derived, in most instances, 
would have been totally inadequate for the main¬ 
tenance of even a second-class institution. This 
fact made it necessary in several cases to give 
tho scrip to some old and w ell-equipped college, 
only requiring that they should organize aud 
equip a department for instruction in Agricul¬ 
ture and Mechanics. 
The wisdom of this policy (at least in some in¬ 
stances,) canuot be questioned, for it was sim¬ 
ply choosing between a department in a well-es¬ 
tablished oollege or nothing. As to whether 
these old colleges have fulfilled then - contract is 
another thing. Without making any distinction, 
let us see what provision for teaching they have 
collectively made in this brief time, and also 
what they have accomplished. 
At the close of 1875, there were 300 professors 
and instructors actually engaged in teaching, and 
5893 students being taught suoh branches of 
learning as relate to Agriculture and Mechanics, 
either directly or indirectly. So far as reported, 
361 students had graduated after a full course 
in Agriculture. Allowing tho usual proportion 
of freshmen to graduates this would indicate 
that 1114 had pursued that course for a longer or 
shorter period. 
The number of graduates who have pursued 
studies relatiug to Agriculture and the Mechan¬ 
ic arts is 009; making the total number who 
have entered the courses for a longer or shorter 
period, 2676. 
The number who have graduated in the last 
two years, or the number who are now registered 
in these courses, I am unable to state : but if 
the increase in the other oolleges has beeo any¬ 
thing like that at Cornell University, (which had 
17 in Agriculture in 1875 and now has 38) it 
would appear that tho work already accomplish¬ 
ed is not iucousiderablo, and that the prospects 
for the future are encouraging. 
EQUIPMENTS. 
Tho number and equipment of Laboratories, 
Workshops, etc,, (in 1875) tliateerve to illustrate 
aud teach, are as follows : Mechanical laborator¬ 
ies and workshops, ten ; all of which are furnish¬ 
ed with necessary appliauces for working in 
wood and iron : physical Laboratories, sixteen ; 
most of which are famished with apparatus for 
illustrating the subjects of Mechanics, Electrici¬ 
ty, Magnetism, Heat, Acoustics and Optics. 
All, with one or two exceptions, have well 
equipped chemical laboratories and several of 
them furnish facilities for instruction, not excell¬ 
ed in any other institutions in the Uuited States. 
Nine Anatomical, twelve Geological and fifteen 
Botanical Laboratories are already equipped for 
student practice. Eight of these colleges have 
greeu-housca in operation, and nearly all have 
draughting rooms with noeassary tables and 
models for illustrating the subject taught. 
Some ten colleges'have large collections of mod¬ 
els of farm implements and machinery, engrav¬ 
ings, photographs, charts aud drawings, togeth¬ 
er with numerous specimens of grains, grasses, 
and other plants ; geological and minerological 
specimens, collections of insects and skeletons 
of domestic and other animals. 
Tho aggregate number of acres used for gen¬ 
eral and experimental farming is 5081 added to 
which there are 142 acres of orchard, 92 of veg¬ 
etable garden, 29 of small fruit, 1300 of native 
timber, 438 of planted timber, ami 580 used as 
college grounds. We also find 500 head of neat 
cattle, 230 of which are thoroughbreds represent¬ 
ing nine distinct breeds. The horses aud mules 
unrulier 129. only 3 of which are thorungb-bred ; 
with 233 sheep of which 58 are pure-bloods of 
various breods, and the swine exceed 500, includ¬ 
ing abont 400 pure-bred animals, representing 
nearly all of the well established breeds. This 
aggregation of laboratories, workshops, muse¬ 
ums, greenhouses, orchards, gardens, farms and 
domestic animals, is furnished and provided fur 
the express purpose of affording not only tho 
means of illustrating the subjects taught, but 
actual experience and skill in those processes 
which require that tho judgment, eye aud hand, 
as well as tho intellect, should be trained. At 
least twelve appear to have kept careful aud 
separate accounts of farm receipts and expendit¬ 
ures, but since we have no reports of tho 
amount of increase iu the valuation of farm 
stock, implements etc., it is.impossiblo to state 
the exact profit or loss; but I am assured from 
reliable sources, that at least six of them show a 
fair profit, exolusis'e of coat of experiments 
aud for aught I know all of them may. The 
gross receipts of the twelve farms as reported 
for 1874, was $61,329,00. Tho total expenditure 
for experiment on eight of them was $8,143,00. 
This indicates that farm experiments are not 
carried on to so great au extent as wo could de¬ 
sire, as they are effective auxiliaries to the 
class-room instruction, and the only thing that 
can prevent their more general use is tho heavy 
cost. 
The common idea that tho farm must be so 
conducted as to attain the greatest pecuniary 
profit, is one which if carried out to its legitimate 
resultB, would defeat inoBt or the objects for 
which it should he used. The better idea is this; 
conduct the farm under two heads or accounts— 
where it is large enough—general and experi¬ 
mental. 
If the general farm cannot bo made to pay a 
fair profit, then sell it; but it is simply nonsense 
to talk of pootiuiary profit in numerous aud ex¬ 
tended experiments. As well might you expect 
a groat university or college to be run on the 
same principle. 
COURSE OF STUDY. 
Below will be found a list of the subjects 
taught in the full course of four years in Agri¬ 
culture (in some eases a few are omitted or add¬ 
ed), but ttioso mentioned will serve to show 
what studies are now generally considered ap¬ 
plicable and necessary. Those printed in italics 
are now actually taught in this course at Cornell 
University, and tw r o or three other subjects of a 
more general nature aro frequently added at the 
option of tho student. 
(1) Algebra ; (2) solid, plane and analytical 
geometry, trigonometry and calculus ; (3) rhetor¬ 
ic aud composition, declamation and English 
Literature ; (4) drawing, free-hand and linear ; 
(5) surveying and mapping ; (6) book-keeping ; 
(7) botany, general and agricultural ; (8) horti¬ 
culture, floriculture, and general market, and 
landscape gardening ; (9) history, which may 
comprise one or more Of the following : Ameri¬ 
can, English, Roman, French, agricultural, and 
history of civilization (10) physiology, hygiene 
aud comparative anatomy ; (II) zoology and en¬ 
tomology ; (12) veterinary anatomy, physiology, 
medicine and Surgery ; (16) chemistry, general 
and agricultural ; (14) French and German ; 
(15) physics, geology, mlnerology and meteorol¬ 
ogy : (16) constitutional and municipal law aud 
political economy ; (17) mechanics applied to ag¬ 
riculture ; (18) strength aud preservation of 
materials ; (19) rural architecture. 
The suhjeots treated under the head of applied 
or practical agriculture—w r ith alight changes— 
are as follows : 
(1) Slnt'lc-breeding, including the laws of like¬ 
ness or similarity, variation and atavism ; 
the influence on the subsequent progency of the. 
dam by the first fruitful connection, in-and- 
in and miscellaneous breeding, the govern¬ 
ment of sex, the relative influence of sire and 
dam on the progency , pedigrees and their 
value, the history, formation, and charisleristics 
of breeds and families ; (2) the selection, breed¬ 
ing, feeding, and general management of domes¬ 
tic animals, each species anti race being treated 
separately ; (3) animal nutrition ; (4) the ed¬ 
ucation, shoeing, driving, and rare of the horse: 
(5) drains,—(heir material, and construction, and 
the effect of drainage on health, soil, climate and 
plants ; (6) soils -their classification, charnckr, 
mechanical division ami preparation for the cer¬ 
eals and grasses ; (7) the preparation and select¬ 
ion of seed ; (8) sowing, planting, cultivating 
and harvesting ; (9) the nutrition of plants ; (10) 
insect enemies amt. fungi. I (11) the culture of 
roots, and their indue as food for man and beast; 
(12) forage plants—their culture, use and value; 
(13) weeds—their habit of growth, time of seed¬ 
ing , and mode of eradication; (14) the effects of 
air , water, heal and light, on the fertility of the 
soil, and the growth of plants (15) the care, 
cultivation, and use of natural and artificial 
forests; (16) fields— tlwir number, shape ami 
size; (17) fences -their material, construction, 
and durability ; (18) farm-yards and buildings; 
(19) water privileges; (20) farm accounts ; (21) 
the manufacture, preservation and application 
of farm manures ; (22) the rotation of crops ; 
(23) farm machinery and loots; (24) rural law. 
The subject h of instruction, as far as possible, 
ore illustrated by diagram*, cuts and models. 
The lectures are supplemented by field practice, 
varying from live to fifteen hours per week and 
sometimes oven more. Visits aro frequently 
made to adjoining farms and herds. The lec¬ 
tures and practice in practical Agriculture usual¬ 
ly extend t hrough at least one year. 
Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 
“EKRATA. —In No. 1 read JetliroTull for Jethro Hull. 
JOTTINGS AT KIRBY HOMESTEAD. 
COL. F. D. CURTIS. 
We used to think that clipping horses was a 
cruel practice. This decided opinion was es¬ 
tablished from seeing so often iu the streets 
of Now York clipped carriage horses shiver¬ 
ing iu tho streets, uncovered, while the lazy 
grooms sat tucked up in robes and muffled 
to the very eyes. Perfectly comfortable them¬ 
selves, what cared they if tho horses were freez¬ 
ing, while tho ladies called, or shopped ? We 
say “wo used to thiuk,” clipping horses was 
cruel and so it was and is when they are to be 
left to the mercies of such drivers. We knew it 
was less work to clean t hem, but this did not 
offset the exposure to the cold, sweeping winds 
of New York, aud the danger of colds and sick¬ 
ness. There id no necessity for clipping the car¬ 
riage horses of.any city, as tho work demanded is 
not severe enough to require it. With trotting 
horses aud those driven long distances it is dif¬ 
ferent. The owner of a fine pair of carriage 
horses, who, at most, only takes a turn in the 
park, is a foolish man, if ho allows his groom, in 
order to lesson his labor, to have his team shorn 
of the natural protection they need iu winter 
and most emphatically require for the work he 
desires them to do. Perhaps a farmer ought 
