SEPT & 
some breed of sheep is not found. In the 
temperate regions they supply the finest 
fleeces; in the tropics the wool degenerates 
into hair. There they are principally raised for 
their skin,milk and fat, and to a less degree, 
for their meat. In the mountains of India 
they are used as beasts of burden, while the 
Patna sheep, a likeness of which is shown at 
Pig.— 00ft, affords an excellent quality of 
meat. Patna, as our readers well know, is a 
district of Bengal in British India, extending 
northward from north latitude 25, the Ganges 
marking apart of its southern boundary. It 
is therefore close to the tropical region, and 
the sheep are poor wool bearers, but favorites 
with the English residents as the best mutton 
theep in the country, for Englishmen use mut¬ 
ton much more liberally than our country¬ 
men. 
less the sides of the building are closely board¬ 
ed and battened, nail felt or tar paper upon 
the inner surface of the siding or between the 
outer siding and inner sheathing let straw be 
carefully “tamped” in, the objection to the 
use of the latter being that it affords a harbor 
for mice and rats unless special care is taken 
in sheathing up inside. The poultry house 
must be warm in Winter or the hens will not 
lay even if they do not freeze. The Idea 
which some people have of converting an 
open shed into a Winter house for poultry, or 
of allowing the fowls to occupy perches in 
the cow-stalls should not be entertained for 
a moment; it is neither a desirable, profita¬ 
ble, nor convenient mode of keeping them. 
Cleanliness is another important considera¬ 
tion in regard to the poultry house. How 
fowls live in some pens as they do is a mys¬ 
tery ! The very atmosphere of the room is 
laden with noxious gases and with the un¬ 
wholesome fumes arising from the excreta 
which are scarcely more than twice a year 
cleaned up and removed,notwithstanding their 
high value as a fertilizer. To remedy such an 
evil the room should be provided with proper 
ventilators as suggested in a previous article. 
To improper ventilation many of the diseases 
to which fowls are subject are traceable, since 
if the air breathed is impregnated with nox¬ 
ious gases and impurities, the blood will be¬ 
come tainted and bodily health be impaired. 
Whether in Summer or Winter, conveniences 
for ventilation should be provided so that, for 
a short time each day, the impure air may be 
allowed to escape and be replaced by that 
which is fresh. It will be necessary occa¬ 
sionally, also, to fumigate the poultry-house 
to rid it of lice and other vermin. This may 
be done by burning in a small charcoal fur¬ 
nace a handful of tobacco stems, and when 
smoking freely sprinkle on a quarter of a 
pound or so of sulphur and let it smoke for 
two hours. Of course, the fowls are to be re¬ 
moved during the process, though they can 
be admitted before the fumes of sulphur are 
entirely gone. This is the most effectual way 
of getting rid of the pests of the poultry-house. 
It is also advisable to whitewash the walls 
occasionally and kerosene the perches. For 
a dust bath take dry sand 20 parts, wood 
ashes five parts, sulphur one part. Place the 
mixture in large boxes where it may be kept 
dry, and where the fowls may have ready 
access to it. 
Judicious feeding is also another matter 
that requires consideration. Every poultry- 
man should understand that a food that is 
good for one season of the year may not be 
for another. He should remember that fowls 
as well as other animals like a change of 
food, and that they will thrive best on a va¬ 
riety, and that while they should have enough 
to eat they should not be overfed. Do not 
throw down a large mess of soft food before 
the hens; they fill their crops too rapidly, the 
mortar, or burnt oyster shells, which are 
necessary to the best results in egg produc¬ 
tion. 
But whatever be the food, fowls should 
have it regularly. They come to expect it at 
certain times of the day, and will remind 
their keeper of his negligence if he forgets 
them. Regular feeding is beneficial to fowls 
in confinement, or even when allowed to 
range. Such “rovers” as turkeys, geese and 
ducks will not forget their evening meal and 
will return to the pen or yard at night of their 
own accord for food, thus saving trouble and 
sometimes preventing loss, it is a good plan 
to provide feeding troughs, having slats 
nailed over them, so that the fowls cannot 
get into them or scratch the feed out into the 
dirt and filth. Almost any one can “fix up” 
feeding and water-troughs in some such way 
as this after a plan of his own. To sum up, 
tbeu: Provide warm houses for Winter, cool 
for Summer; ventilate well; fumigate occa¬ 
sionally; give good range in Summer; feed 
regularly, but not too much; give plenty of 
pure water; provide dust baths; remove the 
excreta daily; do not over-crowd; give at¬ 
tention to details and success in poultry-keep¬ 
ing may reasonably be expected, .r. w. d. 
of the water is greatly reduced. This makes 
them especially desirable for deep wells. A 
very Rmall waste hole bored in the pipe at 
any desirable distance—usually about four 
feet —below the platform, allows the water to 
settle to that point after pumping and insures 
protection against frost. The water starts 
with the first or second motion of the handle 
Hovey and Manchester Strawberries. 
—The following is the correspondence regard¬ 
ing the Hiveyand Manchester Strawberries, 
published in the Massachusetts Ploughman of 
August 12, which Mr. Hovey requests us to 
quote: 
South Glastonbury, Conn., July 1st, 18S2. 
Mr. C. M. Hovey: 
Dear Sir,—Did not have an opportunity to 
talk with you yesterday as I wished to. 
However, in view of the fact of the great in¬ 
jury done us by the plain statement in your 
last Spring catalogue,that Manchester Straw¬ 
berry was the same as the Hovey Seedlings 
and your frank acknowledgment yesterday 
that you were mistaken in the matter, trust 
you will favor us with a letter for publication, 
admitting the mistake made, for as you well 
know your previous statement has been quoted 
from in most of the agricultural and horticul¬ 
tural papers. 
Very respectfully yours, 
G. H. & J. H. Hale. 
i-VtisccUttncous 
NOTES, 
Last year I had a small quantity of Black- 
bearded Centennial wheat growing, but I 
could not find one head that contained any 
grain. What caused it to fail I do not know, 
as other wheat adjoining yielded well. The 
seed came from the Department of Agricul¬ 
ture, aud, as usual through our Member of 
Congress. [Are you sure it was the Black- 
bearded Centennial? Eds.] If the information 
collected by Uncle Sam were to be distributed 
weekly, after the manner of the Rural, 
perhaps many of the farmers would be bene¬ 
fited,but as it is, the ponderous “Reports,” etc., 
strike dumb with awe the lucky farmer who 
sometimes gets one, and it is reverently laid 
away as a memento of the liberality of the 
Government, never to be opened, except by 
chance. _ 
It is a mysterious dispensation of Providence 
that these “Reports” usually fall into the 
bands of lawyers, doctors, etc., instead of the 
humble tiller of the soil But if it were other¬ 
wise, how could our aspiring lawyers prepare 
their practical orations on the needs of the 
agriculturist? __ 
Some years ago I happened to meet an old 
acquaintance, and I inquired after several 
others. In answer to one inquiry I was in¬ 
formed that “he had gone into farming, 
Boston, July 4, 1882. 
Messrs. Hale: 
Gentlemen,—Yours of the 1st inst. was duly 
received, and I am pleased to have the early op¬ 
portunity to reply, because, if the specimens of 
the Manchester exhibited by you last week are 
a fair sample of the berry, I frankly acknowl¬ 
edge my great error in considering it a syn¬ 
onym of Hovey’s Seedling. For the former is 
no more to be compared with the latter than 
poor cider with the finest champagne. 
How Mr. Barrows, Mr. Mead and others at 
the grand trial last year ou Mr. Battey’s 
grounds could say “in form and flavor it much 
resembles Hovey’s Seedling,” “better flavor 
than Hovey’s Seedling,” or as Mr. Lovett 
wrote us “Manchesteris an improved Hovey’s 
Seedling; can I say more?” And how your 
artist made such a misrepresentation of the 
details of the fruit, seemingly existing to 
make only a showy plate, is more than I can 
comprehend. 
Taking all the accounts and descriptions of 
the Manchester and the plate, they correspond 
exactly with the original one of the Hovey, 
which you will find in the “Fruits of America” 
with a correct and beautiful colored plate. 
Taking > our specimens of tho Manchester 
as exhibited, I give a correct description of 
it, and also one of the Hovey for comparison. 
MANCHESTER. 
Size, medium to large. 
roundish almost oblate, without 
Fig. 391. Fig. 293. 
Buckeye Force Pump. 
and the flow ceases the moment pumping 
stops, leaving no drippings. Hose can be 
coupled and a steady stream can be forced to 
a distance of CO feet from the nozzle. Fig. 291 
represents the shallow-well pump and Fig. 293 
the deep-well pump. In the latter it is rec¬ 
ommended that the lower cylinder be placed 
in the water within six inches of the bottom 
of the well, as the valves will then be always 
submerged and not liable to get out of order. 
The cylinders of these pumps are of brass or 
iron lined with porcelain, aud are all fitted 
with the new patent brass valve-set. 
A good force pump on a farm is a valuable 
convenience, that may save much labor aud 
greatly lessen the risk of loss by fire. By 
means of suitable permanent pipes laid below 
the influence of frost it will force water into 
the kitchen for household purposes, thus sav¬ 
ing much wearisome work and danger of colds 
and consequent sickness and worse in inclem 
ent weather. The drinking troughs in the 
stock-yard or stables can be easily supplied in 
the same way, while with an appropriate 
length of bo- e and a nozzle v ater can be 
thrown ou burning buildings and an incipient 
fire be promptly checked, or the vegetable 
and flower gardens can be irrigated iu dry 
weather. By all means lot every farmer have 
a good force pump, and we know of none bet¬ 
ter than the Buckeye. w. h. k. 
Form, 
neck. 
Color, dull red. 
Seeds, large, dark; set on the surface. 
Flesh, moderately firm, quite acid and not 
highly flavored. 
Calyx, large, 10 to 13 parted. 
hovey’s seedling. 
Size, large to very large. 
Form, roundish, conical, with slight neck. 
Color, brill.ant, glossy, deep scarlet. 
Seeds, yellowish, small, deeply imbedded. 
Flesh, firm, sweet, aud of the richest pine 
11 wor. 
Calyx, very small, only five parted. 
Thus showing that there is no resemblance 
whatever only in the single fact that both are 
pistillate. 
If the original description of the Manchester 
had been correct and nothing said about it? 
resembling the Hovey, which it does not, I 
should never have had the least idea of its 
being the same, any more than I should the 
Bid well or any other of the new varieties. 
The error lies with the first erroneous de¬ 
scription of the Manchester. 
You are at liberty to use this letter as you 
please. Respectfully yours, 
C. M. Hovey. 
We publish the above in deference to Mr. 
Hovey’s request and to show him that the 
, Rural desires to do justice in all cases; no 
POULTRY KEEPING.—No. 5, 
Care of Fowls. 
As the Fall season approaches and the 
“ driving” work on the farm is over, special 
attention sh ould be given to the care of the 
poultry. During the Summer they have not 
demanded such close attention where they 
have been allowed to forage for a living, or 
even when they have been fed regularly 
night aud morning as they should have been, 
but ere 1 ong the cold Fall rains will come 
and a little later the sleet and snow and cold 
winds of Winter, and for these preparation 
should be made in season. 
If the poultry house needs repairing, now 
is a good time to do it. Stop all cracks 
and crevices through which the cold winds 
may blow, as nothing will more surely in 
jure fowls than being obliged to roost where 
they are in a draft; see that no holes are 
left in the walls or foundations through 
which rats, weasels, minks and other fowl 
fanciers may find ingress, and, later on, un- 
—Fig. 293. 
readily master the smatterings of a classical 
country edu nation, he was deemed brainless. 
Well, the farmers are to blame for this man¬ 
ner of being estimated. They, alone are de¬ 
barred from the enjoyment (?) of public life 
by reasou of their overwhelming awe for a 
little legal “ book laming." Our represeuta 
tives in all bodies, except county conventions, 
are men of other professions, usually lawyers 
and doctors, etc. They lead, we follow; what 
better can we expect? 
Patna Sheef. 
process of assimilation uud digestion is hin¬ 
dered and it may result in death to them 
Corn “when fed alone and in large quantities, 
is not good for laying hens, as it will cause 
them to become too fat. It is a good plan to 
feed once a day on soft food made of ground 
grain and boiled potatoes or turnips masbed 
together. Take two bushels of potatoes, boil 
them mi til they will “mash," then add 40 
pounds of bran and 20 of mixed corn and oat 
meal, if so large a quantity is desired. lho 
beat of the potatoes will partially cook the 
brau, aud thus make a nutritive food for 
either chicks or adult fowls. Wheat is a good 
feed at almost any season of the year. Be¬ 
sides, fowls should have a supply of green 
food and lime, in some form, as in pounded 
THE PATNA SHEEP. 
Some naturalists count four or five distinct 
species of sheep, one of which is found in each 
continent. Indeed, except the polar regions 
there are few parts of the globe in which 
