66® 
for tl)f T)° im 0 
A RECEIPT FOR A RACKET. 
What does it take to make a Racket? 
Well, ble8« we. /certainly ought to know, 
For I’ve made them a score of times or so! 
Hero'* the receipt—and I • an't be wrong— 
For making them hot and sweet and strong! 
What does It take to make n racket? 
Two small boys in pants and Jackets 
An empty room and a bare wood floors 
A eon pie of si loks to hn g the door; 
A chair or two to break and to swing; 
A trumpet to blow and a bell to ring; 
A stamp and a tramp like a great big man, 
And, when you c*n get it. an i id tin pan; 
A flight of stai s f >r a climb and nimble; 
A nursery maid to growl and griimb.es 
A chorus of howl and cry and shriek 
To drown your voice if you try to speak; 
A down good olows ou knees ana b.ck, 
Each one coming down with a - errible Vhack; 
A couple of falls that wonldoia- k aunt, 
And one good bump on your occiput; 
A ru-h and a sku-r.v; a tear and a clatter; 
A mamma to cry, ''Now what la the matter?" 
You take these. 
And shake these. 
And put in » packet, 
And you'll have Just the Jolllest kind of a Racket! 
Of Course lam bound .0 confess 
You can manage to make It w 1th less. 
(For this Is a regular, rich receipt, 
For pudding, aud sauce and utl complete;) 
And still have a very good show, 
If you follow directions below: 
You can leave out the ruOrn, aud the floor, 
The bumps, and the bangs mi the doors 
The bell aud the sticks mid ihe stairs; 
The trumpet the howl and tb ' chal.s; 
The whack, and the fall, and ibe rise; 
The shrieks, and the groan-, and the cries; 
Mamma, and iho pan and the tr nop: 
Th- nu se, and .hegrow.uml th- btamp; 
—But one thing you mvst huve, however you get It, 
(Or else If you don’t you wilt a »dly regret It- 
For remember my wordB-if you happen to lack It, 
Yon never can have the least bit of a Racket) - 
And that Is, Two amaU boy* in pan is and i n Jtu-ket.'.' 
FARMING FOR BUYS AND GIRLS. 
No. 60. 
HENRY STEWART. 
Housekeeping is the chief study for girls, 
but a boy ought to know something about it 
too. No person ever yet lived who knew too 
much of useful things. And there always 
comes a time in our lives when everything 
we may happen to have learned will be found 
just the thing we want at that particu¬ 
lar time, and this is truer in reg*rd to keep¬ 
ing house, perhaps, than in respect of anything 
besides. 
There is a good deal of keeping house to be 
A Basket Nest. —Fig. 323. 
done for the fowls, so that they may be com¬ 
fortable and healthful. We mustnever make 
ourselves believe that fowls do not care for a 
clean house. Auimals can be happy or mis¬ 
erable, as muih as peop’e can; and fowls 
that have a filthy, dissgi enable house, don't 
care how they look; ih*-y Lang their feathers 
and mope about, and when they look at their 
owners, they bang their beads and appear as 
if they were ashamed. But let us put a few 
nice fowls in a neat, clean bouse, and they 
will walk around it and examine it with their 
heads turned tip on one side to get a g >od 
look; and then go to work to trim and shake 
out their feathers and look for a nest at once, 
to reward their thoughtful owner with an 
egg. Old poultry-keepers know what a dif 
ference it makes to bav a clean, bright, com¬ 
fortable, dry, sweet and airy, but yet warm, 
house for their fowls; bow many eggs they 
get; how the cocks crow and the henB cackle, 
and lie about in the warm sand or in the cool 
shade taking their ease, and bow, when their 
bouse is dark aud dirty and damp, and the 
rain or snow blows in through the cracks in it 
and it smells badly; the poor fowls have no 
heart to do anything; they get yellow about 
their heads; their owner gets no eggs, and 
the young chicks have the very worst luck 
and die, one by one, In the dark come rs. 
So the first thing the young poultry keeper 
THE RURAL 
has to do is to learn how to keep house for the 
fowls. A scraper, a broom and a dust-pan 
are very necessary things to have and they 
should be used; and those who are not in 
dined to take this trouble at least once a 
week had better not try to keep fowls. For 
fowls must be kept clean, and they cannot be ex¬ 
pected to keep themselves clean if their house is 
filthy. It will help very much to have the 
inside of the hem-e quite smooth and free 
from everything ihat can collect dirt or ver¬ 
min, to have iha floor smooth and to keep it 
sanded with dry sand. 
The nests, too, will help much to keep the 
house clean. The best nest ever made is a 
common wire basket (Fig 824). For bantams 
wire ox muzzle is just right; for larger fowls 
they should be made on purpose. These can 
be hung on the wall, about two feet from the 
ground, and a bar should be fastened in the 
front for the ben to jump on. 
The next thing is the feed. Hens should 
not be overfed. They must not have all 
they will eat, or they will surely eat too 
much. They may have all the water they 
will take, and it should be always clean and 
fresh. Corn, wheat, baked small potatoes, 
given warm, milk cuid, a few cabbage 
leaves or an onion chopped up fine, are 
all excellent. Flesh meat should be given 
in small quantities. The fowls should be fed 
morning and night, and be allowed to pick up 
what they can in the middle of the day. 
Three good rules for keeping fowls in good 
condition are: Keep them clean; feed them 
moderately but regularly, and give them 
plenty of clean, fresh water. There will be 
no siek fowls if these rules are well followed. 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
Dear Uncle Mark: I write to let you 
know how my watermelons are coming on. 
Pa, who always raises a large crop of melons 
for market, bad great difficulty on account of 
the cool, wet Spring, in getting a stand of the 
kind that he raised (the Georgia Gipsy or Rat. 
tlesnake), so I could not get a place fixed for 
the seed that you sent until the last of May. I 
planted one seed in a hill; five came up; so I 
have five hills of melons. They are of a dark 
gi'een color, and some of them measure 18 and 
19 inches in length, and 28or 30inches around. 
Borne of them will be ripe in a few days. 1 
had not hoped lo get one of the premiums as 
I was so late in getting mine planted, but if 
you thiuk I stand any chance I will have the 
melons weighed and report to you, or Bend 
them on to you, whichever you think best. If 
no other person succeeds in raising larger ones 
than I have, they certainly cannot be a large 
kind. Soma of Pa’s Gipsys are almost as 
large again. The pigs knocked one of mine 
off the vine a week or so ago; it stayed in the 
patch and ripened without being attached to 
the vine; we cut it and found that the meat 
was very red and sweet. If it could have 
ripened ou the vine it would no doubt have 
been sweeter. Pa thinks that planted early 
they would prove an early kind. I have be¬ 
fore me the Rural of March 18tb with a list 
of how the premiums are to be awarded, but 
cannot find a paper that tells what the prizes 
are to be. Let me know what th**y are. Write 
and let me know what to do about the melons 
Since writing the above Uncle Henry came 
in, and when I told him what I had written 
about the melons, he said that I ought not to 
pay that the melons wereof the size l describe d, 
as they were still growing very fast and 
would be much larger by the time they were 
ripe, and that l was giving a wrong iropres 
Bion on the mind in regard to them. I hope 
he may be right, and that we may have se¬ 
cured the seed of a good variety of watermelon 
through the kindness of Uncle Mark. One of 
our nrigbbors purchased some seeds of Mr 
Burpee, of Philadelphia, called the Cuban 
Queen Watermelon, but they proved to be 
very small queens—did not grow to be more 
than ten inches long and were almost the 
shape of an apple. 
Your nephew, Claude Irwin Fosque. 
Hayes’ Store, Va. 
Uncle Mark.— We all appreciate the Ru 
ual so highly, that the thought has often or. 
cut red to me, how can I induce others to ap¬ 
preciate it also t I have thought of the plan 
of filling a basket with the different speci¬ 
mens, we have, of your seed distributions 
and place it beside the garden and farm pro¬ 
ducts at our coming fair, and solicit the 
farmers to subscribe. Do you think a sim¬ 
ple country girl would have the least success ? 
Would the seed be given on a six month’s 
trial subscription ? Your niece, 
Grundy Co., Iowa. Rosy Benton. 
[Your suggestion is a good one and you 
could no doubt do well. Yes, seeds will be sent 
on a six months trial subscription. We wish 
you success. The young folks could do a 
good deal for the Rural if they would try, 
and I am sure some will.—U. M.] 
Dear Uncle Mark :—The watermelon 
seeds you sent me did not do well. Only two 
came up. I thought I would try and get a 
prize, so 1 put on two wheelbarrow loads of 
rotten horse manure and three loads of black 
sand, and I watered them with the soakiegs 
out of the barnyard. Th**y are doing well. 
My patch is about six feet square. I have 
tried to ra’se turkeys for the last two years, 
but they all die off. When they are about a 
week old they begin to drop their wing-*, and 
about one day from that time they die. I feed 
them onion tops and a few peppers mixed 
with bread and chopped up fine. I also tried 
to raise some wild canary birds, but did not 
succeed in raising one. Your nephew, 
Earnest M. Woloer. 
Dear Uncle Mark:— I planted the melon 
seeds you so kindly sent me, and have four 
nice plants. I would like to tell the Cousins 
what I am growing in my garden. I have 
corn, tomatoes, musk-melonB. water-melons, 
cucumbers, onions, beets, beans, potatoes, 
sage, black raspb srries and strawberries. I 
am most eleven years old, but have not been 
to school much, for my health has not been 
very good, but 1 hope to go more steadily af 
ter this. I have no brothers nor sisters, and 
so I learned to do housewoik as well as farm 
work. I have pieced blocks enough for a 
bed-quilt, and we have a knitting machine 
that 1 kuit lamp mats on. Your nephew, 
Cattaraugus Co., N. Y. A. C. Goodman, 
Uncle Mark: — Father’s Thoroughbred 
Flint corn is doing well and some stalks are 
five feet high. My watermelon seeds did 
not come up. I have a nice garden in which 
are 100 cabbages, some beans and pop corn. 
We have a new kind of wheat; Bently is the 
name. Will Charley and Alice Taylor please 
send me a diagram of their seed drill! 
Your nephew, Norman T. Arters. 
Freehold, Pa. 
Societies, &jC. 
NEW ENGLAND FAIR. 
[Rural Special Report.) 
The 19th annual exhibition of the New 
England Agricultural Society opened at Wor 
cester, Ma*s., September 4th, and closed on the 
9th. The weather was all that could be 
desired throughout the entire fair, and the 
attendance on Wednesday and Thursday 
was very large. Commissioner of Agriculture 
Geo. B, Loring, the President of tbe Society, 
being necessarily absent, Secretary Col. 
Daniel Needham was constituted acting 
president, and delivered the opening addre-s. 
He spoke of the general good which this 
Society was doing for the agricultural interests 
of New Eugland, of the bountiful harvests, 
the largest yield of hay ever known, and of 
the future outlook for tbe farmers. The 
officers of this Society have apparently been 
indefatigable in thtir efforts to make this 
meeting a successful one, and yet I find many 
things lacking to make the New England Fair 
what it might, and should be. 
Many exhibitors and visitors as well as 
many of the officers themselves make many 
and just complaints about tbe management; 
and add that if the Society inteads to run 
itself as a political machine, or in tbe sole 
interests of any man or set of mm, their 
patronage shall cease. There is a great op¬ 
portunity for an improvement iu the rules of 
the Society. At present everything and 
every vender of cheap goods, together with 
the dime museum-*, fakirB, gamblers, auction¬ 
eers, Gj psy doctors, and in fact all the “catch¬ 
pennies," it would seem, in the country, have 
their head-quarters ou tbe ground during the 
fair, and are license 1 by tbe officers to fleice 
the farmers or unsuspecting ones out of their 
money. I am strongly of the opinion that 
unless these nuisances are removed, and kept 
off tbe grounds, the New Eugland Agriculture 
Society will soon lose its patronsge entirely. 
Manufacturers of agricultural implements, 
breeders of thoroughbred stock, and inventors 
in general, are not foolish enough to be at the 
trouble aud expense of attending fairs where 
these disreputable classes are the chief or only 
attractions. Farmers should attend fairs for i be 
purpose of getting posted on the best and most 
useful goods which they stand in need of. 
Exhibitors go to fairs for the purpose of 
showing their inventions, and when farmers 
spend one day on the grounds, aud tiud so 
many chances to “buy cheap,” their time is 
so fully occupied that many of them never 
find an opportunity of examining any 
machinery, however new or useful it may be. 
The interests of agriculture are in no way 
dependent upon the speed of a horse; on the 
skill and endurance of a female rider of run¬ 
ning horses, who does her riding, by tbe way. 
SEPT 23 
man fashion; or on the res-ults of a bicycle 
race, and while some of these amn-ements may 
be proper in their place, they are not in auy 
sense a part of, and should not be allowed at 
an agricultural fair. 
In many of tbe departments I notice several 
things of interest. 
The Poultry Department was unusually 
well represented, and some fine strains of 
birds weie shown. Toere were 264 entries in 
this department, including ail of the famous 
breeds. The cattle department was also well 
represented. As near as ceuld be ascertained 
there were 67 Snort-aorns, 111 Devons, 46 
Ayrahtres, 15 Hereforda, 104 Jerseys, 13 Guern¬ 
seys, 26 Swiss, 14 Halo terns, 67 grades, 77 
pairs workiog oxen, 36 pairs steers. 
The display of horses was very fair, the en¬ 
tries including 12 stallions for general use; 
nine stallions under four years old; eleven 
mares for general us ; ten entries in the * Gen¬ 
tlemen’s Driving Class,” nine in “Geldings and 
Mares;’’ twelve in “Geldings aud Fillies;” and 
three ot Iy in the “Draft Horse Class.” Of 
she*p there were three exhibitors of Cots- 
wolds; four of South Dow ns, one of Oxford 
Downs; one of Hampshire Do*ns; and only 
one of Merinos. Each, however, included 
in bis exhibits from hall-a-dozen to thiee 
dozen Bheep In swme there were fl«e exhibit¬ 
ors of Poland-Cbinav; two of Suffolks; six of 
Berkshires; thn-e of Essex; two of Chester- 
Whites and one of Yorkshire*. Altogether 
there were over 250 entries in the various 
pige n and pet stock claves—a larger number 
than bad ever before been shown at any of 
the Society’s Fairs. 
The Agricultural Implement Disp’ay was not 
large, and included in the man specialties 
from local dealers. Mr. F» o I. Atwood of 
Wmterport, Me., one of New England’s most 
thrifty and reliable agricultural implement 
dealers, made a fine display of goods manu- 
factnrtd by Messrs. Gregg & Co., Truraans- 
burg, N, Y. His exhibit included the Osborne 
Plow Sulky, Gregg Rake, Meadow King 
Mower, and other bprcialuie-i. Mr. Atwood 
i< also the inventor of a rubber-coated i-cytbe 
wh cb is fast bocuining popular among all 
users, and be can supply at auy time anything 
in the agricultural line. Hi* place is head¬ 
quarters for tbe goods manufactured by the 
Higganum Manntaeiuring Corp. Higganum, 
C.rnu. 
Messrs. Everett & 8mall, Boston, made a 
fine d splay ot thrir specialities, including the 
Matchless Plow, Mathewa’Setd Drill, Li Dow 
Disc Harrows, Cooley Creamers, et<*., etc. 
The Columbia Plow Works, Copake Iron 
Works, Columbia Co., N. Y, exhibited, 
through their gtneral agent, Mr. E. Shaver, a 
full line of their cb'lied plows. For the past 
four y ears these plows have been gaining the 
esteem of all practical agriculiurists wbere- 
evur used. Their adsp'ability t> different 
kinds of soil, the lightness of draft, the ease 
of management and good qua p.y of material 
used iu their coustiuction combine to make 
them in every way desirable. At the field 
trial during this fair in which many of the 
leading plows were represented, and for which 
there were nearly liH) entries, the Columbia 
was awarded first prize in the fourth class, for 
eight-inch work, there being over 15 competi¬ 
tors, also third prize in class five, in which 
tt ere were over 30 comp-litiors. 
Harvesters wereexhib ted by the Walter A. 
Wood M &. R. M. C Ho**sick Fall-, N. Y. 
and their st-ll-binder la operation oa the 
ground attracted much attention. Mowers 
and reapers were also shown by the Warrior 
Mower C • , Richardson M’i'g. C .*., Adriance 
Platt & Co., Gregz & Co., and others. The 
hay tedders on txhioition were the Ameri¬ 
can, made by the Ames Plow Co; tbe Mud- 
gett made by B. &. J. W. B -leber, and tbe Bul¬ 
lard manufactured bv toe Belcher & Taylor 
Ag. Tool Co. Cnicopee Falls. Mass, There were 
also plows mad-* by tbe Oliver Chilled Plow Co. 
South Bend, lnd Tne Wiard and the Columbia 
Thrashers and horse powers from tbe St. Al¬ 
bans, Vt., Manufacturing Co., and A. W. 
Gray’s Sons, wei e likewise ou show. Here were 
hay rakes made by J. HI Thomas Sons, Spring- 
field, Mass; the Stoddard of Dajton, O , the 
Yankee made at Birre. Moss., ar.d the Cham¬ 
pion made by Whitt-moje Bros, Boston. 
There were also several lawn mowers, har¬ 
rows, feed and ensilage cutters, wiud-raills 
saws, phosphates, hay presses, stump and 
rock pullers, etc., eto. 6 B. B. 
New England State Fair Notes. 
Mr. Fred Atwood, Wmterport, Me., 
received a silver medal on the Osborne Plow 
Sulky. 
The Columbia Plow received first premium 
in its class. 
In Dairy Hall, Wru. E. Lincoln, Warren, 
Mass., made a display of the Lincoln patent 
Chanuel Can Creamers as slso did the Vt. 
Farm Machine Co., Bellows Falls, and Moseley 
& Stoddard. JPoultaey, Vt. G. B. B. 
