nor any member thereof, owns a dollar’s worth 
of stock in that company; our Bole connection 
with it having been to make advances to it and 
sell its product on commission, itB outire pro¬ 
duct up to the time of the throat advance in 
the price of butter having gone abroad. 
Interested parties have also sought to convey 
the impression that we have sold it fraudu¬ 
lently, or contrary to law, which also is not 
true. We have looked upon it simply as a 
commercial product as legitimate as lard, aud 
_ the only wrong in its 
sale, in onr opinion, is 
:=■ where ft is sold for but- 
t . ter, which my firm nev- 
I ' er has done. I have no 
II doubt from what I 
yty have heard and seen, 
that some mannfac- 
turers have done so, 
\ r -=g but I think you will ad- 
■! ' ) =r±Wk mit ' that a firm doing 
'A ‘ _r—its business in an open, 
§ honorable, and lawful 
manner, should not be 
ij&fc j blamed for the sins of 
those who do not do 
—_ . . - =•== their business in that 
Ton are also in error 
: 5° stating that either 
gf". myself or my firm is 
'• the largest dealer in 
oleomargarine in the 
country. There are at 
j : ~ ,eaBt two or three e “* 
tablishments in other 
‘ cities that manufacture 
t * -"• • */ ; ? ; more oleomargarine 
than the Commercial 
Manufacturing Compft- 
»y. »hho”s>> th « j"“- 
V 1 kUU'/fr ' tIt,y mft nnfactured has 
| I ;iJthfih ) I been largely over-esti- 
hmated, and I thinkthat 
J yoU( a8 well aB others . 
ii W a A L IA ft \ I have over-estimated its 
W/i I effect on the butter 
" market. 
The late meetings on 
and holes should be closed and made as tight as 
possible. 
Hens may be kept in the warmest bon-house, 
oven in one warmed by artificial heat; yet if 
they are not fed, there will be no eggs. I have 
for years followed the practice of giving the 
hens all the meat scraps, egg-shells and vege¬ 
table refuse from the kitchen ; it pays much 
better than to feed the same stuff to the pigs. 
Hens are very partial to meat, either raw or 
cooked, and they also like vegetables in the 
Advantages of Using a Pure-bred Ram. 
I havb been in the sheep business on a small 
scale for several years,having commenced with 
ewes that would shear 4} pounds of wool. I 
bred on in this way for some time, but found 
it did not pay so I pnrehased a thoroughbred 
buck for which I paid $40. From bis first cross 
KEEPING POULTRY IN WINTER 
FORREST K. MORELAND, 
Poultry-raisiug in a climate where the ther¬ 
mometer at one time indicates 30° below zero, 
and in less than 34 hours 30° above zero, must 
necessarily depend f"r__ 
its profits, to a great -~ r . - —~ 
extent, upon the bardi- . — ^3=1 
ness of the fowls kept. _ ■ ■ - :. — i — i~ 
This is one of the csscu- ^ 
tials in poultry-raising. 
What matters it how 
largo our chickens arc ^ 
or how profitable they 
may be as egg-pro- ^ 
dneers if they are not ■ - —= . mmk, 
adapted to onr rigorous - ISB™ 
climate? I have fre- 
quently heard my 
neighbors boast of the .&■&.• * ■ 
innumerable good qual- 
ities of their different 
breeds of poultry, and : aKJ 
too often add, "But 
they are a great trouble fl 
in winter ; they won’t ^J| 
lay and very often they • 
freeze to death.’’ It is ^ | ;|P 
too true that the great- " \Yffij 
est fault is very often ■njMl : > 
in the hen-house. No (Swi|l|||j| 
breed of fowls ought to f 
be expected to live in V|, (wmIm ' 
this climate, in a build- 
ing where the suow 
flows in at every crack. 'fflml 
But, no matter what U 
ought to be, we have A™ MlOTyAM u/1 
to consider what is, 'VlvWAiii\W,v''iV^lr^/4V/ 'iiXI 
ud, if that ta an evil, 
toauggcBt a remedy if ' u'WIMWWj! 
such a thing is possible, il/il W^WlUl 
The large, fast-growing ^ 
fowls are not as vig- 
HEREXORD BULL. 
oroaa as the more ac¬ 
tive ones. Their habits are more sluggish, 
and they do not take sufficient exercise in 
extremely cold weather. Take a fowl whose 
legs are covered with feathers, although 
these are a questionable ornament to my 
way of thinking, yet in winter they become 
a great incouvouiei.ee, as they catch all 
the filth and snow, If the fowl is allowed 
to go iu the snow, as a hardy fowl should. 
A large fowl is chilled much too easily in 
cold weather. I do not mean dangerously 
chilled, but chilled so that it loses a desire to 
help itself, and sits around ou the grouud, 
growing worse ail the time, and liable to be 
stepped on and killed. 
Of those classed as large breeds then? are 
some active ones, but the rule is that a good 
growth and large size are incompatible with 
active habits and a hardy constitution. Take 
fowls that are very active, great foragers from 
early morning until late at night and from 
early spring until late in the fall able to take 
care of themselves and even a little trouble¬ 
some to the neighbors, and you have birds that 
are rather hard to freeze, and which, under 
any decent sort of treatment, will lay through 
a good share of the winter. When the poultry- 
yard is so situated that there is no chance of 
annoyance to the neighbors, or of damage to 
gardens and crops, there is much more profit in 
keeping fowls that forage for themselves than 
those that require regular feeding. The former 
wander all around the barnyard and fields, 
scratching and picking up seeds that would be 
lost, and worms tbat would not bo lost. They 
live in this manner instead of requiring corn 
at 75 cents per bushel, and always make a good 
return in eggs. 
I have kept for several years the Golden 
Polands and have never made but a slight out¬ 
lay for graiu in summer. Were it not for their 
veiy active habits they would be quite, unfit to 
stand our climate. As it is. their value for the 
table aud as layers and non-sitters makes them 
well worth a little extra care. They are better 
adapted to stand our winters than some breeds, 
and not so well adapted as others. I think the 
American breeds arc much bettor fitted to 
stand cold weather thau the SpauiBh or French. 
But no breed of poultry can staud what some 
breeds on some farms are required to stand. 
Hen-houses can be erected at very small cost, 
warmth, with an abuudaucc of light and good 
ventilation, Is all that is required. I havo seen 
very good henneries constructed from some 
buildiug thut was useless for any other purpose. 
Take an old frame of this sort aud double¬ 
board it and lino it with sawdust or tan-bark, 
and, provided the work 16 done well, you have 
a cheap and good huu-house. ido not propose 
in this letter to give apluu of a hen-houso, but 
merely to offer some suggestions for the benefit 
of poultry for the winter. One side of the house 
should be glass; double if possible—it will be a 
means of heat as well as light. The house 
should be made as comfortable, and all cracks 
same way. But more than this—such a mix¬ 
ture of food is healthful and greatly tends to 
increase the production of eggs. As all this 
kitchen refuse is well adapted to the needs of 
fowls, it will yield a much better return if 
given to the hens than if used in any other 
way. If they are fed a clear dish of corn, bar¬ 
ley or oats, their appetites are very apt to 
become cloyed, and themselves to fall in vigor 
and fertility. In winter they Bhould be fed a 
sufficient quantity of heat-producing food. Of 
this corn or barley is the best, and the kitchen 
refuse before spoken of, will furnish the ueces- 
sary meat scraps. If moat can be procured in 
no other way, certain portions of carcasses cau 
be procured at the slaughter houses, very often 
for the asking. If meat cannot be procured 
without buying, the health and productiveness 
of the hen6 will warrant the purchase of an oc¬ 
casional piece for them, though not of a porter¬ 
house steak or a roasting piece perhaps. If 
hens are unhealthy or lacking in vitality, there 
is no profit in keepLug them. 
- « « » 
HOW TO MAKE HEN8 LAY IN WINTER. 
To get a plentiful supply of eggs in winter, 
young hens are necessary. Pullets hatched in 
April and May will prove most satisfactory. 
The hen-house must be warm and kept clean. 
Provide plenty of fresh water always. A 
variety of food is absolutely necessary, but 
wheat or screenings should be the main feed. 
Corn has more fattening than egg-producing 
properties, and should be fed sparingly. Buck¬ 
wheat is valuable feed for hens. Oats are not 
worth much, but will do to make out the 
variety. 
Feed in the morning a warm mess of meal, 
middlings, or something of that sort, mixed 
stiff, but feed uo soft feed after the middle of 
the day. Only dry grain should bo in a hen’s 
crop upon going to roost. Fresh meat must 
bo fed. Lard or tallow scraps are good; both 
can be bought at the soap factories, the former 
costing $2 aud the latter $1 per hundred. 
Scraps should he broken up aud soaked over 
night, warmed, aud fed in the morning. Meal 
may be added. Hens also require vegetable 
food. Carrots are best; chop as fine as kor- 
uels of coru, aud about twice a week add afow 
ouions. For shell material use oyster or clam 
shells, both browned and raw. Break them 
fine. Keep plenty of fine saud where your 
hens can have full access to It. Another im¬ 
portant consideration is, make no sudden 
change In your mauuer of feeding, as every 
radical change diminishes the supply of eggs. 
Provide pleuty of uests, aud never allow your 
hens to be chased by boys, worried by dogs or 
frightened lu any way. Perfect quiet must 
reign iu the poultry house, or eggs will be 
scarce. Let no oue who has neglected his 
hens expect a full supply oi eggs immediately 
after commencing a systematic course of feed¬ 
ing. It will take weeks, perhaps months, be¬ 
fore the beat reaulta will be realised- n. r. 
with the ewes I got a set of lambs whose clip 
averages six and a half pounds each; now I 
have ewes that will 6hear from eight to ten 
pounds of washed wool. At present I get three 
pounds of wool per head more than I did be¬ 
fore I got my buck, and as I keep about 150 
sheep, it gives me 450 pounds extra, and that, 
at 35 cents per pound, will give $157.50 extra. 
This Is not for one year; but for as long as 
they live—say ten years. Iu that time the 
extra gain from the use of my thoroughbred 
ram would be $1.575—a nice profit- But that 
is not all. I can sell my shoep for about one- 
third more, and still there arc thousands of 
farmers that will not pay ®35 for a ram 1 My 
advice would be to all young beginners, to use 
none but thorough bred rams. If they arc not 
able to get one themselves, they should hire 
the use of one or join with a neighbor and pur¬ 
chase one, and as soon as each is able, he 
should get two or three thoroughbred ewes ; 
then he can raise his own bucks. I hope to 
• hear from some good sheep-breeders through 
the Rural. R. Gkeenbank, 
Monroe Co., Ohio. 
Dario us. 
A LETTER FROM MR. F. B. THURBER. 
New York, Dec. 30,1ST9. 
Editor Rural New-Yorker: 
Dear Sir My attention has just been called 
to an editorial in your paper of Dec. 27, en¬ 
titled *• Specimens of Oleomargarine,” which I 
think does both the mauagers of the Dairy 
Fair and myself an injustice, inasmuch as it 
carries with it the idea that It was an advertis¬ 
ing dodge of the manufacturers of that article, 
and expressly states that the “ President of the 
Dairy Fair is interested in its manufacture, 
and is the largest dealer in the stuff In the 
country," 
I desire to state that this action of the man¬ 
agers of the Fair was taken during a four days’ 
absence, aud I knew nothing about it uutil I 
found it ou exhibition when I returned. On 
inquiry, 1 found that so many dairymen had 
manifested a curiosity to see it, that the man¬ 
agers had purchased specimens ot different 
manufacturers, and exhibited ihern as an inter¬ 
esting feature of the fair, so that the action 
could not be attributed to any desire of the 
president to advertise the article. 
Regarding the other points upon which I 
think your article does mo injustice, you evi¬ 
dently entertain the impression that the firm 
of which I am a member, is substantially the 
Commercial Manufacturing Company, which is 
perhaps not to be wondered at, because a state¬ 
ment to that effect was made at one of the 
meetings of the butter merchants at the Amer¬ 
ican Exchange a short time since. This, how¬ 
ever, is incorrect; neither myself nor my firm, 
the subjict were held at a time when the 
butter market was experiencing a natural 
reaction from an advance of over one 
huudred per cent. I think it was this 
rather than oleomargarine which was respon¬ 
sible for the weukness of the market at 
that time—a conclusion which I think the 
present strength of the market confirms. I do 
not think as you do, that oleomargarine " has 
inflicted and is still inflicting a monstrous in¬ 
jury on the dairy interests of the country.’ 
On the contrary, I think it is producing a bene¬ 
ficial effect upon the dairy interests of the 
country, the same as it haB in Europe, by at¬ 
tracting the attention of butter makers to the 
necessity of improving the quality of fhelr pro¬ 
duction, for which I think yon will admit there 
is ample roem. I think if you will talk with 
the leading men in the butter trade, you will 
find that my firm, as well as myself individual¬ 
ly, have done as much work and expended as 
much money in advancing the dairy interests 
of this country as any other firm or individual, 
and I certainly would not be interested in any 
business, especially an unlawful oue, which 
was calculated to injure the dairy, or any other 
legitimate interest. If lard were manufactured 
and sold as butter I should say it was wrong, 
but, on its merits, lard is a legitimate article 
of commerce, and the interests of citizens in¬ 
terested in its production are perhaps entitled 
to n6 much consideration as those of any other 
class. 
Farmers are stock raisers as well as dairy¬ 
men, and it seems 6trange that.they should ob¬ 
ject to a new outlet for one of their products, 
except upon the basis that it is fraudulently 
sold in place of another, I believe- this is the 
view taken by the leading dealers in dairy pro¬ 
ducts, aud tbat they prefer that if oleomargar¬ 
ine is to be manufactured, it should be sold by 
houses who do their business in au open and 
above-board manuer, as we do. 
It is also now understood by the leading but¬ 
ter men that the extraordinary efforts made by 
parties outBide of the butter trade to stir up an 
anti-oleomargarine excitement, were made to 
serve an ulterior purpose, for which they do 
not propose to be used. 
Respectfully, etc., 
F. B. Thurber. 
Cash vs. Credit. 1 have been much in- 
j wrested in the articles that have been published 
in these columns, on the above topic, and 
certainly hope they will be the means of doing 
much good. Debt is one of the greatest curses 
that the farmer has to contend with, and it is 
not realized until it is too late. Before a man 
gets into a debt be should make some calcula¬ 
tion to pay that debt, but far better is the plan 
to never get into debt, even if yon have to 
suffer many disadvantages in consequence. 
" Owe no man anything” is one of the fanner’s 
best mottoes. H - ®- 
