DEC. 4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
804 
poultry will be kept In health, and will produce 
chicks with good vigorous constitutions. 
Of special feeds some precaution must be 
taken; for instance, many feed bone meal to 
strengthen the fowls. This is a good idea; but 
it should not be given to laying hens or fowls 
just before killing, as it gives a bad taste to 
the eggs and flesh. There should be an in¬ 
terval of at least one week between feeding 
bone meal, onions, fish or other strong food 
and laying and killing time. 
We have often been amused with the shifts 
lazy people make for feeding fowls; one of 
these is the inevitable “ self-feeder.” Well we 
remember when they were first introduced and 
then we often saw them well filled. Indeed, 
if we remember rightly, we have seen corn 
put in them several times a day, although they 
would hold two weeks' feed; but then the 
thing was a novelty, and we liked to see it 
work. Nowadays go On any rich man’s farm 
and you see these empty perpetual feeders 
standing around weather-beaten and forlorn, 
wh ile the poor fowls after a full feast for a 
month or so must go to scratching again. The 
trouble it takeB to shell corn enough to fill one 
of these boxes is of course the same as it 
would be to supply the chickens a little every 
day, while the fact that the mind is not 
charged with its attendance causes it to be 
forgotten at the right time, so that chickens 
would actually starve to death if dependent 
upon it. The safest and by far the best plan, 
and as little trouble as any, is to give a moder¬ 
ate feed night and morning, which soon be¬ 
comes a habit—harder to break than to per¬ 
form. 
Breeding for Feather to Exclusion of duality. 
What is called “ hen fever ” is a kind of pas¬ 
sion that takes possession of a person or com¬ 
munity for certain kinds or breeds of fowls. 
The public poultry exhibitions that have grow n 
out of this rage that has been in existence now 
for many years, tend to keep it alive, and 
while it may be of great service to the com¬ 
munity at large by the introduction of new 
foreign or home-bred breeds of poultry that 
excel all others we now enjoy, there is one 
thing certain, and that is, it leads breeders to 
pursue false standards of excellence, and as 
these standards are generally chosen for iheir 
prominence, as color of feather or weight of 
flesh—points that are easily determined and 
boasted of—they are certain to be pursued to 
the injury if not to the destruction of 
the more valuable but more subtle char¬ 
acteristics of egg laying and quality 
of flesh. The standard of excellence pub¬ 
lished by the American Poultry Association 
sets the feather markings foi all the breeds, 
while it requires no virtue of egg laying or 
table quality, which are the only genuine pur¬ 
poses for which poultry arc designed. We 
think it time poultry journals should begin to 
devise some plan for retaining these useful 
qi alities in the pedigreed birds as well as in 
our common barn-yard fowls. 
-- 
GEESE. 
On looking over the article in the Rural of 
October 2d, ou this subject. I observe that the 
writer says the white China goose shows a 
“faintbrown stripe” down the back of the 
neck. Can such be pure-bred ? I think not. 
I have kept some of this breed and known 
otherB for upwards of SO years past, and I 
never Baw a brown stripe on the back of their 
necks, or a feather of any kind on them Bave 
a pure, snowy white. 
As the writer remarks, they are quite swan- 
lifeK in their appearance, and 1 may add, for 
graceful form, elegance of movement uLd 
beauty, no water fowl excels them. They also 
lay many more eggs than the larger breeds. 
Taking Spring and Autumn together, I have 
gathered upwards of 60 eggs from each goose 
in my flock. The small, gray China, with a 
dark stripe down the back of the neck, lays 
equally well, and is a graceful, beautiful bird. 
F. 
A CONVENIENT HORSE-SHOE. 
Among the numerous horse-shoes lately de¬ 
vised in this and other countries, that inven¬ 
tion iu England by Mr. Joseph Offord seems 
worthy of special notice. Its object is to fit 
the hoof with a movable but firm covering 
which can be readily adjusted to firevery kind 
of work and road, so that, like its master, the 
horse may own several sets of shoes for differ¬ 
ent occasions. The device consists in having 
one or more perfectly wedge shaped holes in 
the side and close to the edge of each shoe— 
fig. 409 in which triangular cogs, or wedges, 
are inserted. These are fastened by the fangs 
being brought, without touching the hoof, to 
the outside of the shoo, over which they are 
clenohed with a small hammer. The cogs do 
not penetrate the hoof, and there is no risk of 
hurting the horse. The holes, being wedge- 
shaped, cannot fill up with stones or dirt, and 
fig. 409. 
the fangs being malleable, the wedges are 
easily removed or inserted at pleasure. It is 
necessary, however, to get the holes punched 
in the shoes before the horse is shod, and for 
the coachman to be provided with a supply of 
these patent cogs to Insure safety on any road 
in frost or on wood. 
As many are accustomed to use a cog which 
screws into the shoe, Mr. Offord has prepared 
a steel wedge-shaped one (fig. 410) for this pur¬ 
pose. The screw cogs are, of course, more 
expensive. In using them the shoe has to be 
drilled and tapped with one or more holes be¬ 
fore the horse is shod. The cogs are inserted 
into these holes when needed, or removed at 
pleasure by means of a wrench provided for 
this purpose. We give two illustrations, repro¬ 
duced from the Agricultural Gazette, showing 
both these methods, with the punch, wrench, 
and dogs, both of which have stood the test 
of many years' experience, and have given 
great satisfaction. 
$arm (£ronomi). 
NEW STEAMING APPARATUS. 
The question is still a mooted one whether 
it is or is not better to steam feeding stuff. 
There is no doubt but that some kinds of food, 
if fed whole, are better cooked or partially 
cooked before feeding, and to supply this need 
the purpose of brackets to hold the doors in 
such a position, when open, as to form a hop¬ 
per to guide the food into the steamer; the 
bottom door, C, is lined with india-rubber 
to make it fit steam-tight, being closed at 
same time by turning down the hand lever 
bar, D, and pressing it tightly between the 
fastener or catch, E, and the wedge-shape 
rest, F F. The cut fodder, with the meal, etc., 
intended to be cooked with it, may then be 
conducted into the apparatus by means of 
shoots, communicating with the floor above, 
where the cutter, mill, etc., are placed, oritmay 
be filled by means of a scoop or basket. The 
top doors are then closed, and beiDg mitred at 
the point, K, where they meet, they overlap 
each other and prevent the steam from escap¬ 
ing until the whole contents have been thor¬ 
oughly cooked. The Bteam is then turned on 
by opening a tap connected with pipe G, which 
conducts the steam I o five jets in base of ap¬ 
paratus, by means of which it is distributed 
throughout the contents, thoroughly cooking 
them, and also depriving them of any musti¬ 
ness or ill flavor resulun l from weathered 
hay, spoilt corn, etc., which is a very import¬ 
ant and valuable result. The cooked food may 
afterwards be discharged by opening the door 
C, which is kept in position by catch H. 
Fig. 411 shows apparatus with doors closed, 
as 6een when the steaming process is in opera¬ 
tion. Fig. 412 shows apparatus with doors 
open, as 6eeu when the apparatus is being filled 
and discharged. 
— 
WINTERING STABLE MANURE. 
A. B ALLEN. 
Some contend that in order to preserve its 
fertilizing salts, stable manure should be cov¬ 
ered by a roof. If it be pure and without litter 
of any kind, it is undoubtedly best to have it 
well sheltered from sun, wind, rain, and snow ; 
but if, on the contrary, the manure abounds 
with Utter, or it is composted with sod, muck 
or peat, shelter over it is injurious rather than 
beneficial; for the outside elements are just 
what it requires to assist in a more rapid de¬ 
composition and finer pulverization, which 
better fit it for application to Spring crops. 
Rain and snow contain more or lees ammonia 
according to the season and the frequency of 
the fall of them ,* and these, saturating the 
manure, add considerably to its fertility in the 
course of a few mouths. As I have neither 
sod, peat nor muck, tut plenty of coarse 
marsh hay and straw, I use these lavishly for 
stable bedding. In addition 1 also use them 
in making up manure heaps in the following 
manner : 
Make a bed of one or both of these, a foot 
thick, ou the open ground where most con¬ 
venient, and daily spread all the stable manure 
over this bed till it is about four inches thick ; 
then put on the next layer of straw or hay 
only six inches thick, and over this a layer of 
only three inches of manure, and thus proceed 
till the heap is as high as is wanted, finally 
with a layer of six inches of pare manure 
without litter in it. This last is necessary to 
top the heap, in order to make it rot equally in 
a short time from top to bottom. I usually 
make the heaps about five feet high, and they 
soon settle down to four feet. 
Leaves of trees may be substituted for hay 
and straw when obtainable if neither of the 
latter can be had. Manure thus heaped up 
never fires, although decomposing rapidly, and 
none of its salts filter through the bedding ; all 
are retained by the several layers of hay and 
straw, and assist in rotting them, and making 
the whole heap a homogeneous mass. The ob¬ 
ject in having the lowest layer twice as thick 
fig. 4X1. 
fig. 412. 
we notice a newly arranged apparatus for that 
purpose, an illustration of which is given upon 
this page, figures 411 and 412, re-engraved from 
the Agricultural Gazette (England). 
The apparatus is constructed of sound, well- 
seasoned boarding, one and one-quarter inch 
in thickness, grooved and tongned and bolted 
to the main frame to prevent warping and to 
insure strength and durability. Iu workiug 
it, the doors, A A, at top are opened by means 
of the lever handles, B B, which also answer 
as the subsequent ones, is to insure its saviDg 
all the 6alts that may be washed down from 
the other layers into it. When a quality of 
manure is wanted richer than the above, we 
sprinkle fine ground bone dust or meal and 
guano alternately over each layer as fast as 
made, in a greater or less quantity as desired. 
A fair amount of these mixed with a heap 
containing ten two-horse wagon loads—say 
five cords—would be 150 pounds each. This 
additional fertilizing matter would make the 
ten wagon loads sufficient to manure half an 
acre of laiid—unless excessively poor—for all 
ordinary crops grown on the farm Super- 
pbosohate may be substituted for booe dust, 
but it does not usually contain as much of the 
fertilizing elements for the price as the latter, 
and is not so reliable. Pure, fine, ground bone 
dust or flour mixed up with stable manure as 
above, is as well fitted in a few months to be 
applied to crops as superphosphate; and flue 
sifted or manipulated guano, of course, is al¬ 
ways ready for immediate application. If the 
manure is to be applied to potatoes, or for the 
production of fruits, potash it also an excel¬ 
lent additional fertilizer to be sprinkled on 
every layer as fast as added to the heap. Some 
are at the extra labor of tossing over this c m- 
post. ODce or twice before using it, but I have 
found tbis unnecessary. Forking it down 
straight from the top to the bottom in loading 
in to the wagon, and doing the same when un¬ 
loading it for the crops mixes it sufficiently. 
Ulistcllattrous. 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
Catalogue of Thoroughbred Jersey Cattle, 
Cotswoid and South Down Sheep. Berkshire 
and Essex Swine, for sale at the Co-operative 
Stock Farm, Fredricsburg, Va. Address A. 
P. Rowe. 
An Argument for u Protective Tariff, The 
Farmer’s Question: Being a reply to the Cob- 
den Club tract entitled, “The Western Farm¬ 
er of America.” By Jonathan B. Wise. Joan 
Wilson & Son, Cambridge, Mass. 
RURAL BRIEFLETS. 
Ouk Corn Number is now under full way. 
It bids fair to be the best of the Rural Specials. 
It will be the first number of the new year. 
One of our most prominent scientists writes 
us as follows: “You understand that, as a 
general rule, all a scientific writer can do is to 
fletect good things, and tell of them. It is sel¬ 
dom that we can talk of novelties without 
citing their source. For example, one of your 
writers had au article on Tuhercnlosia in y»ur 
Fair No., which would have carried much 
greater weight, if the authorities for his facts 
had been mentioned. I, for one, looked 
askance at his conclusions until I saw, some 
time afterwards, what evidence they rested on 
—viz., some recent German experiments. I 
still think, by the way, that your correspond¬ 
ent stated his convictions too strongly." . . . 
Prof. Geohgesox writes us from his college 
(College Station, Texas) that good laborers 
there are exceedingly scarce. They can hardly 
be obtained at any price. The many railroads 
in construction absorb the labor which is 
greatly needed at the college. The climate, 
he says, is delightful. They had the first light 
frost of the season the 6th and 7'.h inst. Out¬ 
door work cau be prosecuted all Wioter. Prof. 
Georgeson intends shortly to plant seed and 
seedlings of 100 species of forest trees, selected 
with reference to their adaptation to the cli¬ 
mate and the wants of the State. 
The editor of the Fruit Recorder, quoting 
from, and commenting upon, what we have Baid 
regarding the size and quality of the Gregg 
Raspberry, asks if we ever saw a Mammoth 
Cluster measuring one inch in diameter ? To 
this we answer that we have not. The Gregg, 
the Recorder says, will average one-fourth 
larger than the Mammoth Cluster, while, as it 
is blacker and firmer, it is more salable and 
better for dryiug. The Mammoth Cluster, he 
says, is the best-flavored among Black-caps and 
though an enormous yielder, he thinks the 
Gregg will yield twenty-five per cent more 
fruit.... 
The common practice, in preparing new 
beds for asparagus, of burying the manure two 
feet beneath the surface should be called the 
Tantalus system. 
Over three years ago, the Rural, from ex¬ 
periments with plants growing in its Experi- 
mentGrounds, condemned Prickly Comfrey as 
of very little value w hen compared with other 
forage plants w hich are as easily raised. Later 
we condemned, also from onr own trials, 
Pearl Millet which was at the time being ad¬ 
vertised throughout the country by many—or 
rather by several—seedsmen. Weil, they have 
had their day. The Rural i6 glad to know 
that its readers cannot reproach it with au 
advocacy of these two wretched failures. . . . 
It is to be regretted that during several years 
past the subscription price of many of the 
weeJay agricultural journals of this country 
has been reduced to so low a figure as to ren¬ 
der it next to impossible for them to serve the 
farming interests and the country home in the 
most telling way. As a matter of course, we 
advocate the lowest possible price for such 
journals, which is compatible with stability 
and effectiveness. But when a reduction of 
fifty c uts per year is made from a pi ice which 
was none too high, and a doubled circulation 
for the tuture is counted upon to cover the 
