OCT.46 
combination of a considerably increased size 
and more flesh is immediately desired in the 
produce from lean native or Merino ewes or 
their grades, then a fine, compact, long-wooled 
ram would be best to cross upon them; but 
only one, or, at most, two crosses should 
be made, for beyond this the carcass would 
run too much to tallow, and the mutton prove 
too fat for table consumption, except, perhaps, 
the quarters. After these crosses, the grade 
sheep should be bred together, or a South, or 
some other Down ram be put to the ewe, the 
produce of which would be still more improv¬ 
ed in the mutton quality. 
For the production of very choice, well mar¬ 
bled, lean, teuder, juicy meat, the pure South- 
Down is the best of all breeds of sheep. Added 
to this, he is very hardy and thrifty, matures 
early and fattens quickly. A flock of ewes 
properly taken care of, annually yield a con¬ 
siderable percentage of lambs over their num¬ 
ber, and, being excellent nurses, almost invari¬ 
ably bring them all up well. This is the origi¬ 
nal Down of England, from crosses of which 
all other Down varieties have sprung, or at 
least have beeu greatly improved. Such are 
the Hampshire, the Shropshire, and the Ox¬ 
fordshire. These three last have now become 
essentially the same as the first mentioned, 
the only difference being a somewhat increased 
size, particularly iu the Oxford. For this rea¬ 
son we have no doubt this will prove the best 
and most profitable sort to breed for exporta¬ 
tion. The general British market prefers the 
largest size ihat can be obtained, which com¬ 
bines with size a lean, tender, savory quality 
of mutton. 
The losses of sheep from disease and other 
causes, have been very large for two years 
past in Great Britain ; in consequence of Lhis, 
there is an active demand for them now from 
America, with the prospect of a eoutiuual in¬ 
crease. Thousands, if properly bred, may be 
disposed of there for years to come at good 
prices, where only hundreds have heretofore 
been taken. Here is a most promising open¬ 
ing for our flock-masters, and if they bestir 
themselves to fill it judiciously, they will be 
sure to reap a rich reward. 
fin lioultrij fjarii. 
RAISING CHICKENS FOR MARKET. 
L. S. HARDIN. 
Ther • is a strauge fascination in the idea of 
hatching chickens artificially. To every one 
who has had the life nearly bothered out of 
him by the erratic ways of the old hen, the 
offer of a method for doing without her ser¬ 
vices, is a welcome one. While I can hardly 
say it has been the dream of my life to own an 
incubator, yet it is with a deal of satisfaction 
that 1 have at last got one really at work in 
my little cellar, and day by day t see the 
chicks forming in the eggs, and not only does 
all go on after the most approved natural 
methods of the hen, but the systematic work¬ 
ings of the automatic regulators of heat and 
cold seem almost life-like In their strict atten¬ 
tion to duty just at the appropriate time. 
1 have promised a faithful record of my ex¬ 
perience—to " nothing extenuate nor set down 
aught in malice’'—my purpose is to raise 
“Spring chickens” or •• broilers” for the 
New York market the year round. The news¬ 
paper quotations and price currents place the 
wholesale prices from $3 a pair in March, to 
75 cents a pair in June—the chicks to weigh 
from one and a half to two pounds each This 
weight the authorities tell us with a unani¬ 
mous mouth should be reached when the 
chicks are eight or ten weeks of age, and 
should cost from six to fifteen cents a pound. 
All of this may be true, but unless I am greatly 
mistaken I shall modify my opinion of these 
figures to a largo extent before I reach the 
end of this series of articles. I verified the 
selling prices above by interviewing the 
market-men who sell early Spring chickens. 
The best I have so far been able to do with 
house-raised chickens this Fall is to bring them 
to one pound two ounces in weight when eight 
weeks old. I hope to do better than this with 
improved methods of feeding and still greater 
confinement of the chicks. So far I have been 
able to utilize the ” scraps ” of the house to such 
an extent that the outlay will not show what a 
large flock of chicks will cost when fed with 
purchased food alone. I have many misgiv¬ 
ings about their costing only fifteen cents a 
pound, and much more about their costing 
only six cents. But whatever it is I shall 
faithfully record it. It is not my purpose to 
prove that chickens can be successfully hatch¬ 
ed and raised from incubators. That has been 
done over and over again, and what has been 
done, can be done, and my failure would only 
prove my own incapacity for the work, not its 
impracticability. 
Tho machine I procured had been in service 
before, some 4,000 chickens having been 
hatched fiom it, and it is one of the modern 
improved sorts. The gentleman who owned it 
had loaned it, and from neglect the heating 
apparatus, which never had been very well 
made, totally failed to work, so I supplied its 
place with a modern, improved oil stove that 
keeps a 500-egg oven at a mean temperature 
of 10.fi degrees, with a consumption of only 
three gallons of kerosene a weak. At twelve 
cents a gallon this is but 36 cents a week, 
though the stove rnns night and day. The 
6 tove that came with the incubator burnt this 
much oil in three days. Eggs are 30 cents 
a dozen, and as I live in a small village 
near the city where everybody keeps a few 
hens, 1 find no trouble in getting all the 
fresh eggs required. So far not one egg 
has proven infertile, which has surprised 
me very much from the fears I was led 
to entertain by the warnings I had received 
on this point. In selecting eggs I make it a 
point to reject all that are very large; to avoid 
double yelks that will not hatch, and very small 
eggs that produce small chickens; for I bave 
always noticed that the pigs and chickens that 
are the largest at birth, as a rule keep ahead of 
their smaller brothers and sisters. 
It is my design to make as good a start as pos¬ 
sible. It will be found that among those who 
grow thceggs you bay, some keep much larger 
fowls than others, with more vigorous cocks 
and cleaner nests. Everything about such 
flocks is usually of better character than in the 
case of others, and it pays iu this particular to 
get the best. Where a dash of Asiatic blood is 
to be found in the flock, it insures quick-grow¬ 
ing broilers. This, it is true, can hardly be 
said of the pure-bred Asiatics, as they are too 
leggy when young, but this characteristic is 
much changed by the liberal intermixture of 
other blood While, as a rule, you are obliged 
to take what you can get when picking up 
eggs about the country, yet it is always well to 
keep au eye on these points and do the best you 
can. I have never been a believer in raising 
your own heus and eggs. My purpose is 
simply to determine if broilers eau be raised 
and disposed of with the assistance of an incu¬ 
bator, at a profit. To do this, 1 shall not ul 
ways adopt the beet method perhaps, but so 
far as I can find out, I 6hall always adhere to 
the most economical mode of conducting the 
business. 
Long ago I determined there was no money 
in eggs. For quality one egg is just about as 
good as an other, while the greatest economy 
of feeding is in allowing the hens to act as 
scavengers of the farm, which is the general 
method and one against which no plan of 
purchased food can compete Then, eggs can be 
shipped such long distances, that while the 
farmers of Iowa or Tennessee are enjoying 
fine, open weather that, makes the hens lay 
freely, we may be having a bitter cold that 
freezes all thoughts of eggs entirely nut of the 
hens' heads. With broilers circumstances 
change. A city the 6ize of New York con¬ 
sumes an immense quantity, while it is im¬ 
practicable to get them economically to market 
from a great distance. The hotels, restaurants, 
and private families, aggregating a total of over 
two millions of people, are dependent upon the 
local producers. lee cars are of little use in 
this connection, as a frozen chicken is not the 
delicacy that a purely fresh broiler should be. 
Here it seems to me is a grand market that 
needs developing, and I can see nothing but 
the incubator to do the work with. Wherein 
lie its weak as well as its strong points I shall 
try to find out, and all who wish to try this 
market may know its hard places by the time I 
have finished with it. 
Like every otber undertaking, to make the 
most complete success of it, the man should be 
admirably adapted to the work. This I may 
not be, but by an honest effort I can point out 
to the one that is capable, should I fail, those 
features of the market or management of the 
chicks that need changing and overcoming. 
Many incubators are now in use raising fancy 
strains of chickens, while the open market is 
supplied by tho old method, nor do I believe 
it can be successfully competed with so long 
as supplies from the Far West where food is 
cheap, come in direct competition with fowls 
raised upon purchased food near the city. We 
must take up that branch of the business, that 
the others cannot reach. To do this, special 
attention must be paid to the quality of the 
flesh, and all modem improved methods of 
feeding be adopted. To accomplish this, re¬ 
course must be had to the best iu&tructions to 
be found in chicken literature, and we will 
thoroughly test the French system of feeding 
to produce the finest quality of flesh with the 
least outlay for food. It is an experiment with 
me, but as I shall take every precaution (o in¬ 
sure success, and note carefully the course of 
the trial, my good or ill fortune, honestly 
stated, will be instructive to those who may 
read what I shall have to say, and the whole of 
my experience shall be given in the Rural. 
JMustrial Societies, 
ILLINOIS STATE FAIR. 
(Rural Special Report.) 
The Illinois State Fair was held at Spring- 
field from Sept. 37 to Oct. 3. The receipts 
reached some $18,000; but for the fact that the 
expenses of running the Fair svere consider¬ 
ably less than last year, the sum received 
would have fallen short of paying premiums 
and current expenses. As it is, it will just 
about meet them. It mnst be conceded, there¬ 
fore, that the Fair was not very largely at 
tended. On Thursday the crowd was large— 
probably 35,000 persons were on the grounds. 
Wednesday the attendance was only fair, and 
on the other days quite slim. 
One feature of this fair—and it is a feature 
occurring every two years—needs attention, 
with a view to correcting a manifest abuse. 
I refei to the annual election of officers, 
which, by the law of organization, must take 
place or Wednesday of lair .week, and upon 
the fair grounds. It has come to be the practice 
to devote the entire day to this work. That is, 
it has come to pass that it takes almost the 
entire time of the acting vice-presidents, their 
assistants and others, to secure a re-election, or 
to substitute some favorite. The afternoon is 
entirely consumed in the election itself. At this 
fair nearly the entire exhibition programme was 
suspended, much to the disgust of visitors, 
who were loud in their protests against the 
practice. There is demand for reform here, 
that should in some manner be speedily met. 
The horticultural display was fairly good, 
though inferior to that made at most Western 
Slate Fairs this Fall. 
The hall devoted to textile fabrics contained 
fewer specimens than last year, but in merit 
they were superior. 
In fine arts nothing very remarkable was 
shown. The exhibit was of about the usual 
character, not positively bad, yet not worthy 
of great praise. 
The swine exhibit was very choice. Indeed, 
I doubt if so uniformly good a lot of hogs 
were ever seen at an Illinois fair, and this is 
saying a great deal. We have had many larger 
shows. The Poland Chinas and Berkshires 
predominated. 
The sheep exhibited were pretty strong in 
the long and middle-wools, though there were 
fine specimens of imported Spanish MerinoB. 
The poultry display, as a whole, was larger 
than ever before, and the birds, with few ex¬ 
ceptions, of rare excellence. The Brahma and 
Cochin class made a very attractive fe ature, 
there being eigby-five entries. The Plymouth 
Rocks were fully represented with choice 
birds. These fowls seemed to be the general 
favorites. The old Black Spanish were not as 
numerous as at former exhibitions. The once 
popular Houdans were represented by only a 
single coop, and the owner said he would sell 
them as soon as he had a chance. The Ham- 
burgs and Polish fowls seem to have many 
friends, there being 31 entries of them. There 
was a much less number of Game stock than 
usual. The Bantam class was full, there being 
41 entries of the different varieties, of very 
choice specimens. 
The show of waterfowls, geese and ducks 
was excellent, as was that of turkeys. There 
were two large displays of pigeon q which 
added much to the interest of the show. Rab¬ 
bits and ferrets helped to make up the display. 
The poultry interest is growing in importance 
and shows a decided improvement from year 
to year. 
The fast horse business was the worst failure 
of any feature of the fair. Contrary to its 
course for many years, the State Board at its 
meeting last Winter, decided to introduce 
" speed rings ” into each day’s programme. 
They carried out the programme bnt it did not 
draw a crowd; there wereno very noted horses 
present and the whole thing was a fizzle. It 
is quite probable that there will be a change 
at the next Board meeting. The “ agricultural 
horse trot ” is a thing of the past as an attrac¬ 
tion in an Illinois fair grouud. 
The show in agricultural implements was 
exceptionally fine. In other departments there 
seemed to be a falling-off from last year. The 
fact is, that in but few places cau a first-class 
fair be maintained for two successive years, 
and there, as a general thing, only by the offer 
of large premiums and by the most strenuous 
offorts to please, not only on the part of the 
fair managers, but also ou that of the resident 
citizens. 
Messrs Deere & Co., Moline, Ill., made 
their usual handsom a display of their cele¬ 
brated plows and cultivators iu their perma¬ 
nent building on the grounds. They had a 
very fine specimen of a staffed deer from Min¬ 
nesota, emblematic of the uame of the firm, 
mounted on the top of the building, with gilt 
ones as weather vanes on each corner. As 
usual, tho goods they had on exhibition were 
gotten up in the very best style—sulky and 
hand plows aud cultivators finished up as fine 
as workmanship aud art could make them. 
Although they were crowded with orders dur- 
