[Entered according to Act of Congress, In tile year lSSl, by the Rural New-Yorker in the olllce of ilia Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
MR MARVIN’S NEW GRAPE ‘‘LAURA.” 
Wk now present, at Fig. 521, another true 
portrait of one of Mr. D. S. Marvin’s grapes, 
this time the Laura—a cross between Eumelan 
Sl)e Poultnj-VhuM). 
POULTRY IN WINTER. 
There is nothing on a farm, unless it be 
bees, that will give as much net results for 
the money invested as fowls, and yet nothing 
is so utterly neglected. We have heard farm¬ 
ers complain that their fowls always laid 
plentifully when eggs were abundant and 
cheap, but that they never produced any eggs 
in Winter, when they were scarce and high; 
and when we looked at the quarters occupied 
by the hens we could not wonder. The fact 
is, a lien is merely a machine, and if we wish 
her to manufacture eggs, we must see that she 
is properly fed and eared for. The house 
Should he made so warm that water will not 
freeze in it. It must be so situated as to have 
plenty of sunlight inside, and must, above all 
things, be kept free from vermin. It is a fact 
there is not one hen-house in a hundred that 
is not so infested with lice that the fowls can¬ 
not produce eggs proiitably. The houses just 
swarm with the pests to such an extent that 
and Delaware. Mr. 
Marvin says that the 
leaf is splendid, the 
vine a strong grower 
and very hardy, and 
that it “has no faults.” 
In every instance he 
has used the only 
northern representa¬ 
tive of our Yitis msti- 
valisgrapes iu making 
his crones or raising 
his seed lings. H e 
thinks that grape rais¬ 
ers have made a great 
mistake in using Lab- 
rnsca with Vitis ri- 
paria or the tender V. 
vinifera. The Dela¬ 
ware, he thinks, gets 
its fine, vinous flavor 
from the ASstivalis 
side. He recognizes the 
full value of the Lab- 
rusea for hardiness, 
but for quality he 
thinks we must look to 
other sources. As will 
be seen, the clusters 
are not large and the 
berries only medium, 
or a little below, being 
on an average, about 
eleven-sixteenths of an 
inch iu diameter, The 
quality is good, the 
pulp melting, juice 
sweet and vinous; to 
our taste it combines 
much of the good qual- 
ities of both parents, j 
I f as good every other -U 
way as in quality, even ^ 
though the clusters are 
small, it will become a 
favorite amateur 
grape. 
Mr. Marvin is now 
verging upon old age, 
and he suffers so 
greatly from wounds 
received in the army, 
aud from other dis¬ 
abilities, that we need 
not hope that he will 
be able to continue, as 
iu years past, his labors 
in originating new 
grapes. The value of 
those which he has 
produced is not, as yet, 
well determined. We 
have still to speak of 
two others of Mr. Mar 
viu’s seedlings, which 
he has named the Rut¬ 
land and Amber, or 
which careful draw¬ 
ings have been made. 
Rural New-Yorker 
posters and Premium- 
Lists are note ready. 
Send for them. We 
anil gladly send them 
to any address free of 
charge, postpaid. 
MR. MARVIN’S NEW GRAPE “LAURA.” Fig. 521. 
the poor fowls often 
prefer to bravo the win¬ 
ter blasts in the tree 
tops rather than brave 
the lice inside. If wo 
wish eggs, wo must rid 
the houses of these 
pests, and it is strange 
that any poultry keep¬ 
er will bo so careless 
w hen they are ro easily 
subdued and cleaned 
out. If you have a 
Field force pump, or 
any other good one, or 
spraying bellows, make 
a kerosoue emulsion 
with soap, rain water 
and kerosene, as so 
Often recommended in 
the Rural, and spray 
the inside of the houses 
thoroughly with this; 
or, if you have no 
pump, get a gallon, 
more or lesH, of crude 
petroleum, though ker¬ 
osene will answer, and 
thoroughly wash every 
part of the house Inside 
with this. From 10 to 
20 cents’ worth of kero¬ 
sene aud an hour’s time 
will save many dollars’ 
worth of feed and the 
hens much misery, and 
they will doubly repay 
yon with eggs during 
the period of high 
prices. If you will 
follow this plan and 
then feed tt great di¬ 
versity of food, give 
hot water to drink, 
and mix plenty of Cay¬ 
enne pepper in their 
food, one good Ply¬ 
mouth Rock puilet will 
produce eggs enough 
this W inter to pay for 
the Rural for one 
year. 
With wheat from 40 
to SO cents, corn from 
20 to 50 per bushel, aud 
eggs 20 to HO cents per 
dozen, nothing pays 
such a big profit as 
turning wheat and 
corn into eggs. If you 
don’t like to care for 
the hens, give them to 
the children on shares; 
fix up a good house for 
them, furnish the food 
and give the children 
half the profit for car¬ 
ing for them. You will 
be surprised at the im¬ 
mense production. But 
when the eggs are pro 
duced, don’t be unfair. 
Don’t pocket the lion’s 
share of the cash—deal 
justly and liberally 
with both, the children 
and chickens always. 
