522 
THE RURAL WEW-TORKER. 
Canada. A general rush ia expected when the 
Northern Pacific Railroad is completed,though 
the advice given those wishing to come is, 
“ Now! or you lose the chance of choice land.” 
The days of the stockmen are practically over ? 
as the ranges are being used for grain raising, 
which at present is the staple of the country. 
Fruit of all hinds do better than in tho "West- 
ern States, as no apple-worms Or curculio’s are 
here to injure it. The Winters from this val¬ 
ley south are much milder than east, of the 
Rockies, aud seldom last longer than two 
months. The thermometer did not go below 
26 c last Winter, but it stood so for two weeks, 
the weather being quite cold. The fruit trees 
were badly killed on account of the mild 
weather in the fore part of the W inter. In 
Summer the thermometer often goes over 100° 
in the shade, though a ease of sunstroke is yet. 
unknown, on account of the light atmosphere 
and the winds that every where sweep over the 
plains. Rains stopped this year about the 1st 
of May, a thing unknown to white men here 
before. Winter wheat is good—ruus from 
15 to 80 bushels per acre. Spring wheat light 
aud shrunken; probably 10 to 20 bushels per 
acre. R. B. R. 
P^nmtj’lvunia. 
Circle ville, Westmoreland Co., July 20. 
—Wheat will not average 75 per cent, of last 
year’s crop in this county; while further North 
it is much poorer. Hay a heavy crop—fully 
10 per cent, more thau iu 1882. Oats an aver¬ 
age acreage; condition very good. Coni was 
late planted. Twenty-five per cent, at, least, 
failed to germinate aud another 25 per cent, 
produced plants without sufficient strength or 
vitality to withstand the adverse weather. 
Seed selected in Fall and carefully housed all 
grew. Acreage replanted very large. Pota¬ 
toes—the favorable weather of the last 20 
days has greatly improved the crop. Very 
large acreage; condition all that could be de¬ 
sired. No buys to trouble them. Very little 
fmit of any kind. w. s. R. 
Wisconsin. 
Merrillon, Jackson Go., July 31.—Winter 
wheat is splendid here; so is Spring wheat. 
Oats never looked better. The Rural flower 
seeds have done well—all in blossom. Only 
one of the grapes came up; 1 watch it closely so 
no accident can happen to it. The Shoe-peg 
Corn all came up; it looks splendid, standing 
over five feet high. The wheat I do not think 
will amount to anything. I sowed one pack¬ 
age of the Welcome Oats on May 3: com¬ 
menced heading J uly 9. They stand 55 inches 
now and are very heavy. The storm of July 
21 laid them flat; some have arisen, but it 
damaged them badly. E. e. p. 
£l)c l ) htcrist. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(.Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to insure attentlon.1 
STARTING A POULTRY FARM. 
U A SubscriberBrooklyn, N. Y. —1. What 
locality near New York is the best, for keep¬ 
ing fowls? 2. What number of eggs might 
he reasonably expected from 1,000 hens per 
year? 8. What would the hens cost per head 
per annum'! 4. What kind of fowls are the 
host for laying purposes? 5. What food Is 
best, aud how often should the fowls be fed 
each day ? 0. What extent of run would they 
require? 7, Where is the liest place to buy 
stock? 8. What ought I to pay for them? 9. 
Are fowls afflicted with disease, and if so, of 
what nature is it? 
Ans.— 1. Long Island aud New Jersey are 
already extensively devoted to this business, 
though we see no reason why territory lying 
north and east of the city would not answer 
quite as well. The only point in this respect 
to watch is to get cheap land so situated that 
a team could go to the city aud return with 
ease in a day. What is needed is a sandy 
loam, well watered, weli drained and well set 
in grass, 2. This will depend entirely upon 
the man who handles thorn and the system he 
adopts. In independent flocks of 10, with 
abundance of good range, one might get as 
high as ‘200 eggs to the hen; but if a thousand 
hens are crowded together, the owner would 
do well if he got 50 eggs from each. Any in¬ 
termediate system would produce an Interme¬ 
diate result. 3. We have seen it figured out 
that a large flock can be carried at £1 a year 
per head, and we presume with economy this 
could be done, and at 80 cents a dozen for eggs 
it would be a poor lion, indeed, that would 
not pay profit on her keep. But if a man to 
attend to them must be hired at a high salary, 
and interest on fine buildings aud high rent of 
land is to be charged uguinst them, tho out¬ 
look Will not be 80 pleasant. We presume the 
best goueral results would bo attained by put¬ 
ting 100 hens together, with sufficient range to 
prevent ft-fint mixing; then oue niau wbd 
would devote his whole time to the business 
should not limit his work to 1.000 hens, but 
keep as tnauy as he can take care of. 4. We 
believe it is generally conceded that White 
Leghorns and Light Brahmas lay the most 
eggs, the former in warm and the latter in cold 
weather. Hens do the bulk of their laying 
when young, and, except known good layers, 
they should be disposed of after they are three 
years old. 5. Com and wheat, are the best 
grains for feeding chickens, with a small al¬ 
lowance of animal feed and broken shells. We 
would feed them whole corn at, night, as much 
as they would run after actively. In the 
morning they might have unbolted corn-meal 
and wheat, and at noon a moderate allowance 
of animal food of the cheapest kind. The 
amount of any kind of food to be given will 
depend upon the extent of range the fowls 
have, and the season of the year. A modest 
allowance of good feed is better than a more 
liberal supply of an indifferent quality. The 
best is not too good. tl. Ten hens will just 
about destroy the grass on one acre, if eon- 
fined to it. On a large run they will not re¬ 
quire so much laud per head. Probably 12 
acres would answer for 1,000 hens, if judi¬ 
ciously located. 7. C. CL Cooper, Schaalen- 
burgb, N. J.; W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa.; G. S. Josselyu, Fredonia, N. Y. : 
A. P. or M. B. Rowe, Fredericksburg, Va. 8. 
The price will depend upon what kind of hens 
one proposes to handle. We are not fond yf 
advising people to buy half-bred fowls, because 
so much depends on how they are bred; but in 
quantity we suppose well-bred but not stand_ 
ard fowls, either Leghorns or Light Brah¬ 
mas,could be bought for about a dollar a head 
with transportation added. Possibly they 
could be bought cheaper; while flue birds 
would come much higher. If ccouotny is to be 
practiced, common hens can be bought at 50 
cents apiece, and full-blood cocks of the breed 
desired should run with them and half-breeds 
be raised from this union. This mode of get¬ 
ting a supply is slower but cheaper than pur¬ 
chasing a flock; but one will have to breed or 
buy to keep up the stock, and hens will not do 
well uuless allowed to raise at least one brood 
of chicks a year. They seem to droop if not 
allowed to exercise this function of their ua- 
ture. This remark, however, does not apply 
to the Leghorns, which are non-sitters. 9. 
Yes, they are subject to numerous diseases, 
but epidemics can be avoided with scrupulous 
neatness and there r an be no profit without 
this care. A book on poultry management 
will tell all about the diseases, which we have 
not the space to enumerate now; lint as a rule 
they are all discussed in the Rural every 
year; some of them over aud over again. We 
would not advise any of our friends who know 
little or nothing about tho business, to start 
poultry keeping with 1,000 hens. Better be¬ 
gin with 100 or leas; and after one bus learnt 
how to manage them, the flock can readily be 
increased; but even then this should not be 
done rapidly. A novice could lose ono or two 
thousand dollars or a good deal more in poul¬ 
try keeping as easily as in hop raising or any 
other risky agricultural industry. There's a 
good deal of difference between theoretical 
aud actual profits in the business. 
“POINTS OF EXCELLENCE” OF PLYMOUTH 
ROCKS. 
C. A. T., Hardy, Neb. —What are the 
“points of excellence” of purebred Ply¬ 
mouth Rock fowls ? 
THE COCK. 
Ans.— Head: Of medium size, and earned 
well up, the plumage, bluish-gray, each 
feather delicately but distinctly penciled 
across with dark bars:—Boak, bright yellow, 
short, stout at the base, aud nicely curved at 
the point:—Eyes, large, clear and bright. 
Comb: Bright red, single, tine, rather 
small, perfectly upright und straight, with 
well defined serrations, aud free from side- 
sprigs. 
Wattles and Ear-lobes: Wattles, bright 
red, of medium size, and well rounded: Ear¬ 
lobes, bright red, aud of medium size. 
Neck: Of medium length, well arched, 
with abundant hackle which descends nicely 
upon the shoulders,—color of plumage a bluish, 
gray, each feather distinctly penciled across 
with dark blue bars free from splashes of red. 
white or black feathers. 
Back: Broad, and of medium length, with 
saddle-feathers abundant, aud free from brassy 
or reddish feathers,—color of plumage, bluish- 
gray, each feather distinctly penciled across 
with bars of darker blue. 
Breast and Body: Breast, broad, deep 
and full, the plumage bluish-gray, the feathers 
penciled across with lighter liars than on the 
neck-hackle, and running nearly straight 
across the feathers:—Body, large, square and 
compact, the plumage a bluish-gray, each 
feather distinctly penciled across with bam of 
a deeper blue. 
Wings: Of medium size, aud well folded 
against the sides; wing-bows und points, well 
eovered by the breast and saddle-feathers; the 
color of th4 plumage; bluish-gray, each 
eather distinctly penciled across with bars of 
dar ker blue. 
Tail: Comparatively small, with rather 
short feathers, carried somewhat upright; 
sickle-feathers and tail-coverts relatively short 
and well rui ved,— color of plumage bluish, 
gray , each feather penciled across with bars of 
a darker blue. 
Legs: Thighs, large aud strong, and well 
covered with fluffy feathers, bluish-gray iu 
color, aud penciled across with bars of deeper 
blue:—Shanks, of medium length, stout, bony > 
well apart, and bright yellow in color. 
Carriage: Upright aud pleasing. 
THE HEN. 
Head: Of medium size, and carried well 
up; plumage, bluish-gray, each feather deli¬ 
cately but distinctly penciled across with dark 
bars:—Beak, bright yellow, short, stout, and 
nicely curved: Eyes, large, clear and bright. 
Comb: Bright red, single, small, low, erect, 
perfectly straight, with small serrations and 
free from side-sprigs 
Wattles and Ear-lobes: Wattles, bright 
red, and well rounded:—Ear-lobes, bright red, 
and of medium size. 
Neck: Short, and tapering nicely,—color 
of plumage, bluish-gray, nicely penciled across 
with dark blue bam, aud free from splashes of 
red, white or black feathers. 
Back: Broad, and of medium length,— 
color of plumage, bluish-gray, each feather 
distinctly’ penciled across with burs of a darker 
blue. 
Breast and Body: Breast, broad, full, and 
deep,—color of plumage, bluish-gray, each 
feather distinctly penciled across with dark 
bars:—Body, largo, square, aud compact, tho 
plumage throughout a bluish-gray, each 
feather distinctly penciled across with bars of 
a darker blue. 
Wings; Of medium size, and snugly folded 
against the sides; primaries, secondaries and 
wing-coverts, bluish-gray in color, each 
feather distinctly penciled across with dark 
bars, aud free from reddish or brassy feathers. 
Tail: Small, comparatively upright, and 
rather pointed,—color of plumage, bluish- 
gray, each feather distinctly penciled across 
with dark bars. 
Legs: Thighs, large aud strong, and wel) 
covered with llulfy feathers; in color, bluish- 
gray, each feather distinctly penciled across 
with dark bars:—Shanks, of medium length, 
stout, and well apart, and bright yellow in 
color. 
Carriage: Upright und pleasing. 
POINTS IN PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 
Symmetry... 
Size mill weight. 
Condition. 
.. 
Comb. 
Wattles and Ear-lobes. 
Neck. 
Hank.’. 
Breast und Body. 
Wings.,... 
Tall. 
Legs..—.. 
12 
H 
9 
7 
5 
<> 
8 
ti 
10 
« 
6 
H 
100 
standards weights. 
Cock. loy<5 lbs. I Hen.8J^ lbs. 
Cockerel. a “ I Pullet.7 
Deduct tw'o points per pound for any defi¬ 
cit from above weights. 
STARTING SMALL FRUIT RAISING, ETC. 
11 Subscriber," Bear Lake, Pa.— 1. I have 
eight acres of land sloping to the north—a 
loamy soil with a clay subsoil, capable of pro¬ 
ducing excellent crops if drained, its the 
lower half of it is wet but not swampy. 1 live 
close to the railroad station and 1<> miles from 
Corry, a place of 9.000 inhabitants, 18 miles 
by rail from Jamestown, N. Y., with 18,000 
inhabitants, and 15 by the highway from Chau¬ 
tauqua, which has lately become a popular 
Summer resort. The place is mortgaged for 
$800 which can stand as long as I wish at six per 
cent, interest, and wishing to raise small fruits 
for market, would it be prudent for me to bor¬ 
row $100 more at t.be same interest to drain 
the land, etc. 1 am a carpenter aud can gen¬ 
erally get work at two dollars a day, boarding 
at homo, and I have a wife and an eight-year- 
old boy? 3. What will one und one Imlf-ineh 
tile cost per rod? 8. How can I get rid of 20 
large stumps most cheaply? 4. Would a hen¬ 
nery 123^x34 feet be large enough for 100 fowls, 
and how large a run would they need? 5, Are 
Mooney and Lombard Plums curculio-proof, 
as often stated? 6. Wouldn't it be a good plan 
to plant plum trees in the poultry yard? 
Ans.— 1. If the towns named are not al¬ 
ready overstocked with fruits, it certainly 
seems as though there is a good field for your 
enterprise. The interest on $800 is uo great 
item, and with economy and your trade you 
ought to lxi able to set your enterprise on foot 
and carry it forward with very little increase 
of indebtedness till you receive some returns. 
If a portion of the land is now in proper eon 
dition, it could be set with strawberries this 
and next month, and if they do well they 
would yield some returns next, season. In any 
event it would he well to set a few plants of 
the kinds you intend growing, if you liuve to 
get laud elsewhere, so as to grow your own 
plants. It i* more satisfactory to set your own 
plants thun to buy, on many accounts 3. 
Apply to your nearest hardware dealer; such 
men generally deal in those things, or write 
to the manufacturers, Jackson Brothers, 94 
Grand Street, Albany, N. Y.; or John Lyth 
& Sou, Buffalo, N. Y., whose advertisement 
appears in the Rural. 3. If they are dry, 
try burning. If that wont do, a cartridge of 
rend-rock or dynamite powder with a fuse 
attached inserted under the center of the 
stumps, and exploded, ■will tear them to pieces 
so that a team will take out the fragments. If 
the roots are well decayed, dynamite would 
probably throw the entire stamp out. The 
cost, exclusive of labor, would bo from 50 to 
75 cents per stump. 4. We Hunk the size of 
house named would do. The yard may be 
anywhere from 25x100 feet to an acre of 
ground, just as one fancies and circumstances 
permit. 5. There are no curculio-proof 
plums as far as we know. A plum not, good 
enough for the curculio is not good enough for 
you. 0. Yes, it is the best place for them, as 
the Rural has over and over again stated. 
SLAVERING IN A HORSE, ETC. 
S. B. P., Oskalnosa, In.— 1. What will pre¬ 
vent horses from slobbering, especially if kept 
on grass and YV bite Clover ? 2. What is the 
name of the inclosed grass ? 
Ans. —1. Slavering or slobbering often occurs 
among horses fed on White Clover, the flowers 
seeming to possess some peculiar property 
which renders them a source of irritation to the 
mucous sui faces aud salivary apparatus of the 
horse. Some horses, however, will partake of 
clover without auy inconvenience—they get 
use to it, aud with the addition of grain they 
grow sleek and fat. The sharp edges ol' worn 
teeth or a tooth in a state of ulceration, or 
even a rough bit, will also enuso slavering, 
l’oor food and impaired digestive organs are 
also apt to produce an Increase of salivary 
secretion—heuee slobboriug. It is also a symp¬ 
tom of various ailments. The only remedy 
we know of is to remove the cause. If the 
trouble is due to a decayed tooth, extract it; 
if to the sharp edge of a tooth irritat ing the in¬ 
side of the cheek, apply the tooth rasp until 
all is smooth. If it is caused by irritation of 
the gland of the throat and mouth, use a 
stimulant application of hartshorn anil oil. 
If the trouble is due to noxious substances iu 
the food, change tho diet; give sound grain, 
grass aud hay. Use as washes for the mouth 
vinegar and water, or vinegar and honey. If 
the saliva is offensive, use water slightly 
tinctured with carbolic acid as a wash, aud in 
all cases attend to tho general health of the 
animal. 2. it is Squirrel-tail Grass—llordeum 
’jubatum. 
COTTED WOOL, ETC. 
C. L. F ., Naples, N. Y.—l. While shearing 
my sheep I uotieed that some fleeces came off 
yellow and cotted, as well as hard aud dry. 
Along the hack and sides there were spots of 
yellow wool as large as a tea-plate; what 
caused this condition and how can it be pre¬ 
vented? 2. What’s the difference between 
Orchard Gross and Quack? Will Orchard 
Grass spread like Quack? 
Ans. —1. Tills is probably caused by the wet 
weather, as exposure to wet produces this 
trouble. It is caused by the washing out of 
the natural yolk of the wool which is really a 
very soluble soap containing u good deal of 
potash. \\ r heu this is washed out tho wool 
mats together and becomes cotted. This cut¬ 
ting wool holds the wet still more and scalds 
the skiu, which does not secrete the yolk as it 
should do and becomes dry and scurfy. As 
it is generally the effect of the weather, and 
only rarely caused by disease, there is no way 
of preventing it. 3. Orchard Grass is a broad- 
leafed, light-colored grass with a soft, spread¬ 
ing, bunchy head. It grows in a stool when 
growing alone or thinly. There are several 
kinds of grass called Quack. The real Quack 
is a tell, thin, dark-green grass with a single, 
slender spike or head, with flat spikoleteplaced 
flat against the stalk just, as the breasts of 
wheat are placed. It 1ms long, white, under¬ 
ground runnera, from which new growth 
comes from buds. Orchard Grass never spreads 
in that way, but by new stems from a stead 
just as wheat or Timothy does. It can scarce¬ 
ly be said that it “spreads,” but the stool 
sometimes gets larger—that Is all. 
TREATMENT OF OVERFED PIGS, ETC. 
W. E. K., Hidott, III.— 1. What, ails my pigs? 
They are about three mouths old,and are fed on 
corn on the ear while running In a pasture; but 
they have a severe cough which becomes much 
worse when they are chused. To cure them I 
have been, for some time, feeding them salt 
und air-slaked lime together with sulphur and 
copperas, but they don’t improve. 2. When 
should Timothy lie cut for horses—before or 
after blooming? 
Ans.— 1. You are giving tho pigs too much 
physic and stuff which is not physic. They 
are over-fed and thut is all that is the matter. 
Three-month-old pigs on pasture should have 
uo corn at all. They cauuot digest coru very 
well, and iudigestiou Is ouO of the most fre 
qneht causes of a cough. If yotf wish to 4 
