JAW 22 
piness arid contentment. It will lessen tlie 
labor of wives and daughters. This argument 
should have weight with every right-thiukmg 
raan . Where is the fanner’s wi re who has not 
enough to do with her regular work without 
earing for milk and butter ? It will tend to 
improve our farms. Under the system every 
farmer would increase his herd; more feed 
would he fed and more manure produced. 
This will insure better fanning, make better 
farms and better farmers. No thinking man 
who has investigated the subject will deny 
that one competent mau with the improved 
machinery and best facilities, can convert the 
cream from 200 cows into butter as cheaply 
as the average dairyman can that from 20 
cows with the tin-pan system and its ted¬ 
ious processes. Thus one mau can do 
the work formerly doue by 10 women, at 
a trifle more than one-tenth of the original 
cost. The quality will average better and 
command a higher price, Good butter will 
always command ready sale in the cities, and 
when flour, sugar and other articles such as 
farmers ueed are taken in part-payment, the 
highest prices can be obtained. 1 bus the 
creamery forms a central pointfor organiza¬ 
tion both iu buying and selling. Thus far¬ 
mers can avoid the profits of the middlemen 
on what they sell and what they buy. 
These points of organization are needed now 
more than ever. This is a good subject ior 
discussion at Farmers' Clubs. It should be 
discussed iu every school district in this coun¬ 
try. Put the right men in charge of it and it 
can be made to succeed. M - T - W. 
Sandy Hill, N. Y. 
What Jerseys do on Farmers’ Feed.— 
Belle of Bridgewater, No. 10,748, dropped 
April 8, 18811, made from December 26 to Jan¬ 
uary 1 (seven days), inclusive, 200 pounds 
of milk, from which were churned 11 l . pounds 
of butter, salted one ouueo to the pound 
and worked dry. She was fed J. 1 * pounds 
of bran, 3’.> pounds of corn meal, one pound of 
oil meal and what hay she would eat per day, 
standing iu an ordinary farmer’s stable with the 
thermometer ranging in the a iciuity of zero 
outside most of the time, no heat inside except 
that made by the cattle. w. c. R. 
Bridgewater, Vt, 
A Centrifugal Milk Tester has been in¬ 
vented in England. It works upon the prin¬ 
ciple of the separator. The milk is placed in 
glass tubes and whirled about until the cream 
is driven out into one end while the milk set¬ 
tles at the other. The machine that will meet 
with most favor among dairymen is a small 
separator that can be worked by hand power 
and separate the milk of say. five or six cows. 
POULTRY NOTES. 
Breeding Hens for Laying Purposes.— 
It seems to be admitted that one carl breed 
for eggs just us oue can breed for milk or 
butter. An egg from a good layer will be 
more likely to produce a good layer than an 
egg from a poor layer. This idea has never 
been disputed that we know of. Most peo¬ 
ple claim that it is Impossible to pick out the 
desired eggs. It may be in a very large flock, 
but in our yards of 15 bens we can easily tell 
thorn. It takes an observing man but a short 
time to determine which are the workers 
among his hens. As a rule, each hen lays an 
egg peculiar to herself. It is a little different 
iu shape or size from the rest. We find that 
two-thirds of our hens do about all the work. 
There are many loafers. Four or five heus 
lay right along. We propose to set eggs from 
them and, if possible, raise both pullets and 
roosters from our best layers. We think it 
would pay large breeders to experiment with 
their liens. Put them in small flocks from 
time to time and watch them. Pick out the 
best layers and put them together and select 
the pick of the flock for breeding stock. If 
there is anything in breeding, this would lay 
the foundation of a strain of good layers and 
with cocks from good laying heus the strain 
can be kept up. 
Hens Laying in Winter.— Our hens are 
laying fairly well while the neighbors can’t 
get an egg. We bought np a lot of young 
pullets in September—they were May 
chickens. They are mostly half-breed Wyan- 
dottes, though we got a little of every¬ 
thing. These pullets have begun laying and 
they beat the old hens. Tn one yard we have 
a thoroughbred Wyandotte rooster and in 
another a Langshun. We kept the pullets 
warm, dry uud clean. There has never been 
a louse on them, for we dust them with insect 
powder, spray the house with kerosene and 
keep the droppings well cleared up. The 
houses areas tight as boards and tarred paper 
can make them. Each window is furnished 
W (9 * 
with a glass sash and a heavy wooden shutter. 
With both of these closed the proper warmth 
is easily secured. In summer we have a pieco 
of wire netting stretched over the window. 
Then both the glass and the shutter can be 
removed if necessary. Instead of having n 
large window in the south, we have fair sized 
ones iu the east and west sides. This makes 
the temperature more even. The fowls are 
not roasted and frozen by turns as they are 
with a window to the south. There is not 
half so much trouble about ventilation as peo¬ 
ple try to make out. The ordinary hen-house 
has altogether too much ventilation. 
The season for setting hens is coming. The 
question as to the shape of eggs for setting- 
may well be considered. Does it pay to pick 
out eggs of good shape, to avoid pointed eggs 
and these with the “bigness” all at one end? 
Breeders differ in their opinions as to this 
point. Some aim to pick out only the oval 
eggs, rejecting a pointed egg even from their 
best hens. Others say they would use any 
egg from a good ben, no matter what its 
shape may be. Still others say that, a hen 
in perfect health always lays a well-shaped 
egg; that a pointed or poorly shaped egg is a 
sigu that the hen is too fat or otherwise out of 
condition: who have noticed anything regard¬ 
ing this? My own observation leads me to 
believe that the last, named idea is the correct 
one. I wish others would give their exper¬ 
ience. If there is anything in the selection of 
eggs it will pay to take pains with it. 
HEN MAN OF THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
What is Hen Manure Worth?—I would 
like to learn the experience of others as to the 
value of heu manure as compared with guauo 
or chemical fertilizers. My own experience 
would teach me that the value placed upon it 
by chemical analysis is too small. I sprinkle 
plaster frequently under the roosts, and scrape 
up the manure once a week. I keep it, iu barrels, 
putting in with it about, an equal bulk of dry 
muck which the lrost has crumbled and broken 
up. This fertilizer, used on cabbages, melons, 
beans, and squash, has given me as good re¬ 
sults as any fertilizer costing $25 that I have 
tried. For potatoes it does not do so well with 
me, aud I notice that the Rural’s experi¬ 
ments teach the same thing. These experi¬ 
ments show that 2,880 pounds of hen manure 
—not quite a ton and a half—were worth as 
much for potatoes as in tons of common fnrru 
manure. For cabbage, corn, or melons, 1 am 
satisiied that one ton of hen manure will give 
as good results as 12 tons of barn manure. *1 
would like to hear from farmers on these t hree 
points: 1. About how much manure can be 
made by a flock of 20 heus? 2. How should it 
be handled to secure best results? 8. VV hat is 
its value ns compared with barn manure and 
chemical fertilizers? h. b. l. 
Orange Co., N. Y. 
farm <1 epics. 
CORRESPONDENTS’ VIEWS. 
Why Take a Farm Pacer?— Reading the 
recent article by Joseph Harris, on the use of 
nitrate of soda, has set me to thinking. If 
whathesays is true, why don’t gardeners prac¬ 
tice it? Men around here, who make their 
living at raising vegetables for the market, 
send off and buy damp straw, called city 
manure. It is all they can do to make a liv¬ 
ing. The same way with other things. We 
read in the Rural about keeping hens so as 
to have eggs through the winter. On uiue- 
tcuths of the farms about here there isn’t an 
egg to be found from November to February, 
These facts give us the idea, so often expressed, 
that, most of the articles iu agricultural 
papers are written by “city farmers” and 
theorists who never could perform iu reul 
practice what they advocate on paper. If 
there was more money to be made at garden¬ 
ing, poultry keeping and other farm opera¬ 
tions, bv following these proposed systems, 
why would not farmers take up with them ? 
Sussex Co., N.J. 0. H. B. 
[R. N.-Y.—Bless you, they do. You will 
find that the gardeners, nurserymen, poultry- 
men, stockmen and other agricultural workers 
who are making money, are all making use 
of these “theories.” A man can hack a living 
out ot the land by doing just exactly as his 
grandfather did, but he will appear in business 
beside his reading and studious neighbor, 
alwiut as he would appear beside him socially 
if he wore his grandfather’s old clothes. 
The so called “city editors” do not provide 
uU the value to lie found in the farm 
paper. The great proportion of such jour¬ 
nals is made up of opinions anil facts sent 
directly from the farm by farmers, it is by 
studying the methods expressed in this way, 
comparing them with those practiced at home, 
embracing them if superior and rejecting 
them if inferior, that reading farmers get a 
return for the money invested iu farm litera¬ 
ture. That they do get their money’s worth 
is proved by the fact that they come back year 
after year with words of praise. As a rule, 
the farmers who growl most about “city 
farmers” are those who take some agricultu¬ 
ral side-show, simply because they can get it 
cheap. The advertising sheet of some maker 
of patent medicines, some implement dealer, 
or some seedsman, partly filled with clippings 
or deliberately stolen articles, for which others 
have paid, can be furnished for a small price. 
Their main object is to advertise. The agri¬ 
culture they offer is simply a sort of sugar- 
coating to make the dose more palatable. The 
farmer who depends upon them for informa¬ 
tion will show the results of his education—in 
the wrong direction—all over his farm. 
Hungry Farm Help.— On page 702 of last 
volume of the Rural somebody argued in 
favor of eating as often ns a light touch of 
hunger came. Such a mail ought to carry a 
‘chunk” iu his pocket, and keep chewing all the 
time. He should have a knapsack strapped to 
his back so as to have a constant supply. 
Americans seem to have a great fear of being 
hungry—as if to be hungry for a few minutes 
would end t.lieir existence at once. It is oue 
of the best things that can happen to a man to 
be hungry once iu a while. Hunger is essen¬ 
tial to a good relish and good digestion. Any 
reliable physician will say that, it takes from 
four to live 1 lours to digest solid, substantial 
food, such as laboring men eat—moat, vege¬ 
tables, bread, etc. Putting iu food between 
meals disturbs the process of digestion. It is 
uot what we eat that makes us strong, but 
what, we digest. Rest is quite as necessary to 
the stomach as to any other part of the body 
if the best health and vigor arc to bo had. 
This continual messing is one of the most pro¬ 
lific causes of our nat ional complaint of dys¬ 
pepsia, and I consider the advice to lunch as 
pernicious. In very trying weather it is of¬ 
ten a good plan to stop and rest a few minutes 
if tired, and if you rest the same length of 
time that, you would take to eat, you will find 
that, the strength supposed to have come from 
the lunch, has come largely from the rest 
taken. 1 have had experience with both kinds 
of help, those that always want, a lunch and 
those that, do not, and I never knew a man 
who was running after lunch to be “ worth 
a snap.” I have no use for a man who has 
not got stomach enough, or that cannot eat 
enough at one meal to last, him till next and 
keep up his end, too; aud when I get a man 
of that kind I get rid of him at the earliest op¬ 
portunity. i know quite a number of farmers 
who were brought up ou the old plan of 
lunches between meals and some after a touch 
of dyspepsia, by advice of a physician aud 
others from choice, left off the lunch and liuil 
that they can do more work aid have better 
health. More than that, I know of several 
farmers who live and work on only two meals 
per day the whole year, aud they cun and do 
make help very tired who keep up with them 
in field work. E. e. brown. 
Norfolk Co., Vr. 
• __ 
Need ok Better Tests.— People are get¬ 
ting more and more outspoken in their criti¬ 
cism of the glowing claims made by nursery¬ 
men for well-nigh worthless varieties. The 
practice is growing. Hardly a man who lias 
an orchard of a dozen trees but has been de¬ 
ceived by t he highly-colored descriptions to 
lie found iu catalogues. Something should be 
done to make this deception impossible. My 
plan is the formation of a National introduc¬ 
tion Association. Its object should be the 
testing of new fruits aud vegetables before 
they are put upon the market, as entirely suc¬ 
cessful. A branch of such an association could 
be formed in every business center of import¬ 
ance, composed of men who are known for 
their honesty aud integrity, and each one 
could be put Under certain obligations to re¬ 
turn or destroy anything being tested, as the 
introducer might contract or require. Some 
varieties would thus find the very locality 
where they would thrive best. Each person 
or company could easily make the necessary 
contract binding each to strict and impartial 
tests, and mutually benefit the entire associa¬ 
tion or persons by making yearly reports of 
progress, wjllaud barringer. 
Montgomery Co., Ohio. 
[R. N.-V.—Such testing would come within 
the scope of the experiment stations to be 
created by the proposed Hatch Bill. Business 
men and practical horticulturists would doubt ¬ 
less do it better. Unfortunately, even if the 
stations are created, it will be a long time be¬ 
fore farmers will have real confidence iu them. 
They will have to earn confidence.] 
Need of more Organization among 
Farmers. —I am pleased with this idea of 
studying more about political economy. 
Farmers need to know more about it. 
Here is my idea: We have been tools too 
loug. We have over half the population 
of the country in our ranks. We should 
organize a Farmers’ Party, formed on lines 
outside either of the present parties—find 
out just what we want anil then demand 
it. We should have political machinery in 
every township as complete as that of the 
present parties. 1 would make the fee for 
membership into the party one dollar. The 
funds are to go to publish a farmers’ paper 
that shall keep us posted on matters of politi¬ 
cal interest. In this way we can elect more 
farmers and get some of the lawyers out. 
Lawyers don’t seem to want to make laws 
clear and idain. It is not for their interest to 
do so. What I want is the power to drive 
into town with a load of grain and say, “I 
want $1 per bushel for my wheat,” Now' 1 have 
to go and say. “How much will you give me?” 
The merchants are all able to say. you must 
pay so much. Farmers could do the same if 
they would organize and stick together. Let 
us once get, the power to fix our prices, and 
middlemen and merchants would be left to 
fight, it out. Farmers work too hard. Let us 
do less plowing and sowing aud more thinking. 
Let us drop the jealousy we have towards one 
another, and organize. m. nelson. 
Menomonee Co., Mich. 
An Appreciative Reaper.— Now' the 
Huestiou is, who is entitled to the thanks of the 
people—the Rural or the Great Washington 
Humbug. I shall decide in favor of the Ru¬ 
ral and I doubt uot thousands of the Rural 
readers will say “Anion." We owe the Ru¬ 
ral many thanks for its untiring efforts to 
make this world more attractive, and its peo¬ 
ple better prepared t.o enjoy it. Thanks be 
to God for the good influence of the Rural 
New-Yorker! May it long live aud grow 
better (if possible) w'ith the rolling years. 
. S. F. MERRILL. 
More Experiments. —I have been follow- 
ing the Rural’s experiment® in a small way. 
The soil I used was in fodder corn the previous 
year. It was plowed in the spring with no 
manure except that put into the drills or 
rows. I used rows 38 feet long—each 1-400 of 
an acre. Seed potatoes were > nt two or three 
eyes to the piece, and planted about 15 inches 
apart. Wet heu manure, nt the rate of 8,200 
pounds per acre, worth about £10, yielded at 
the rate of 245 bushels per acre with 12’<j per 
cent, small. This soil was a trifle better than 
the rest. Wet hen manure and a chemical 
fertilizer, each 400 pounds to acre, value ¥9.10, 
yielded at rate of 213 bushels with 11 per cent, 
small. Four hundred pounds of the fertilizer 
alone, valued at ?6.6i>, yielded exactly the 
same as the last mentioned, while 800 pounds 
of the fertilizer, valued at ¥13.20, yielded at 
the rate of 233 bushels wit h 12 per cent, small. 
Unleached ashes, 1,600 pounds per acre, 
valued at $8, yielded at rate of 213 bushels, 
3|:f per cent., small, rotted more than any 
other. Plaster, 1,000 pounds per acre, value 
¥3.20, yielded at the rate of 213 bushels, 3# per 
cent, small. No fertilizer, yield at rate of 200 
bushels. 11 1 ^ per cjnt. small. 
Otsego Co., N. Y. CHAS. BENNINGTON. 
Fight Adulterations. —Now' that we have 
got the reins ou the “oleo" men, 1 would sug¬ 
gest that the Rural turn its attention to 
other food adulterations; especially baryta. 
It, is used to mix with flour, sugar, candy, 
etc. In the meantime let us keep our eye on 
the “oleo” men. H. c. 
Hempstead, N. Y. 
[We propose to do our best to force the 
handlers of food products into honesty. Mauy 
of our common articles of food are adulterated 
to a frightful extent. We believe the better 
grades of flour to be much freer from adultera¬ 
tion than is generally supposed. Sugars,coffees 
aud spices, sirups and molasses offer rare 
chances for the dishonest scamps w ho are 
ready to profit by a business that w ill cause 
disease. The best that t.lio Rural or any 
paper can do is to arouse a strong public feel¬ 
ing against nil such dishonesty. The man 
who will counterfeit an article of fowl is as 
bad as the man who manufactures counter¬ 
feit. money, and when public sentiment places 
him where lie lMilonga, he will be punished like 
his brother villain. The time w ill come when ' 
anti-ud alteration societies will have to be 
formed and when men will be obliged to 
stand right up for their rights aud stamp out 
the evil. Our Boards of Healt h are capable of 
doing good work, but they are all crippled by 
lack of funds. Take the money spent by our 
legislators at eating and drinking at the public 
expense and apply it to the work of exposing 
these food frauds, aud good progress might 
be made. Every man can help in this cru¬ 
sade; first by being strictly honest himself, 
and. second, by backing up his merchant with 
the understanding that he will pay more for a 
pure article than lie will fora bogus one. By 
all means watch the “oleo” men. They will 
die hard. They have made too much fraudu¬ 
lent mouey to give up easily. 
Farm Labor. —Some good ideas on the sub- 
