388 THE RURAL WEW-Y6R&ER 
Can we not learn a lesson from this? The 
very lowest price was 14 cents and that in De¬ 
cember, when the usual “glut” of adult stock 
occurs, yet chickens sold for twice as much 
as adults. If chicks are hatched in June they 
canyeach the market weighing two pounds 
each in September, and if hatched in July 
they can be sold in October. Last September 
and October, as stated above, the prices per 
pound were from 1(5 to 17 cents for large and 
18 to IS cents for small. This leaves 80 cents 
for a chick weiglnugtwo pounds. Now comes 
the question—will it pay to sell a two-pound 
chick for 80 cents? Let us take the cost, as 
nearly as we can estimate: supposing only 50 
per cent, of the eggs hatch (which isa minimum 
estimate for summer) aud that two eggs will 
cost three cents, the food five cents for each 
pound of chick, making 10 cents, interest on 
capital invested in hen and “incidentals,” two 
cents, or a total of 15 cents. To lie liberal, let 
us now allow five cents for loss and interest 
on capital invested in land and buddings, 
aud the total cost is 30 cents and the profit 10 
cents per chick. True, 10 cents is but a small 
sum, but where a large number of chicks are 
hatched quite a respectable sum may be made, 
while our estimate of costs is really too large. 
The advantages of late hatchiug are that 
the cost of eggs for incubating is Jess than in 
winter; a smaller amount of heat, is required: 
the loss will be less; the chicks will grow faster, 
they can he cared for with less labor, and the 
food required is less than in cold weather. 
“The loss wifi be less”—some reader may sug¬ 
gest lice. True, lice are the great obstacle, 
but keep the pests off. No systematic, care¬ 
ful poultry mall should ever fear lice, as lice 
indicate lack of care and attention. Chicks 
hatched in September and October bring the 
highest prices in January, and those who use 
brooders (which do not harbor lice) can make 
late hatchiug pay well. 
flmrjtl topics. 
BUCEPHALUS BROWN’S NOTIONS AND 
IDEAS. 
An Invaluable Book. —I don’t want to 
intrude upon the work of the editors of the 
Rural with a regular “book notice,” but I 
am going to run the risk of the obliterative 
blue pencil by saying that for two weeks I 
have been giving nearly every spare moment 
to the study of Professor Storer’s new work 
“Agriculture in Some of its Relations with 
Chemistry,” la telj* published by Charles Scrib¬ 
ner’s Sons, New York. Since the issue of 
Professor Johnson’s “How Crops Grow,” and 
“How Crops feed,” some 1(1 or 18 years since, 
there have been no books on agricultural sci¬ 
ence possessing auytbiug like the importance 
and value of these two handsome and solid vol¬ 
umes, issued from the press iu America. They 
are plain and practical, aud they discuss care¬ 
fully and intelligently all the most pressing 
problems connected with Jheir subject, with 
that enlightened common sense which is 
yet so rare among men of equal learning 
with the author. They do not solve all 
our puzzles, but they throw a light upon 
many of them, which will be an effective 
aid to every practical farmer who will 
study their pages as they should be stud¬ 
ied, Few books of this class have so little of 
the professional tone, and so much every-day 
practical applicability. Some may think the 
price of the work, 85, too high, compared with 
many other books of similar size, but it is 
more worth it to an intelligent farmer who 
loves his art, than anything else he can put 
the same money into. 
Agricultural Books.— This mention of 
price brings up a thought which seems worth 
writing down hero. It used to be asked in 
England, sneeringly, “Who reads an Ameri¬ 
can book ?” I am sadly afraid there is reason 
for a like question to be asked to-day in refer¬ 
ence to agricultural works. Notwithstanding 
the large proportion, approaching one-half, 
of the American people who are tilling the 
soil, the circulation of even the best books 
upon agriculture is distressingly small. There 
are educated farmers enough in the United 
States to give Professor Storer’s work a sale 
not inferior to the books of Mark Twain or 
Maria Holley. But you will find these in tens 
of thousands of farm houses, where you will 
ask in vain for any sort of an agricultural 
book or even an agricultural paper. I 
do not object to these mirth-provoking 
publications. The hard-working people 
of the farm need something of that sort, if 
any do. But I do think it a pity that they 
should be so much more conscious of such a 
need than of their need of the knowledge 
which would make their fields laugh with har¬ 
vests likely to infuse a much more lastiog 
cheerfulness into their homes. If the Messrs. 
Scribner could have felt that there was a 
reasonable prospect of a circulation for Pro¬ 
fessor Storer’s work, any way commensurate 
with its value, and with the immense constit¬ 
uency of agriculture iu America, they would, 
no doubc, have felt justified in making its 
price much less. 
The Government Seed Shop.— While de¬ 
nouncing the stupid and corrupting abuse 
which justly excites the Rural’s ire—the con¬ 
tinuous free gift of common seeds to a few 
farmers and villagers iu the interests of self- 
seeking Congressmen,’and at the expense of 
all the rest, of us—let us do justice to the really 
good work now going on iu the Department 
of Agriculture at Washington. The same 
toning up which is noticeable elsewhere,mani¬ 
fests itself there iu almost every division of 
the Department. Especially do I note this in 
the pathological divisions, animal and botani¬ 
cal. The effective study of the diseases of 
plants and animals is making great progress 
there: while in the entomological division, the 
equally important work of suppressing injur¬ 
ious insects is actively and intelligently pur¬ 
sued. In the direction of orchard aud vine¬ 
yard work, the Department is urging the ap¬ 
plication of iusecticidal and fungicidal spray¬ 
ings that promise excellent results. If the 
codling moth aud the black scab or spot can 
be driven from our apples,the gain will be im¬ 
mense to those who have the energy to do the 
work promptly aud well, aud will give them a 
strong aud deserved lead over all shiftless 
competitors. 
A Secretary of Agriculture.— Isn’t the 
argument that if we admit agriculture to 
representation in the President’s Cabinet, we 
must do the same thing for dentistry, rather 
thiD? Logically, such a proceeding may seem 
to be a break in the principle upon which - the 
organization of the Cabinet, has hitherto been 
based; but we made so many inroads into the 
logic, of republican government when we 
broke up slavery, aud are doing the same 
thing in other matters so continually without 
harm that this argument lacks practical im¬ 
portance. The people may be trusted to 
exercise common sense, even when they take 
occasional illogical short-cuts to good ends. 
Nearly all European governments recognize 
that overwhelming importance in connection 
with food-production which makes the estab¬ 
lishment of governmental supervision over 
agriculture a necessity. This necessity is re¬ 
cognized in a multitude of ways at. every ses¬ 
sion of Congress, and the more formal recog¬ 
nition involved in a full Secretaryship for the 
head of the Agricultural Department, if not 
logical from one point of view, is entirely so 
from that other one which has already long 
been taken and acted upon in many ways. 
As for dentistry, I know by personal experi¬ 
ence that a raau can live and keep fat without 
teeth, but I defy him to do so long without 
victuals. 
Will It Do Any Good?— Here is the prac¬ 
tical question to be dealt with. I thiuk there 
can be very little solid ground for doubt on 
this question. To dignify agriculture iu the 
Cabinet,—to make its governmental repre¬ 
sentative an equal in the councils of the 
Chief Executive with bis other aids—must 
confer upon our greatest industry the very 
thiug it most lacks. It will not only put the 
seal of dignity upon agriculture officially re¬ 
garded, but it will dignify our art to those 
who practice it. Everywhere else but in 
America the ownership of land is a social dis¬ 
tinction in itself. Here, the common farmer 
is leveled in general esteem almost with the 
common laborer,—hardly so high as the 
journeyman mechanic. To recognize ours as 
the highest of industrial calliugs—the only 
one, outside of the military, officially repre¬ 
sented in the body politic—is to give a mighty 
boost to the self-respect which is such a moral 
force, and so lamentably deficient amongst 
farmers generally. 
Agricultural Colleges.— The Rural has 
been discussing these institutions considerably 
of late, ami both sides have had something to 
say about them. The original design, as ex¬ 
pressed in the bill endowing them, was excel¬ 
lent. The difficulty iu regard to them has 
been that they came before the need of them 
was recognized among those whom they were 
designed to benefit. The natural result has 
been that they have not been protected from 
falling a prey to needy adventurers In the 
teaching profession, who, knowing uo other 
models, and without any motive or knowledge 
qualifying them for the task, have shaped 
them upon the lines of the literary colleges. 
How ridiculous, these “freshmen,” “sopho¬ 
mores,” “juniors” and “seniors,” in an indus¬ 
trial school, and how much worse than ridicu¬ 
lous the scholastic methods of the Middle Ages, 
trying to deal with the daily work of modern 
farmers aud mechanics I What we want is to 
clean out the smug D. D.’s aud the pimply¬ 
faced “Professors,” and put in their places 
men who have a lively sense of the lacks in 
learning among men and women who have to 
grapple daily with the world’s work in this 
busy age. The money for this kind of educa¬ 
tion is intelligently spent in schools like the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
Whenever aud wherever the same is or can be 
said of agricultural schools, the same over* 
flow of pupils aud the same inflow of endow¬ 
ments will follow. Trust the people to know a 
good thing when they see it. They may not 
know how to set it up, or set it agoing, but 
* they will know how to make use of it, every 
time. 
RUMINATION. 
HENRY STEWART. 
“An OldlFarmer’s” remarks about insurance 
are well worthy of thought and action. But 
why do farmers continue to pay these extrava¬ 
gant rates for this indispensable service? In¬ 
surance cannot be avoided. No reasonable 
man can afford to run the risks of the loss of 
all his personal property by fire. There is, 
however, no necessity for employing presi¬ 
dents and otbor officers with high salaries and 
costly offices mid a host of agents to do busi¬ 
ness which farmers can better do for them¬ 
selves. A farmer might as well employ all 
these men to do his plowing and farm work. 
A cooperative mutual farmers’ insurance as¬ 
sociation does this service for its exact cost. 
If a barn is destroyed the members are as¬ 
sessed for the amount of the loss aud the small 
expenses connected with the adjustment. A 
small yearly fee is paid to compensate the only 
paid officer, the Secretary, who does the office 
work, and in many cases the subscription is 
sufficient to pay all the losses for a period of 
years. During six years iu which I was a 
member of such an association only one loss 
was incurred, and the accumulated yearly 
fees of 50 cents per 81,000 insured, paid this. 
For one dollar yearly tuy barn was covered 
by $2,000 insurance. Several of these mutuul 
insurance associations are is existence, and all 
are prosperous and exceedingly economical. 
The same principle is now applied to life in¬ 
surance and a farmer can Lave a sure and cer¬ 
tain fund for the benefit of his family in case 
of his unexpected death, at the exact cost of it. 
Professor Morrow is amply justified in bis 
sensible remarks upon the profits of farming. 
What are profits? They are the net returns 
from any business or labor, not counting esti¬ 
mated value of time or household and per¬ 
sonal expenses. A farmer supports his fam¬ 
ily iu great part,and has the use of a bouse and 
horses and carriage from his farm; all this 
would cost at a moderate estimate from $1,500 
to $2,000 in any town or city. He has, iu ad¬ 
dition, a certain income which meets all his 
other expenses. His property is absolutely 
safe, aud as long as he keeps his homestead in¬ 
sured aud is economical he need not worry or 
lie awake nights fretting over anticipated ac¬ 
cidents. The sum of all these advantages is 
his profits. He has no business to charge the 
farm with wages for himself, feed for his 
horses, seeds, manure for the garden, or with 
seed grown by himself from former crops, 
while ignoring house rent, living expenses 
and other advantages, and yet say his profits 
are unsatisfactory. Nine out of ten business 
men don’t do as well as this, and Off out of 100 
clerks and employds in cities do not do as 
well. Fanning is the fundamental interest of 
the world; it supplies the world with food aud 
clothing aud therefore cauuot be unprofitable 
in the long run. 
The pages devoted to Women’s Work and 
Domestic Economy are full of interest. But 
why do we not hear something about‘men’s 
work iu the household? Mon and boys can be 
of the greatest service to the wives, mothers, 
daughters aud sisters in this common service. 
A man’s duties do not end iu the barn and the 
field. “He that provideth not for his own 
household is worse than an infidel.” So the 
Scriptures inform us. The husband-man is the 
natural provider of the household and it is his 
duty to have constant oversight over the do¬ 
mestic affairs and not wait until he is asked 
a dozen times to make the necessary provision. 
First, every convenience for lightening the 
labor of the housekeepers should be furnished, 
ainplo water supply, fuel kept under cover, 
a bandy wash-house with stationary tubs, 
boiler, water, and drains, a convenient and 
well kept retiring closet, a protecting porch 
forthekitchen door,wood boxes in the kitchen, 
a well arranged milk cellar or house. AJ1 
those at least are as necessary as the daily 
food, and no man or boy should sit down to 
breakfast until the wood box is supplied with 
the best of fuel, fine and coarse,with dry kind¬ 
ling, aud the water pails are replenished. The 
family peace and happiness depend upou the 
strict aud prompt performance of every duty, 
and when the wife and mother is happy and 
contented gentle peace reigns, aud happiness 
blesseth the household. 
farm (Topics. 
PRACTICAL HINTS FOR FARMERS. 
Beware of too much land. Ten acres, with 
all facilities for the best cultivation, will 
yield better returns than It),000 acres without 
brains, labor, aud capital to correspond. In 
all farm buildings and fences study utility, 
harmony, aud elegance. Build substantially, 
aud in accordance with your means. 
Have all your live stock of a good quality, 
suited to your locality, and to the needs of 
your farm; keep uo unprofitable stock. 
Select all fruit trees, plants, and vines, with 
special reference to your climate, soil, mar¬ 
kets, and home use. 
Use the same judgment in procuring seeds 
not neglecting flower seeds. Study the cata¬ 
logues and choose carefully. 
Keep a good variety of the best farming 
implements. Always have them in thorough 
working order and keep them well oiled aud 
sheltered when not in use. 
Do not rely upon traveling agents for seeds, 
plants, stock, tools, or fertilizers; but consult 
the advertising columns of the best agricul¬ 
tural periodicals. 
A very important item upon the farm is 
proper food. It should be abundant, varied 
and suitable. Apply this item to the land, to 
the live stock and to the household. 
Feed the laud with the best fertilizers you 
cau obtain, suited to your own particular 
soil, always remembering that much of the 
very best for all purposes should be produced 
ou the farm. 
Feed the live stock well at all times, with 
regularity and cleanliness, and especially at 
critical seasons of the year, or periods of 
life. 
Above all, feed the household well, with as 
much variety as possible, considering a liberal 
allowance of good fruit indispensable. 
Feed the intellect and soul, as well as the 
muscles; do not let a single individual under 
your control be a giant iu physical force and 
a pigmy iu intellect ami morality. To this 
end, always be well supplied with the best 
agricultural papers, aud, in additiou, have a 
good and varied supply of other literature, 
some of which shall be interesting and pro¬ 
fitable to each member of the household, in¬ 
cluding all hired help. The farmer is respon¬ 
sible, in a measure, for the whole well-being 
of every employee, and there is service which 
no amount of money can buy. 
Keep every part of the farm as clear of 
weeds as possible, paying close attention iu 
this respect to road sides and fence-rows. 
Be vigilant, persevering aud exact iu what¬ 
ever is to be done. “Have a place for every¬ 
thing and everything in its place.” Have a 
time for every duty, ami let it be done in its 
appropriate time. 
In all the work of the farm show yourself a 
leader and master. Do uot say “Go” as often 
as “Cornel” 
Be sure in winter to provide a full supply of 
fuel for the year to come: it is hard work cut- 
tiug up old rails in harvest time. 
Do not fail to keep an exact account of all 
money received and expended iu the interest 
of the farm; it will help you greatly to learn 
how to farm profitably. 
Attend the agricultural fairs of your county 
and State, and make them of practical value. 
Besides cultivating the soil, cultivate the 
society of your neighbors. Be social, cheer¬ 
ful, courteous, aud agreeable; aud “to do good 
and communicate forget uot.” 
Let your influence be felt on the side of 
truth, justice aud the common weal. To this 
end give vigorous aid to sustain good schools, 
good churches aud good government. 
Guard strictly against waste. “Gather up 
the fray mentis that nothing be lost." This 
may be applied specially to the making and 
saving of manures. How often wo have seen 
the essential strength of the manure Leap pol¬ 
luting the roadside and small streams of wa¬ 
ter ; piles of oyster shells, bones, old boots 
and other rubbish disfiguring tbe highway; 
ashes, soapsuds, soot aud other waste material 
—so miscalled—adorniug the back-yard, 
when a little time and labor would convert 
all into valuable plant- food and greatly pro¬ 
mote both tbe neatness and health of tbe 
premises. But most precious are tbe frag¬ 
ments of time. “Time is money,” and these 
fragments should not be squandered but put 
at interest. 
Iu these intervals of time, when busy sea¬ 
sons are over, the farmer is tempted for re¬ 
creation and society to spend minutes and 
sometimes hours, at tbe village store, or other 
place, with no definite object In view, it is 
these fragments of time, leisure moments, in 
which tbe papers should be read and studied; 
tbe work of the season reviewed; mistakes and 
successes noted down, with tbe reasons for 
