SEPT \ 
574 ’ 
THE 
a 
newed at a cost of from $1.50 to $4, varying 
with the size of mill. These mills will grind 
not only the cob, but the husks also to a fine 
meal. 
Oxford, O. 
GOOD FEEDING. 
The rock on which many who enter the 
ranks of breeders of good stock, split is that of 
stinted feeding. The Shropshire, Percheron 
and Short-horn owe their excellence to the 
fact that they can make good paying use of a 
large amount of food. Unless they have the 
food to work upon they fail of their function, 
and their keeper fails of his expected gains. It 
may be best to half starve the Jersey in its 
calf-hood; but surely it is ruinous thus to 
treat the Short-horn or Hereford. The 
breeder’s motto should be, keep all these 
animals in a thrifty growing condition from 
first to last. Unless we intend, and will feed 
liberally we had better keep the scrub. It was 
brought up to enjoy roughing it. 
FAIR NOTES. 
Could our farmers but realize that by the 
use of first-class, purely-bred males, they 
could soon double the value of their herds, 
what a change there would be in the condition 
of the live stock of this country. Thirty dol¬ 
lars is a good average price for the average 
two-year-old steer or heifer, while from $00 to 
$70 are easily secured for a high-grade Short¬ 
horn, and this is not ^fancy price, but what 
the market gladly offers for honest beef. 
How can any farm neighborhood better em¬ 
ploy the opportunity offered by our autumn 
fairs than by securing first-class males to use 
on its herds ? a. j. cook. 
fyoxseman. 
HORSES ON THE FARM. 
PROF. A. J. COOK. 
Relative cost and prices of horses and cattle ; 
why farmers should raise draft horses 
rather than roadsters; one should use only 
full-blood stallions and at least half-blood 
mares ; advantages of raising half the colts 
in the fall and half in spring ; the writer's 
practice. 
It is no mistake to say that it costs little 
more to raise a horse to three years of age 
than it does to raise a cow or steer; and with 
the same care in selection, feeding and breed¬ 
ing we may find an eager market for our colt 
at from $150 to $200, while our cattle go beg¬ 
ging for a market at less than one-half the 
sum. If these are facts—and I believe they 
are—it pays every farmer to give the matter 
earnest conside ration. 
First, as to selection. As the large draft 
horses find ready sale at high prices, are quiet, 
and so do not disturb fences, while they are 
easily handled and broken and in no wise tend 
to lead their owner or his boys to race-courses 
or gambling, it goes without saying that they 
are the horses for the farmer to breed. I 
would always breed to a pure-bred male, if I 
could. To breed to a first-class Hambletonian 
costs from $35 to $100. To breed to a Per¬ 
cheron or a Shire costs but $20. If we breed 
to trotting stock and do not get a trotter our 
animals sell for little, if any—unless mares, 
for no more—than an ordinarily bred horse. 
Horses weighing from 1,000 to 1,100 pounds, 
unless fast, are not salable at a price beyond 
$150 at four or five years of age. The occa¬ 
sional horse that is fast, if bred by a farmer, 
usually carries his owner at a rapid gait to the 
bad. Thus in any case fast horses are not de¬ 
sirable for the farmer to own and breed. 
Again, trotters are really flyers, and so, usu¬ 
ally, the best fence will not stay them, and, 
moreover, they are so restless that they will 
suffer only the very best and strongest fences 
to remain good any length of time. Besides 
all this, they are so spirited that they need a 
skilled horseman to break them, and a good 
horseman and harness ever afterward or they 
are not entirely safe. 
By breeding draft horses all this is changed. 
At three or four years of age, even a half or 
three-fourths-blood Percheron will readily 
sell for $200, if from a good brood mare. Such 
animals are always quiet in the field or yard, 
are broken with no trouble and are easy and 
safe in harness almost from the first. Last 
summer a three-year-old Percheron colt on 
our college grounds kicked in play and came 
down on the wrong side of the tongue of the 
wagon. He stopped at once and was put 
right. A Hambletonian would have made 
things lively just then. In penning the above 
I have given no fancy sketch. I have only 
spoken from my own experience. When I 
commenced on my farm I had some fine com¬ 
mon mares. There was one of the finest studs 
of Hambletonian horses in the United States 
right at hand. I commenced breeding these 
trotters. I now have several beautiful 
colts; but they are only fairly good 
roadsters, and I never expect to sell one 
of them for $200, although $35 was the 
first cost. Now I am working into 
Percherons, and I am persuaded that had I 
commenced with them, I should now be several 
hundreds of dollars better off. I prefer 
Percheron to Shire horses, as it seems to me 
they have better feet for use in cities, where 
our largest sales are to be made. 
My present plan is to keep only large, fine 
mares to do my farm work. Those that are 
half Percheron will do, though of course, 
those of three-fourths or seven-eighths blood 
would be better. Half of these mares are so 
bred that they will foal somewhere between 
the middle of September and the middle of 
November. I prefer September or October. 
The others are bred so that they will foal in 
March or ApriU The first mares are well fed 
in winter, and by the time the spring work 
opens their colts are ready to be weaned, and 
as these colts can then be turned right 
on to good pastures, they usually catch 
up with the spring colts before they 
mature into horses. The mares are in good 
trim, and can do the heavy summer’s work, 
like heavy plowing, etc. The spring-bred 
mares have young colts, but are no worse on 
that account, if well fed, for doing the light 
farm work. We favor these all summer, 
giving them the “soft jobs;” while in fall 
they, in turn, do the heavy work with no 
harm to them or their colts, which, with good 
care, are now independent of the mothers. I 
find this 'plan works exceedingly well, and 
with silage, which every progressive farmer 
will surely have, these fall colts will give the 
very best satisfaction. At least I am delight¬ 
ed with the plan, and shall continue to pursue 
it till some one suggests a better. These high- 
grade Percherons are fine walkers, and to 
break them we have only to hitch them in at 
three years of age and go to working them. 
In a short time they will work as well as old, 
experienced horses. I would urge then: 
breed large draft horses; use only full-blood 
males; raise at least half the colts in the fall; 
and sell all males and superfluous females at 
from $200 to $250, and as much more as the 
would-be owner will pay. 
Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich. 
SUCKLING COLTS. 
The season of the year is creeping on apace 
when the suckling colt must be removed from 
the dam, or weaned. This requires care and 
a proper place of confinement. The better 
way is to prepare a box-stall with a ground 
floor and plenty of light and air, but no 
direct draft. If weaning takes place before 
frost has injured the after-math, the colt will 
show a decided relish for it, and with a pint 
of ground oats, or,what is equally good, wheat 
bran and middlings, equal parts, scalded, left to 
cool, and given twice a day, the animal will be 
sure of a healthy, profitable growth. When sweet 
milk can be had, it may be given with profit. 
Fine, bright bay is a good substitute for grass, 
but care must be taken not to overload the 
stomach when first the colt is removed from 
the mother. I prefer from the first to adopt 
the plan of giving two feeds in 24 hours, as I 
am confident that the best results can be pro¬ 
duced from this course. Salt regularly; use 
the card and brush freely; give as much as it 
requires of fresh, pure water, and if the ani¬ 
mal is kept constantly in a stable a good result 
will be obtained. Warm quarters add mate¬ 
rially to the comfort and growth, as well as 
general health, and insure a profitable ad¬ 
vance that pays well for the expense and 
trouble. H. A. W. 
Fluvanna, N. Y. 
RYE FOR POULTRY. 
FRED GRUNDY. 
One of the most valuable of my poultry ap¬ 
pliances is an eighth of an acre of rye, which 
I sow near the poultry-house every autumn. 
The hens begin to feed on it as soon as it ap¬ 
pears above the ground—they feast on it all 
through the winter, and it is delicious 
“greens” for them in the spring long before a 
spear of grass peeps above the ground. Some¬ 
times the patch is covered with snow, but as 
it is sheltered on the north side by a double 
row of trees, it is soon bare again. When 
grass comes the rye is beginning to get tough, 
and the hens leave it. As soon as it is fairly 
ripe it is cut and piled up close by the poultry 
yard, and a forkful is thrown over to the 
fowls every day. For two months or more it 
furnishes them the greater portion of their 
food, and they seem to thrive on it. The ex¬ 
ercise afforded in scratching and thrashing 
out the grain keeps them healthy and but of 
mischief, and they lay right along. I never 
could fatten a hen on unthrashed rye, but a 
liberal supply of five parts corn meal and one 
part wheat bran,wetted and mixed, in addition 
to the rye, will render poultry fat and useless 
in a very short time. 
Christian Co., 111. 
CHICKS FROM HENS A1ND PULLETS. 
P. H. JACOBS. 
There are some persons who seem to fail 
with brooders under almost every condition; 
but the causes of failure may often be traced 
in directions not anticipated. The more I 
experiment the more I am convinced that, in 
order to get at the root of a majority of the 
difficulties, we must go to the fountain source 
—the egg. This season I made an experiment 
which I consider very valuable to all who are 
interested in raising chicks, as I did not look 
for such results as were obtained. I placed 
equal numbers of eggs from hens and pullets 
in an incubator, subjected them to the same 
conditions, and secured nearly an equal num¬ 
ber of chicks from both lots. The conclusion 
reached was that eggs from fully matured 
pullets will hatch as well as eggs from hens. 
Both lots—hens and pullets—were with the 
same male (a cock not quite two years old). 
But the final results differed. With the 
same food, the same care, the same degree of 
heat, and the same other conditions for both 
lots (100 chicks from eggs laid by hens and the 
same number from eggs laid by pullets being 
selected), the chicks from the pullets began to 
die when a week old until only 00 were left, 
while the chicks from hens seemed to grow 
and thrive, only eight out of the 100 dying. 
Not being satisfied, I repeated the experiment 
several times, and though the results were not 
always exactly the same, yet in every case 
the chicks from eggs layed by hens were 
more easily raised and gave more satisfactory 
results. 
Here we have two lots of chicks by the same 
sire, hatched alike, fed alike and treated alike 
in every other respect, with different results. 
There was no difficulty with the hatching of 
the eggs and the parents were also managed 
in the tame way, all being in one yard. It is 
plain that if chicks are to be made a specialty 
only hens two years old should be used. If 
good layers are desired, and the eggs are to be 
marketed, the pullet will answer the purpose 
as well as the hen, though, as a rule, on an 
average, the eggs from hens are larger than 
those from pullets; but the pullet cannot com¬ 
pete with the hen in producing strong, vigor¬ 
ous chicks. Here, where we hatch out thous¬ 
ands of chicks, it has been decided by nearly 
all interested that eggs from pullets should 
not be used, and in procuring eggs it is now 
very important to select from yards contain¬ 
ing hens. 
A great mistake has been made in supposing 
that the usefulness of the hen ceased after her 
second year. As I stated in the R. N.-Y. 
once before, I had a hen seven years old that 
led every hen and pullet I had in the number 
of eggs laid, and they would hatch well 
every time, producing strong chicks. As for 
breeders who make a specialty of sending out 
eggs for hatching, I advise them to use onlv 
hens, and there will be fewer complaints. I 
do not claim that chicks from eggs laid by 
pullets cannot be raised; I simplj say, as the 
results of experiments, that it is easier to 
raise chicks from eggs laid by hens, and it is 
not difficult to conjecture the cause of this ad¬ 
vantage in favor of the hen, for she is strong¬ 
er, more fully developed and better fitted for 
the duty devolved upon her. 
The question comes up, then, as to the age 
of the pullets. Mine were 10 months old and 
the hens were two years old. I do not think 
females of the large breeds fully mature until 
they are 18 months old, and even the Leghorn 
should be at least 10 months old if the best 
results are expected. The age may seemingly 
be unimportant, but it may make a great 
difference in the vigor of the chicks. 
RUE FOR CHOLERA. 
A Sure Specific. 
HENRY HALES. 
I have always been at a loss to know why 
rue should be so little known or appreciated. 
Centuries ago rue was used as a medicine for 
poultry. That the first Dutch and other set¬ 
tlers brought it with them to America, I have 
no doubt, for it is found in many old gardens 
belonging to their descendants in New Jersey. 
Many years ago it was given for roup, made 
into pills with butter. It does not affect that 
disease, however, as it does cholera; for this 
it is most invaluable. I may be thought very 
sanguine in believing rue a specific for this 
disease; but I am so convinced of the fact that 
I cannot too earnestly urge farmers, especially 
those in the West and South, to grow a little 
clump of it in an out-of-the-way corner. The 
seed can be ordered from any seedsman by 
mail. It is a perennial and seeds heavily, so 
that it is easily propagated to any extent. 
My first experience with rue for cholera was 
several years ago. The disease appeared in 
my place and in others in the neighborhood. 
Many fowls died and some lay to all appear¬ 
ances nearly dead, lying on their sides with 
closed eyes. I picked up some and left a few 
others. I chopped up rue leaves in some oat¬ 
meal gruel and added a few drops of diluted 
carbolic acid (white) and poured a few spoon¬ 
fuls down their throats, and, to my surprise, 
every bird so treated recovered in three or 
four days; while the ones left never moved. 
I have applied the same remedy to many 
fowls belonging to my neighbors with the 
same results, and feel satisfied that it is a sure 
cure and preventive. Every Western and 
Southern farmer should have it. as they are 
most troubled with this complaint, and this 
remedy costs next to nothing. I should have 
stated that each bird was laid in a box, with 
clean straw, and carbolate of lime was dusted 
into the box, until the bird was able to get up 
of its own accord. Be careful that the car¬ 
bolic acid is not too strong, the carbolate 
should just taste of it. 
fy&xiunlhvml. 
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 
WILLIAM FALCONER. 
Best varieties and treatment: asparagus : 
beans, beets, carrots, turnips, salsify and 
parsnips;potatoes, sweet corn, onions, peas 
spinach , radishes, lettuce. 
Run the cultivator between asparagus rows 
and chop out all large weeds. Don’t leave the 
purslane and Crab-grass, the ragweed and 
pigweed now to grow and seed unmolested, 
simply because the “ grass” is bigger than the 
weeds; for seeds of weeds sown now will ap¬ 
pear another season to annoy us and add to 
our labor. 
Lima beans are in their prime. Dreer’s or 
the Potato Lima, as it is sometimes called, 
has small pods and fat beans, but I like it bet¬ 
ter than King of the Garden, Challenger, or 
any other of the large kinds. Among the 
novelties for next year, the New York seeds¬ 
men promise us two new beans that will cause 
a sensation, namely a dwarf Sieva bean (Peter 
Henderson) and a dwarf Lima (Young & 
Elliot). For these it is claimed that many an 
amateur will grow them who did not before 
grow Lima or pole beans because of the bother 
about the poles. All the Limas not needed 
for immediate use should be saved for winter 
use; just gather them before they are quite 
ripe. They will cook more tender when 
gathered in this way. I sow snap beans up 
till the first of September; this last sowing is 
made in a warm sunny spot and where I can 
place frames and sashes over them if they 
are not podded before frost appears. 
Thin out the late sowings of beets, carrots 
and turnips to a few inches apart. Pull out 
and throw away flowering plants of salsify, 
scorzonera, parsnips and carrot®. Give celery 
lots of water and encourage it in active 
growth. Draw a little earth up to the earliest, 
but don’t earth up the main crop for a month 
yet. I didn’t plant out any of my mam crop 
celery (sown April 2(>,) till the first week (5-11) 
of August; but as it had been pricked off into 
beds it didn’t hurt any. Recent copious rains 
have started it into rank growth. It was 
planted in ground after onions and peas. 
We cleaned a patch of Early Rose potatoes 
on August 10 and at once sowed the ground to 
Purple-top White Globe turnips; we will sow 
turnips again about the 20th or 25th, and be¬ 
tween the rows of potatoes that were not dug 
we loosened the ground and planted cauli¬ 
flowers and cabbages from pots. For August 
plantings I always run a lot of cauliflower 
and cabbage plants in 4-inch pots; trans¬ 
planted from these they never wilt but go 
right ahead, and considerable time is gained. 
If the cabbages don’t heart well we feed them 
to the stock. 
Among sweet corn I depend mainly on Con¬ 
cord. The ears are medium-sized, well-filled 
and sweet. Cory sown April 23 we began 
using July 15. Sown again May 4, we began 
using July 22. Concord is 8 to 10 days later. 
We are now (Aug. 13) using Concord sown 
May 23. Tremble, from Mr. Nicholas Hal- 
lock, is this year a capital sweet corn. Stab- 
ler’s Early is a handsome variety, but not at 
all early and no better flavored than a field 
