We show, at Fig. 40, a handsome specimen 
of the Partridge Cochin breed of fowls. Our 
picture is re-engraved from the London Live- 
Stock Journal. This bird belongs to Mrs. H. 
J. Goodall of England, and recently won the 
cup at the Chrystal Palace Show. He was 
described by the judges as being “as uearly 
perfect, ns birds of his breed are likely to be 
got,” He is very rich in characteristic color; 
his legs are finely covered, and he is truly a 
giant as to form. The Cochins appear to be 
exceedingly popular in England at this time. 
Their hardiness, good nature and admirable 
laying and breeding qualities render them 
particularly valuable on small farms or in 
yards. Their large size and admirable table 
qualities tind them many friends among those 
who do not keep poultry for profit, but simply 
for the purpose of supplying fresh eggs and 
chickens for their own use. In this country, 
the Cochius have not made the great reputa¬ 
tion that was expected when they were first 
introduced. Most farmers desire a “general- 
purpose fowl,” and the P.ymouth Rock and 
Wyandotte, come nearer their ideal. St.il I. we 
find marked evidences of the Cochin blood 
among the live poultry sent into the markets, 
aud it is clearly evident that the breed has 
been widely scattered about. Their march 
into popular favor hereafter will be slow, but 
sure. Their many admiral >le points will surely 
be recognized when the poultry business be¬ 
comes more systematized. 
POULTRY ON THE FARM. 
MICHAEL K. BOYER, JR. 
Care of poultry; inducing egg laying; “poul¬ 
try powders"; perches; Plymouth Rocks; 
Wyandotte#; Brahmas; Leghorns; crosses; 
eggs for hatching; will the business pay? 
sources of gain; poultry business on a cash 
basis; causes of failure. 
Ix the first place, poultry must not be 
crowded. Here is where the wrong too often 
lies. Fowls need room, and we must give 
them plenty of it. Every rule of cleanliness 
must be enforced. At. least twice a year the 
interior of the house should be white-washed, 
and the exterior painted. Every week it 
should be carefully cleaned of the droppings 
and every two weeks the nests should be de¬ 
stroyed, and new ones substituted. Sulphur 
should be strewn in the nests to ward off lice. 
Droopy, or otherwise sick chickens should at 
once be removed from the Hock. Fowls should 
have plenty of exercise, plenty of fresh water 
and food, all the greens possible, aud, in fact, 
auything and everything that, will promote 
health and egg production. 
Hens can lie made to lay. all other assertions 
to the contrary notwithstanding. Let them 
have plenty of cracked bone, ground oyster 
shells, lime, buckwheat, oats, greens, etc. 
Feeding is everything. Give corn sparingly 
during Rummer, and then only as evening 
feed, while in Winter it should be more pleuti- 
ously fed. Change the driukiug water several 
times a day. A few rusty nails placed in it 
give a cheap and excellent tonic. 
The country is full of all sorts of poultry 
powders, which claim to keep fowls in con¬ 
stant health, with almost a guarantee of an egg 
every day. Some of these preparations are 
good, but many are not worth auything. 
Cleanliness is ono of the first and best steps 
toward the promotion of health. Remember 
that proper feeding, such as I have mentioned, 
will give the hens the material, and force them 
into actual service. 
I may add a word concerning perches. In 
this so many farmers err. 1 do not like the 
thin, round prop. 1 find a wide—say 3x4-inch 
scantling—roost far better, especially for the 
heavier breeds. These should In' placed about 
one foot above a dirt catcher (a platform 
erected directly under the perches), which 
should not be more than two feet above the 
ground floor. By this arrangement, the 
droppings can easily be cleaned away. As a 
caution, I might advise not to let pullets roost 
until they are about four mouths old, unless 
shape is no object—1 consider it Of some value. 
There are tunny varieties of fowls to select 
from, and which can serve many pur]loses. 
My particular fancy are the Plymouth Rucks. 
I prefer them because they am hardy, of good 
size, excellent layers, and fine table birds. 
With the proper feeding, they make superior 
winter layers, and this is u valuable point for 
farmers to consider, for at no other season of t he 
year are eggs in such demand, nor arc they 
ever at such a high figure as during the cold 
months. Tho Wyandottes are also highly 
rated in all these qualities, only their eggs are 
smaller in size. 
My father was an extensive breeder of the 
Brahma fowls. My chief objection to them is 
their heavy weight for hatching. I have 
known them to crush many young; but it must 
be said of them that they are faithful mothers, 
and patient and quiet hens. 
The Leghorns are good layers and essen¬ 
tially non-sitters. T have had excellent re¬ 
sults from a cross with them and Plymouth 
Rocks. For general table purposes, almost 
any variety crossec^vitb Game, gives excellent, 
results. A very successful cross of mine has 
been the Game with Plymouth Rocks. 
When wanting eggs for hatching, pick out 
a half dozen of your best hens and yard them 
with a pure cock, and the regular standard 
will be retained. For general use, a count of 
25 bens to a cock will not be too much. 
Now, let us carefully consider the value of 
the business—will it pay? 
1st. By a proper system of feeding, aud by 
careful attention, fowls will lay in Winter. 
It is needless for me to call attention to the 
prices paid for eggs during the cold months. 
2d. The large cities pay enormous sums for 
early spring chicks. With an incubator and 
a brooder, we can ha ve a good supply for the 
market by February or March. 
3d. Poultry manure is considered a rich fer¬ 
tilizer, and very salable. Catch up the drop¬ 
pings and make an item of them. 
4th. Feathers, too, have a market, and 
command figures that make it an object to 
PARTRIDGE COCHIN COCKEREL. 
Journal. 
preserve them. Geese feathers especially com¬ 
mand high prices. 
Let a man invest but $1,000 in the enterprise, 
and if he has any business gumption whatever 
he can, the first year, realize six per cent, on 
his capital. This is no idle talk; I know it to 
be a fact, and, moreover, 1 believe that if the 
strictest attention is paid to the business, a 
still better result can be obtained. But 
this is a business that one dare not go to sleep 
at. He must be wide-awake, and market 
early aud well. Be up with the times, anil 
you'll not “get left.'' 
The enterprising poulterer will establish 
regular custom. For instance, he will arrange 
with large consumers to supply them regular¬ 
ly with so many boxes of fresh eggs. This the 
consumer will consider quite an accommoda¬ 
tion, aud he will pay full prices for every dozen, 
which gives the poulterer more cash aud saves 
him a large amount of labor. It pays better 
to sol] to consumers than it does to dealer, as 
you make tho profit you would have to 
give them, and without the outlay of any 
additional exjieuse or labor. It should be a 
fundamental rule to uet as much real cash as 
possible. Therefore watch the markets 
closely. 
The enterprising poulterer will set his hens 
or start his incubator as early in the year as 
possible, and then, watching the quotations, 
will ship into the markets just when the prices 
are at their highest. It is better to sell chick 
of IV pound when the figures are up to 75 
cents, than to let your stock average two 
pounds apiece and have the prices drop to 50 
cents a pound. 
The entei-prising poulterer will also carefully 
save the manure and feathers, and market 
them as soon as possible. One cannot afford 
to overlook trifles in any business. And there 
is so much scope in the work! Ducks, geese, 
turkeys, guineas and pigeons are also profit¬ 
able and add pleasure to the labor. The mar¬ 
kets cannot be over-stocked for years and 
years to come. 
The great feature of the poultry business is 
that it can be conducted on a purely cash basis. 
You can refuse credit without affecting you 
in the least. There is always a demand for 
your surplus, and people expect to pay cash. 
To my mind no other business requiring such 
a small capital to start with, in comparison 
with other enterprises, opens up such a quick 
trade. I am surprised that more are not en¬ 
gaged in it. I believe it cannot be overrun. 
If a man has enough cash to purchase a 
tract of land, erect substantial buildings, pur¬ 
chase stock, etc., and a little to live with, and 
keep the mill going awhile, can very soon 
establish himself. But some fail in this, as 
well as in any other business, but it is generally 
their own fault. How? Well, first, by not 
giving it enough personal attention. Second, 
by not economizing in the right way. Third, 
Re-engraved from tlic London Live Stock 
Pig. 49. 
by not watching the markets aud disposing of 
the stock when prices are high. Let a man 
have patience, business tact, enterprise, be 
wide-awake, and constantly have his shoulder 
at the wheel, and he will succeed. He will 
build up a paying business, and can save 
money. 
3m)ust’l Societies. 
NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
[RURAL SPECIAL REPORT.) 
The annual meeting of this society was held 
at Albany on Wednesday, January 20. The 
attendance was extremely meager aud those 
present were mostly the officers of the Society. 
James McC'anu, of Elmira, was elected Presi¬ 
dent and T. L. Harrison, of St. Lawrence Co., 
Secretary. An evening session was held, at¬ 
tended by but few. Dr. Sturtevant. read a 
paper on silage, and showed samples of corn 
preserved without any pressure in the silo. 
The Doctor said the experiments at the New 
York Station had conclusively shown that too 
large a ration of silage always had an inju¬ 
rious effect upon the milk and butter; that 10 
pounds jter day is the most desirable amount. 
He had also found that a certain amount of 
acetic acid is, not only not injurious to the 
cows, but that it produced positively benefi¬ 
cial results. He also thinks that when pro¬ 
perly ensilaged, the raw material is actually 
improved by the process, and that the silage 
will produce better results than would the 
same forage in its green state. He also thinks 
there need be no haste in filling the silos. In 
1885 it took about 25 days to put in the corn 
used to fill the silo at, the Station. They had 
merely leveled the material as put in. not even 
treading it down, and when filled bad put on 
the plank covering without weighting it at all, 
and the silage shown was the result. The 
surface for six inches was found nearly rot- 
ren; but below that the silage was bright, and 
from that the sample was taken. This silage 
looked of good color, but to the smell it was 
very sour, and the writer would prefer good 
mangels or carrots as a diet for the cows 
whose milk and butter he was to eat. 
There is one thing in all these silage-talks 
not easy to understand. . Why is it, that if 10 
pounds of silage is so good for a cow, a greater 
quantity is injurious? No one ever found any 
injury resulting from a full ration of clover 
hay or good sound, well cured fodder even if 
allowed its fill, nor in feeding nmngeLsor car¬ 
rots if the cows arc housed in warm stables. 
Here is a conundrum for the advocates of 
“cattle krout” to explain. 
Mi*. E. H. Roberts, of Utica, delivered a 
very able eulogy on Mr. Samuel Campbell.the 
former joint owner of the famous New-York 
Mills herd of Short-horns with its -835,000 
cow, and also a long-time member, and ex- 
President of the State Society. Gen. N. M. 
Curtis gave a short history of the cattle dis¬ 
eases of this country, and the measures being 
adopted to stamp them out. He urged the 
importance of a National law with a proviso 
for buying ami slaughtering diseased cattle. 
It would be a good plan if a little more light¬ 
ning could be infused iuto this old society, so 
that its annual meetings, might be something 
like those of yore, when instead of a couple of 
baker’s dozens being in attendance, the As¬ 
sembly chamber could not hold all who gath¬ 
ered. Where is the trouble and what the 
remedy ? w. 
NEW YORK EXPERIMENT STATION. 
(rural special report.) 
The Board of Control held its annual meet¬ 
ing at Albany, on January 19th. All the 
members were in attendance. The usual meth¬ 
od of having the reports of State institutions 
printed by the public printer is so very objec¬ 
tionable, on account of their being so long de-. 
laved, that the Board this year obtained leave 
to print its own report, and so in making 
its annual report had a complete printed copy 
to present. This is a great improvement as 
the report goes out while the matter Ls fresh 
and timely, instead of a year behind as usual. 
R. J. Swau. of Geneva. w f as elected President, 
and N. M. Curtis, of Ogdensburg. Secretary. 
In laying ont work for the coming year, it was 
decided to continue the experiments now in 
progress of feeding cattle to acertain, by ac¬ 
tual tests, what may be called the Ameriean- 
value of certain feeding stuffs. That is, their 
comparative value as grown on our soils, and 
as fed in this climate under favorable circum¬ 
stances both for the production of meat, and 
when fed to cows, for the production of milk 
and butter. 
A resolution was adopted making the' 
station a “trial” ground for new plants, 
seeds, vegetables and fruits, without cost to 
the owners sehding them there, and that all 
such things, sent there for test, shall be con¬ 
sidered as only in its hands for trial, and under 
no eireuinstances to be disseminated; and 
that such things should have a full and care¬ 
ful trial and be reported upon from time to 
time by the station. 
This is a step that every statiou should take. 
Every State should have several such depots 
where new candidates for public favor could 
be carefully tested and an honest report made 
for the guidance of the people. It would 
work immense advantage both to the origina¬ 
tor of good things and the public. The 
owner of good things should see to it that 
their candidates be now placed in Director 
Stnrtevant's hands, as a failure to do so 
must be construed as an evidence of an un¬ 
willingness to have them fully tested, and 
their true character made known. The New 
York Station is doing a good work and taking 
the lead Of similar institutions iu this country, 
and the misfortune is, that some better means 
are not provided by which its good work may 
be brought more prominently before New 
York farmers. We need Farmers’ Institutes 
to do this most thoroughly. w. 
You WANT It !—That iVo. 22 Enterprise 
Meat Chopper is worth its weight in gold to 
every family. While it sells for $4, we give 
one to any one sending a chib of only four 
neuTsubscrtbers. Will you have if? 
