2 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER., 
ttanuary fl 
danger limit in well-matured stock is far above that 
now used. For example, first-class peach showed no 
injury until .40 gramme of cyanide per cubic foot was 
reached; plum, .65; pear, .60 to .75; and apple even 
withstood six times normal (1.45 gr.) for one hour. 
On the other hand, low-grade peach and June buds, in 
both cases, where the wood was not well matured, 
wore injured above .18 gramme. 
Maryland Exp. Station. [Prof.] w. g. Johnson. 
THE STORY OF " BID D Y VILLE." 
favorable for their growth, and as a rule they will lay 
almost as early in the Spring as the majority of 
Spring-raised chicks. I have not seen this idea car¬ 
ried out in full yet, but next Spring is to tell the 
story, as the experiment is being tried. Chickens have 
many enemies, as rats, skunks, crows, hawks and 
other animals, that prey upon them, and it seems im¬ 
possible to protect them. Nearly everyone has coops 
wfth covered runs, and the chickens are not given 
free range except at intervals, when life and health 
and growth demand it, for a little time. 
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH POULTRY. 
Everyday Houses and Plans. 
Part II. 
MOSTLY SUMMER EGGS.—Very little effort has, 
thus far, been made to get Winter eggs, though a few 
are obtained. Some think that it would be possible 
and profitable to get a good share of the eggs in Win¬ 
ter, while others do not care to try much for it. They 
say that it cannot be done successfully except with 
small flocks and with a great deal of extra care; that 
it is better to keep the hens as cheaply through the 
Winter as is consistent with good health and a small 
egg production; then towards Spring crowd for eggs, 
when they can be more cheaply produced. One man 
told me that he could produce eggs by this method 
for six cents per dozen for feed, not counting his 
work. I do not wi^h to be understood as saying that 
this method is unanimously recommended, but it is 
very nearly what I understand to be the prevailing 
sentiment. Some meat is fed; usually an old horse or 
cow, not diseased, is purchased, dressed, and the quar¬ 
ters taken to a mill several miles away, where it is 
ground by steam power. Only a few feed the pre¬ 
pared meats sold by dealers in supplies. One man 
bought a bone mill, which I think he used two or three 
times, then set it aside till he had a chance to sell it 
a)t half price. Not because he did not approve of cut 
bone for fowls, but because he did not approve of the 
labor of cutting bone for 300 hens, unless some one 
else turned the mill. It is a slow job, and hard work; 
then, too, it is often difficult to get bone to cut in 
small towns. 
NOTES ON FEEDING.—Some care is taken to se¬ 
lect suitable fowls, and when purchased good care is 
taken of them. Quite large amounts of corn are fed. 
Corn is cheap, and considerable can be fed for profit, 
I am told. An effort is made to secure a variety, by 
feeding buckwheat and wheat. A mash once a day is 
quite the usual thing, and some feed a few oats. Oats 
are sometimes soaked before feeding, and in cold 
wealther the corn is often warmed for them. For a 
considerable portion of the year skim-milk is fed, and 
all speak of It in high terms. It makes a variety, and 
certainly helps to balance the feed, particularly the 
corn. One man told me that he had built a henhouse 
and made it as comfortable as he possibly could, and 
had fed quite a variety of grains, mashes, etc., but in 
spite of it all the few hens he had in the barn with 
nothing but corn to eat did better than those in the 
henhouse. I asked whether those in the barn did not 
roam over the barn, on the mows, and in the stable, 
where they could get many seeds of small size, and if 
they were not more active than the ones in the hen¬ 
house? He said he thought that explained why they 
did better. The hay mows help to protect them from 
the cold, and the warmth from the cattle also helps to 
make them comfortable. 
It is doubtful whether a person who will not, or 
cannot, give thought and time to the poultry, can 
make It pay on a large scale. If a large flock is left 
to shift for itself as are the few fowls usually kept 
around the barn, failure is likely to result. Hens 
need thoughtful care, quite as much as do cows or 
sheep, and then they are more profitable as a usual 
thing. But let the novice have a care, or he will re¬ 
gret going into the poultry business. 
CHICKENS.—The work and bother of raising chick¬ 
ens is one of the bugbears of the business. A major¬ 
ity of those whom I know have depended on buying 
hens and chickens, and I am obliged to admit that 
they have had very good success. But pullets are 
becoming more and more scarce, as more people are 
turning their attention to poultry for egg production 
and recently, some who have purchased fowls have 
purchased disease with them. There 4s little doubt 
but that more chickens will be grown in years to 
come, though nearly everyone speaks of it with dread. 
One man said that it was little trouble to raise chick¬ 
ens, but his wife promptly corrected him, as she 
doubtless knew quite as much about 4t as he did. He 
thinks that if a man should raise a large number, and 
give up his time mostly to them, live with them, and 
see to all their wants, he would have better success 
respecting numbers raised, and, doubtless, the birds 
would be more thrifty and vigorous. 
If Summer layers only are wanted, I am told that 
it is just as well to have the chicks come off in the 
Summer or early Fall; that season of the year is 
DISEASES.—I made some inquiries as to losses and 
diseases. I was told that about 10 per cent of the 
fowls are lost annually. One man, who had 200 hens, 
and had lost about 20, answered that they died from 
20 different diseases. Recently, however, some of our 
people, in buying fowls, have purchased disease. One 
man who had nearly 500 fowls, purchased a few from 
a man a few miles away, and before he was aware of 
it, his whole flock, or a large part of it, had become 
diseased. Just what the disease is no one seems to 
know. The fowls are sick a few days, and die. The 
owner thinks the disease is cholera, and has only 
about 50 fowls left. This is the worst case I have 
heard of, and truly is quite bad enough. Another man 
got a good dose of roup. In this case the trouble was 
not so bad, and being discovered before it gained a 
firm hold, prompt measures Were resorted to, and a 
cure, apparently, effected. These roupy fowls seemed 
to expect to be treated every night, and showed signs 
of remembering what had taken place nights before. 
The treatment was thorough. A mixture of kerosene, 
with a few drops of carbolic acid, was administered by 
means of a medicine dropper. This being injected 
into the nostrils, seemed quickly to produce an effect 
for the better, and in all save a few cases a thorough 
cure was soon effected. Camphorated oil was tried, 
and being milder, answered very well for some cases. 
The extreme cases were treated, the first thing, to a 
dose of sharp ax. By the way, this is a medicine used 
too rarely. When a fowl shows signs of being unwell, 
she should be removed from the others, and remedies 
applied if there are any known, but if there is not an 
improvement in three or four days, it is usually best 
to cut off the tail just back of the ears, as one man ex¬ 
pressed it. In the case of the roupy fowls, there were 
about 450 on the farm. Over 150 were treated, and 
they recovered, while about a dozen were killed. The 
poultryhouses were thoroughly cleaned and fumi¬ 
gated by burning brimstone. Quantities of lime and 
disinfectants were scattered about. The drinking 
water had added to it a small quantity of chlorate oT 
potash for some time. 
SUNDRY NOTES.—It should not be understood that 
the poultryhouses for 100 or more hens, are the only 
ones on the farm. Nearly every man has from 300 to 
500 fowls. The buildings are scattered about as much 
as possible, consistent with the work of feeding and 
caring for the hens. In no case is the poultry fenced 
in. Frequently it is “fenced out” of dooryards, gar¬ 
dens, etc., as it is cheaper to fence out than to fence 
in; both because of the extent of the fencing and its 
height. One can fence out with a fence from two to 
four feet high, depending upon its locality with ref¬ 
erence to the poultry buildings; but it is doubtful 
whether a fence six feet high will at all times keep 
fowls in a lot of moderate size. Right here let me 
drop a hint. At least two potato plots this season 
were immediately in front of poultryhouses. It was 
said by many that the hens would ruin the potatoes. 
Such, however, did not prove to be the case. A few 
hills—perhaps a dozen—in one lot were dug out and 
destroyed, and very likely 20 others were injured. 
The fowls roamed about at will, and helped hoe the 
potatoes. They got a lot of exercise, and were pro¬ 
tected from the hot sun and from hawks by the potato 
tops. They dug a few potatoes, and left them in the 
sun to spoil, but I have reason to believe that they 
did more good than harm by their work. The reason 
why I mention this is that not a Potato beetle molest¬ 
ed either of those potato crops; and one was planted 
where potatoes have grown for several years past. 
Potatoes will be grown on both these lots again the 
coming season. Try it a year or two, if you have 
poultry enough to make the experiment, and your lot 
is close to the poultryhouse. 
I inquired if there ever had been any trouble with 
hens that eat eggs, and was told how one man cured 
his hens of egg-eating. The habit usually comes, as 
does disease, from some purchased fowls. One such 
will quickly teach others, and the habit quickly 
spreads through the whole flock, unless it is checked 
in some way. When he found that eggs were being 
eaten, he gave up a few days to the duty of watching. 
There were hens enough to make the watching busy 
work. During the time he applied the hatchet treat¬ 
ment to a goodly number. Some, he said, he killed 
because he knew they Were guilty, some were killed 
on suspicion, and a few because he thought they would 
soon be guilty. The fainily lived weil during the 
tittie; attd there has not been a case of egg-eating 
sihce. 
1 have secured a few figures relative to profits. One 
flock (in several divisions) of 270 hens, gave a net 
profit, after deducting cost of feed, of $216. Another 
man w T ho had 180 hens and four cows, felt certain 
that the hens paid very much better than the cows. 
His receipts from his cows were $58 per cow. The 
man alluded to as erecting a building to experiment 
with hens submitted the following figures; number of 
hens, 230; cost of feed, $149.66, or 65 cents per head. 
Eggs sold, 2,100 dozen, for $335.99, or an average of 
16 cents per dozen. Total receipts from poultry and 
eggs, leaving the original number, 230 hens, $379.10, 
leaving a profit of, practically, $230. This doesn’t 
sound much like some of the stories we see printed, 
w r here a flock of hens averages 200 or more eggs a 
year; nevertheless, there is profit in it. h. h. l. 
Bainbridge, N. Y. 
TROUT AS A FARM CROP. 
t sincerely hope that J. H. J., of Worcester, Mass., 
Whose inquiries regarding the stocking of a trout 
Stream are answered in your issue of December 16, 
Will hot proceed on the advice given him by C. W. 
Bcarff. If J. H. J. contettiplates making his mile of 
brook “pay” Itt a commercial sense, he is destined to 
be disappointed. I do not believe that urtder the 
game laws of Massachusetts it will be permissible for 
him to screen his brook. I am not familiar with these 
laws, but in no State where fish and game protection 
is honestly recognized is the old device of the screen 
now in vogue. New York State long ago prohibited it. 
But even if J. H. J. could enjoy that privilege, any 
hope that he could reap a profit from his trout brook 
is based on a vagary. Unless he resorteu to unlawful 
means of killing the fish after he had propagated 
them, he could not possibly derive a money return, 
even by getting for them the high price Brook trout 
bring in the market. He couldn’t possibly keep the 
supply large enough to make the thing pay as an en¬ 
terprise. If after three or four years he made a good 
success in stocking the water, if he took out enough 
fish to earn him anything commensurate with his 
trouble and time the next season would find his 
stream depopulated. As a matter of fact he could not 
lawfully catch with hook and line enough trout to as¬ 
sure himself a profit, if he counts his time as worth 
anything. Trout cannot be captured without patience 
and skill, and large expenditures of both, 
I am myself the owner, in association with a few 
friends, in a trout preserve, which is unequaled In ad¬ 
vantageous location. We pay $200 a year for at, and 
get splendid sport, but counting the fish caught and 
measuring them at market value, if we calculated the 
thing as a business, we would be badly out of pocket. 
Unless J. H. J. wishes to stock his brook and fish it 
“for fun,” pure and simple, he would better leave it 
alone. c. k. s. 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
A BUG BATTERY.—We find in the Wisconsin Hor 
ticul'turist what appears to be a new scheme for fight¬ 
ing bugs. The picture at Fig. 3 shows how the 
scheme operates. The spraying compound is carried 
in a knapsack. The force required to spray out the 
mixture is taken from a tank of compressed air, which 
the operator carries in front. The air supply is kept 
on tap by means of a pump fastened to the lower 
part of a man’s leg. The piston of the pump is at the 
bottom, and every step he takes forces air into the 
tank. Thus, one man does the work of two, or, in 
other words, his foot does the work of a hand. The 
original picture is taken from the Patent Record, and 
if this pump and tank are really practical, they may 
make something of a revolution in spraying methods. 
It is a good thing to educate the foot to do more than 
one thing, namely, carry the body about. 
