29o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER.' 
April 21 
RHODE ISLAND RED POULTRY. 
What do you know about the Rhode Isl¬ 
and Red Fowls? According to some ac¬ 
counts one would be led to believe that 
they are an ideal farmers’ fowl. If there 
is any probability that they will fill such 
a plate the facts ought to be known. 
Any information you can give us will be 
highly appreciated, for we know it will be 
unbiased. j. m. g. 
Minnesota. 
The Rhode Island Red fowls have 
been kept very successfully on a large 
scale, by the colony plan, in the eastern 
part of Rhode Island, for many years. 
They have now been taken up by fan¬ 
ciers and for the sake of the almighty 
dollar have been pushed out upon the 
public, before they were bred to a uni¬ 
form standard. I think it is a very sad 
mistake to place them on the market as 
a fancier’s bird before they were prop¬ 
erly bred, and even before the breeders 
of these line fowls had agreed upon a 
proper standard. They are business 
birds, being excellent egg producers, 
and first-class for the table from one- 
half pound as broilers up to maturity. 
They are quick to mature, are good sit¬ 
ters and good mothers, and in every 
way as a utility bird they certainly ex¬ 
cel. I do not say that all birds called 
Rhode Island Reds have these charac¬ 
teristics, but the great majority of them 
bred in Rhode Island do have these 
characteristics. I think thait they rank 
with the White Wyandottes and Ply¬ 
mouth Rocks as a genei’al farmers’ fowl, 
and if I were going into thb poultry 
business for the production of eggs and 
dressed fowls, I should invest in the 
Reds in preference to the Wyandottes 
and Plymouth Rocks. This is, however, 
a matter largely of taste. I hope that 
you will emphasize the desirability of 
breeders going slow in this matter until 
the birds have been bred to a proper 
standard; otherwise there will result 
much disappointment, and even disgust, 
because of the great variaoility in the 
chicks hatched from eggs sent out by 
numerous breeders, who have picked up 
birds here and there, or have bred in 
different directions as to color of 
plumage, size of bird, shape of comb, 
etc. A. A. BRIGHAM. 
Rhode Island Exp. Station. 
The Value of Hen Manure. 
I am a little puzzled in regard to the 
value of poultry manure. I notice that it 
is usually estimated that the value of the 
droppings of one hen for a year is about 
10 cents. At the same time it is stated 
that if the manure from stock is carefully 
saved we may get back from 50 to 75 per 
cont of the cost of the feed in the shape 
of fertilizer. If a hen eats $1 worth of 
feed in a year, why should there not be 
more tlian 10 cents’ worth of fertilizer if 
the above statements are correct? 
Hardwick, Vt. s. s. c. 
Suppose a hen eats a bushel of wheat 
during the year. In most parts of New 
England this would cost $1. The bushel 
of wheat contains, in round numbers, 1.8 
pound of nitrogen, worth 25 cents; .36 
pound of potash, worth less than two 
cents, and .6 pound of phosphoric acid, 
worth 2 V 2 cents, or a total of 29cents. 
You cannot figure on the selling price 
of the wheat in estimating the value of 
the hen’s manure. The only value in 
the manure will be the nitrogen, potash 
and phosphoric acid which the hen ex¬ 
cretes, for she cannot add these sub¬ 
stances to the food. Part of the plant 
food in the wheat goes to develop the 
hen herself, and part goes into her eggs. 
In the ordinary flock we save only the 
manure that is left in the house. A 
fair proportion of the manure is dropped 
in the yard, or while at range in the 
fields. The scientists show that from 50 
to 75 per cent of the fertility in the food 
is excreted by the hen, but no practical 
man dreams of saving all of it. Hen 
manure is more valuable, pound for 
pound, than any other kind, because it 
is drier. The hens eat insects and meat, 
which contain more nitrogen than grain. 
Then, too, the liquids and solids in the 
hen manure are thoroughly mixed to¬ 
gether, while with larger stock they are 
separated. The liquids contain the only 
part of the manure that is actually di¬ 
gested or soluble. They are easily lost, 
and that is one reason why hen manure 
should be dried out at once with some 
substance like plaster. 
The Battle with the Woodchuck. 
Your woodchuck stories have enter¬ 
tained me, probably because the wood¬ 
chuck and I have often entertained each 
other. Seeing no place for him in the 
economy of Nature, I have declared war 
against him that can only end in his 
extermination, or decampment; not in 
hatred, but with that Christian senti¬ 
ment with which the English are seek¬ 
ing to exterminate the Boers. They 
have sometimes hit me hard, and I in 
return have given them some pretty 
cuffs, but they are still hanging around. 
I have pursued them with gun, powder 
(blowing up the holes), noxious chem¬ 
icals, spade, club (it’s all right when 
you’re near enough), stones, dogs, steel 
traps, and strong language, but none 
was wholly successful. My warmest en¬ 
counter was during the past Summer; 
I shall never repeat it. I had a fine 
field of muskmelons; the woodchuck 
discovered it, just as the melons were 
getting ripe, and proceeded to divide 
with me. I stamped in his hole a dozen 
times; he stayed and continued in'’his 
evil ways; I determined to evict him 
by force. The evening previous he had 
bitten a half dozen of the best, I was 
mad, the morning was hot, the after¬ 
noon was hotter. After dinner I brought 
a shovel; the land was loose and sandy, 
and the thermometer now stood 96 de¬ 
grees in the shade, 120 in the sun. I 
dug, it was soon 150 degrees under my 
hat, but I had to catch that woodchuck 
or drive it out of the county; I could 
hear him scratching just ahead of me, 
and I was anxious to see him. I made 
the dirt fly like a dredging machine. He 
dug right, he dug left; at last, he settled 
into a straight course for the center of 
the earth; down he went, through a 
foot of hardpan; below this, the earth 
had fallen away, leaving it like a can¬ 
opy over a lawn. He had nothing to do 
but run, I could not dig as fast as that; 
I retreated, and closed the excavation. 
He never again appeared on the surface, 
he had committed suicide; peace to his 
bones. 
And now alone, his red-haired love 
Waits in her holy home, 
And listens for the well-known step. 
That tells his lordship’s come; 
She knows not that he’s cold in death, 
All earthly mischief done, 
His carcass lying in the gravel stones 
With tail turned towards the sun. 
Burnside, Conn. aramis. 
Chicago Dairy • Produce says that the 
oleo factories of that city turned out over I 
4,000,000 pounds during February. 
Chicago Dairy Produce says that those 
who run away may read, but he who sits 
down and thinks it over is the one who 
wins the prizes. 
National Provisioner says that in Cam¬ 
bridge, England, butter is sold by the yard. 
In accordance with an old custom, the 
dairy people there roll the butter out in 
sticks a yard long, each weighing a 
pound. The butter is wrapped in white 
cloths and carried to market in long 
baskets. The quality is excellent. 
Killing Gophers.—I see you have much 
trouble with gophers, as we call them, in 
your experiment grounds. You can de¬ 
stroy them thus: Take an onion, cut into 
it, put a little strychnine on the point of 
a penknife, and insert it into the cut in the 
onion; place this in the runways of the 
pest. They will disappear. I have found 
this an infallible remedy for gophers. I 
cleared my ground of them. They were 
so thick they were likely to destroy every¬ 
thing. j. h. s. 
Florence, Col. 
DRILLING 
Machines 
Over 70 sizes and styles, for drilling either deep or 
shallow wells In any kind of soil or rock. Mounted 
on wheels or on sills. With engines or horse powers. 
Strong, simple and durable. Any mechanic can 
operate them easily. Send for catalog. 
WILLIAMS BROS., Ithaca, N. Y. 
ARMSTRONG A McKELVY 
Pittsburgh. 
BEYMER-BAUMAN 
DAVIS-CHAMBERS 
Pittsburgh. 
FAHNESTOCK 
Pittsburgh. 
ANCHOR 
> Cincinnati. 
ECKSTEIN 
J 
ATLANTIC l 
BRADLEY 
BROOKLYN( 
> New York. 
JEWETT / 
ULSTER ’ 
UNION 1 
SOUTHERN 
l Chicago. 
SHIPMAN . 
COLLIER 
\ 
MISSOURI 
\ St. Louis. 
RED SEAL 
i 
SOUTHERN 
/ 
JOHN T. LEWIS & BROS CO 
Philadelphia. 
MORLEY 
Cleveland. 
SALEM 
Salem, Mass. 
CORNELL 
Buffalo. 
KENTUCKY 
I^ouisville. 
|T IS quite generally believed, par¬ 
ticularly by large consumers and 
practical painters, that Pure White 
Lead is the best paint. It is because of 
this belief that manufacturers of the so- 
called White Leads, mixtures of Whiting, 
Barytes and Zinc, brand them “ White 
Lead,” “Pure White Lead,” etc., etc. You 
can avoid these by making sure that the 
brand is riofht. 
<_> 
For colors use National Lead Company’s Pure White 
| Lead Tinting Colors. Any shade desired is readily 
obtained. Pamphlet giving full information and show¬ 
ing samples of Colors, also .pamphlet entitled “ Uncle Sam’s Ex¬ 
perience With Paints ” forwarded upon application. 
National Lead Co ., ioo William Street , New York. 
New Feed Grinder. 
Ball Bearings. Perfect in Construction. 
Easy Running. Grinds Fast and Fine. 
Satisfaction guaranteed. 
Special Introductory price for first one In 
each neighborhood 
SUNDRIES MFG. CO.,South Bend,lnd. 
Saw 
Your 
Wood 
with .Smalley or Battle Creek 
Wood Sawn. More money can be 
made with our Hawing outfits than 
with any other implement you can 
buy. StLF FEED DRAG SAWS-5 SUES. 
Circular or cntotf, lOsizes; also Boll¬ 
ing or Picket Mills. Every machine 
sold under a positive guarantee to do 
perfect work. Also full line of Pow¬ 
ers for operating. Catalog showing 
our Smalley line complete mailed free 
if yon name this paper. 
SMALLEY MFC. CO., 
Sole Milkers, Manitowoc, Win. 
Dome of Pl an k save timber and cash. Best, 
DaillS cheapest, strongest, most desirable. Book 
for stamp. Shawver Brothers, Bellefontalne. O 
Kentucky Aluminum Stock Label. 
The Best, Lightest, Most Secure. Easiest Put On, 
and the Cheapest. For description and sample 
address F. H, JACKSON & CO., Winchester, Ky. 
Mark Stock ' AlI.MINI'M S 
Always Bright. Can’t come out. EAR TAGS. 
JACKSON STOCK MARKER CO., 
Samples sent free. St. Louis, Mo. 
Jg |LABEL 
Dana’s ZStfic EAR LABELS 
stamped with any name or address with consecutive 
numbers. I supply forty recording associations and 
thousands of practical farmers, breeders and veteri¬ 
narians. Samples free. Agent. Wanted. 
O. II. DANA, 74 Main St-, West Lebanon, N. II. 
Goes 
Below! 
Penetrates to the very depth of sores and heals 
from beneath the surface. 
Veterinary 
Pixine 
does not scab over. There is no sore, no matter 
how old or how chronic; there is no ease of 
scratches on horses, or skin disease on any 
domestic animal that this pure, all-powerful 
soothing, stimulating antiseptic ointment cannot 
cure. A trial will make you marvel—win your 
unqualified indorsement. Guaranteed—money 
refunded if it fails. At all Druggists and Dealers 
pr mailed postpaid. 
PRICE i |" oz ’ k° x ’ 
( 8-oz. box, 
25c. 
50c. 
TROY CHEMICAL CO., 
TROY, N. Y. 
LUMP JAW 
Easily and thoroughly cured- < 
New, common-sense method, ( 
not expensive. No cure, bo ( 
pay. FREE. A practical, 111-. 
ustrated treatise on the abso¬ 
lute cure of Lump Jaw, free to ‘ 
read era of th i spaper. 
Fleming Bros., chemists, i 
Union Stock Yard*, Chicago, Ill. . 
IMPROVED HYDRAULIC RAMS. 
Thousands In use in all sections 
of the country. For circulars 
and price lists address 
Allen Gawthrop, Jr., Wilmington, Del 
For Rural Mail Delivery 
Wo furnish a heavy steel box on a steel post, 
an appropriate welcome to this grand new service. 
As we supply, under contract, all the mail box 
posts used by the Government, we know what will 
suit Uncle Sam’s taste. They are handsome and 
durable, price reasonable, freight paid, money re¬ 
funded if not satisfactory. Write for particulars. 
BOND STEEL POST CO., Adrian, Mich. 
Half cost of Netting; hi-N .|- dY/Sr/S 
Requires few posts, no I !■! i UL. lAA Va. v 
rails. Best_Hog, Farm, Yard, v ~ vZ ~ v ~ v ~ v 
Cemetery Fences. Freight paid. 7V7T7T 
KANSAS STEEL* WIRE WORKS KansasOitv. Mo. 
B 
l,UUUdAMrLtdrntt 
of our new Success fence ratohet 
which tightens any wire fence, new 
or old. Grips automatically as wire 
Is wound on. No holes to bore In posts. Attaches 
midway of the fence. We will mall you a sample to 
test If you will send ns 12c. to cover postage only. 
Clr. free. W. H. MASON & CO., Box 67, Leesburg, 0. 
Hood fence: 
Makes good neighbors. Why not have I 
both when you can make the best for 
20 to 35 Cents a Rods 
| A little Inquiry Into the merits of our I 
system of fencing will repay you hand-1 
somely. Write to-day for free Catalog. 
KITSELMAN BROTHERS, 
Box 106 Rldgstllle, Indiana, P. 8. A. 
z3as='. 
dp*nrt 
T 
HE 
DA 
RKEST 
Nil 
BHl 
rs 
your stock Is safe if fenced with Page Stock Fence. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO.. ADRIAN,MICH. 
The 
Fence 
That 
Fences 
Is the fence every fence user is after. For perfect security in the way of a fence, at lowest 
cost, for a fence that will outlast your lifetime, secure the 
AMERICAN FIELD AND HOG FENCE. 
Large spring steel wires, heavily galvanized, practically indestructible. Sold by our agents 
everywhere. If no agent in your town write to 
AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE CO., Chicago or New York. 
