1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
875 
The Chicken Yard. 
To Start the Layers. 
I have 100 pullets, 100 year-old, and about 
60 hens: S. C. White Leghorn. For some 
reason I cannot get the yearlings to lay¬ 
ing. They have been all through moulting 
a good while. I feed a mash in morning, 
bran and cornmeal, equal parts; noon, bar¬ 
ley and oats; night, corn; all they will eat 
each time. I wish you would help me to 
start my hens laying. What is the best 
thing I can get on the market, and where 
can I get it? Do you think anything is 
better than beef suet or tallow before it is 
tried out? o. s. b. 
Burdett, N. Y. 
' I would suggest a very light mash for 
first feed. At about 10 o’clock whole 
grain thrown in the litter for work, and 
at night the corn. Also plenty of water 
and grit, and beets, turnips, cabbages, 
etc. For a mash, try (by weight) one- 
third cornmeal, one-third wheat bran, 
one-third ground oats; to the bulk of 
this 1-10 beef scrap. Where green bone 
is not available several of the brands of 
animal meal and beef scrap advertised 
furnish an excellent substitute. Suet 
and tallow is not desirable. A dust bath 
is important to the hens. The best kind 
I know is fixed With a lamp under to 
heat the earth. It is an astonishingly 
simple and efficient contrivance. Do not 
overfeed and watch for lice. w. 
Locating a Poultry House. 
I have five acres of land in the village. 
Across one corner and running into the 
river is a gulley or ravine 75 to 100 feet wide, 
10 or 15 feet deep and 25 rods long. A little 
water runs through most of the year, but 
tile could be put in and this covered up if 
desired. It has occurred to me that a 
building could be erected in this ravine, re¬ 
quiring simply roof and ends, using the 
banks for sides. The ravine runs north and 
south, and windows could be put in ends 
and roof. This would be a very warm place 
in Winter, and only one objection occurs to 
me—it might be damp, and hens must have 
a dry place as well as a warm one. Water 
might come through the banks. What would 
you think about such a place, and could 
dampness be remedied? If not good for 
hens, what kind of a place would it be for 
ducks, leaving it open underneath so they 
would have water in Winter as Summer? 
At the mouth of this ravine is some level, 
marshy land, and emptying into the river 
at this point is a large sewer from a big 
cheese factory, and it has occurred to me 
that this would be an ideal place for ducks, 
the emptyings from the sewer containing 
considerable food in the line of curd 
crumbs, etc. The river is shallow at this 
point, and a fence could be erected out into 
it. u. H. B. 
Antwerp, N. Y. 
The gulley is, as you put it, an ideal 
pasture for ducks. It is also a good one 
for hens. The building would best be on 
the top of the bank. Using the banks 
for sides of building would work exactly 
as you fear. Water would soak through 
the banks, the building would be damp 
and the fowls would not thrive. Ducks 
require dry sleeping quarters, especially 
the floor. In the Summer, shade is of 
vital importance. w. 
HINTS ON INCUBATION. 
When one has traveled over a rough 
road, and experienced not a few mishaps 
it is quite in the order of things if a 
friend is starting on the same trip, to 
point out the bad places and explain 
how they may be avoided. As a wise 
old lady said: “It would be well for us 
if our forethought was as good as our 
hindthought!” And it is with the hope 
that some of our R. N.-Y. friends may 
graft these “hindthoughts” of mine on 
to their “forethoughts,” that the follow¬ 
ing remarks are jotted down. They 
mostly touch on points not emphasized 
in the printed instructions sent with 
incubators: 
The care of the lamp is the most im r 
portant item connected with running a 
hatcher, for the reason that kerosene oil 
and smoke are poisons to the little bird 
in embryo, and because the regulating 
of the thermostat depends upon the 
flame. Before taking the lamp from the 
machine (if the inside temperature is 
correct) note carefully the height of the 
flame; then put the light out and re¬ 
move. Outside of the incubator room 
All, trim and wipe off thoroughly, re¬ 
light—a low flame—and return to the 
machine; when adjusted, turn up the 
wick to its former height. Where the 
above method of procedure is adopted 
the temperature over the eggs does not 
vary a half degree, and valuable time 
and steps are saved the operator. Also, 
as the mica of the lamp chimney be¬ 
comes very easily smoked, and the light 
thus obscured, the advice will render in¬ 
telligent management of the flame pos¬ 
sible and sometimes awkward smudging 
may be avoided. Finally, the air of the 
room is not tainted by the oil or smoke. 
A kerosene lamp exhausts oxygen very 
rapidly, it is therefore necessary to fur¬ 
nish the room, in some way, with a cur¬ 
rent of fresh, pure air. The size and 
vigor of the bird largely depends on the 
quality of tne atmosphere that surrounds 
tne egg, and the amount of ventilation 
given it. 
On closing the incubator, after airing, 
especially if open long, it is well to turn 
up the flame a trifle, so it will reach 
more quickly its normal temperature, as 
a hen rapidly warms up her eggs on re¬ 
turning to the nest. This applies par¬ 
ticularly to hot-air machines, which, if 
unassisted, are sometimes hours in 
reaching the point desired. Hot-water 
rigs, through their tanks, heat up again 
very soon after the doors are closed. Re¬ 
garding ventilation, the directions given 
with the machine should be closely fol¬ 
lowed, as a rule on this head is not in¬ 
terchangeable, and one who tries to 
make it so is liable to get into trouble. 
For instance, take a self-ventilating ma¬ 
chine; if left open for airing over 10 
minutes or so, the eggs will dry down 
too much and too fast, while another 
style of machine may be left open an 
hour or more to good advantage. There 
is only one really difficult question to 
solve connected with the successful 
handling of an incubator, and that is the 
proper amount of moisture required to 
get our babies out of the shell in the 
best condition possible. If the season 
and locality furnish normal conditions 
the work is simple—follow instructions. 
The important point is to detect when 
the conditions are exceptional, and to 
use the exceptional methods provided. 
In locations of a low altitude and humid 
atmosphere, very little, if any, applied 
moisture is needed. In sections where 
the air is dry and rarefied it is neces¬ 
sary. There are exceptionally dry sea¬ 
sons to be considered, also. How is the 
amateur to tell whether the conditions 
are or are not normal? If the hens do 
not sit fairly well, and if the teakettle 
boils out very fast, extra moisture is 
needed for a good hatch. When moisture 
dishes are not supplied, the eggs may be 
sprinkled with tepid water night and 
morning, after turning. The floor of the 
hatcher room may be sprinkled thor¬ 
oughly every midday also during the dry 
term. Occasionally the temperature in 
the incubator will run too high; some¬ 
times very high. It greatly helps mat¬ 
ters then to sprinkle the eggs, cover 
them with a newspaper, and leave open 
the incubator doors. If watched care¬ 
fully and the temperature is not allowed 
to fall below 102 degrees a good hatch 
may be saved. 
FRANCKS ELLEN WHEELER. 
Cotton-Seed Meal.—T exas Farm and 
Ranch says: We are now experimenting 
with cotton-seed meal as a feed for laying 
hens; or, rather, hens that ought to be lay¬ 
ing, but are not. Mixed with wheat bran 
and oats, equal parts of each, and wetted, 
they have unanimously agreed that the 
mash is good by eating it up clean and ask¬ 
ing for more. 
Moulting in the South.— About moulting 
hens, I wish to state that the fowls shed 
their feathers as completely here in Mexico 
as they do North; but they have not got a 
certain time to do so. Almost any month 
of the year you can see some moulting hens. 
At this date there are right on this ranch 
10 Leghorn hens and three white turkeys 
shedding feathers; I have seen turkeys 
moulting twice within a year. b. l. 
Tampico, Mexico. 
Corn-Fed Stock. —In the December 8 
issue of The R. N.-Y., page 827, A. H. 
M., of Hanover, Mass., says: “But we 
all know that corn makes a fat, lazy 
horse.” I differ with him; he makes a 
broad assertion. If A. H. M. will go to 
Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska or any State in 
the corn belt he will find xat, sleek 
horses, and they can go without the aid 
of a whip either, and corn is mostly fed. 
In the 17 years we were in the West we 
had from four to 14 horses, Morgan and 
French Coach stock, and corn was the 
grain fed altogether. They could travel 
their 12 miles an hour not for one hour, 
but day after day. I have held the rib¬ 
bons over a pair of Morgan mares more 
than once; when I told them to go they 
went, and never left the fast trot until 
10 or more miles were past. On a cold 
Winter day, when the wind came down 
from the northwest—zero weather—I 
have buckled the lines together and put 
them around me and let them go. I 
could not hold them, but guided by my 
voice, and these were corn-fed horses. If 
I could have but one kind of grain, give 
me corn for horses to drive or work, and 
for hens to lay. Great is corn. Corn is 
king. MRS. F. C. JOHNSON. 
Shredded Corn Fodder. —There is no 
doubt about the fact that shredded corn 
fodder is good feed. How much the pro¬ 
cess of shredding increases its feeding 
value has never been definitely ascer¬ 
tained, I think. There is, however, a dis¬ 
tinct advantage to be derived from 
shredding over feeding the stalk whole, 
or cutting it in longitudinal sections. 
Whether this increased value comes 
from an increased digestibility or a 
greater palatability, I would not say. Its 
selling price should rank not far below 
that of prairie hay. As an instance of 
the value placed upon it by experienced 
feeders in this State, I would say that 
the Standard Cattle Company, who have 
their farm and feedyard at Ames, Neb., 
raise and cut up each year about 2,0u0 
acres of corn, using every pound of fod¬ 
der on the land. This is largely shred¬ 
ded, and fed in that manner. They do 
not waste any of the corn, as they grind 
cob and grain together. I believe that 
we are just beginning to appreciate the 
value of this wonderful feed producer. 
What vie are at present wasting every 
year, will some time in the future feed 
thousands of cattle. f. h. lyon. 
Nebraska Exp. Station. 
Cream Separators. 
De Laval “Alpha ” and “ Baby " Separators. 
First— Best—Cheapest. All Styles—Sizes. 
Prices, S50 to $800. 
Save $10 per cow per year. Send for Catalogue. 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO , 
Randolph and Canal Streets, 1 74 Cortlandt Street 
CHICAGO. I . NEW YORK. 
[Bestow 
BUTTER PROFUS 
More money cornea with the use 
of improved machines—and easier 
work. Send for our big Illustrated 
catalogue—mailed free. 
’’BESTOV” every¬ 
thing for dairymen. 
THE DAIRYMEN'S 
SUPPLY CO., 
1937 Market St. Phila. 
Be Kind to Stock 
humanely dishorning them only with 
the quick, smooth cutting 
Convex Dishorner. 
i make the Bucker Stock Holder, one of the 
best aids to dishorning, and two other styles of 
Dishorners, one for calves. Every approved ap¬ 
pliance for this work. Send for FREE book. 
GKOItGK WEBSTER.Ho* 64.Christiana,Pa. 
Western trade supplied from Chicago. 
M. T. 
A QUICK, SHARP CUT 
hurts much less than a bruise, crush or tear 
DEHORNING 
the safest* V^uick, sharp cut. Cuts from four 
sides at once. Cannot crush bruise or tear. 
Most humane method of dehorning known. 
I Took highest award World’s Fair. Write 
for free circulars before buying. 
PHILLIPS, Pomeroy, Pa., (Successor to A. C. BR0S1US). 
YOU ARE NOT GETTING ALL 
YOUR CREAM IF THE 
IMPROVED 
U. S. CREAM 
SEPARATOR 
IS NOT USED BY YOU 
TO SEPARATE YOUR MILK 
For the Reasons Why, Write 
VTn FARM MACHINE CO 
Bellows Falls, Vt. 
186 
A Valuable Treatise by the originator 
of the Underwood Improved Yellow Globe Onion, for 
the extreme low price of 12c. Circulars free. 
J. P. UNDERWOOD, Kinsman. Ohio. 
WATCHES 
(Full Jeweled). 
WALTHAM AND ELGIN ONLY. 
High-Grade Watches at Low Prices. 
Some of our people will want watches 
this Fall. Our people are used to good 
things, and will want good watches. We 
have selected some of the most suitable 
made by the great American Waltham 
and Elgin factories. None other so good 
are made any place in the world. Every 
watch is warranted, and may he returned 
at our expense, if you do not want it 
when you see it. No jeweler can afford 
to sell them at these prices. They are 
all stem wind and set. We sell at these 
prices to subscribers’ families only. 
No. 1. Men’s Solid Gold Watch. 
FULL JEWELED. NICKEL WORKS. 
No. 1 is a Men’s size, solid 14k. gold watch, with 
either Waltham or Elgin works as ordered. The 
works contain 15 jewels, compensation expansion 
balance, safety pinion, and all Improvements. The 
case Is either open face or hunting as ordered. At 
retail such watches sell from $50 to $75 each. We will 
deliver one to any of our readers In good running 
order for only $35. 
No. 2. American Special. 
MEN’S 1 4 K. GOLD-FILLED WATCH. 
Full Jeweled, Nickel Works. 
No. 2 Is a genuine Waltham or Elgin watch, with 
full jeweled nickel works. It contains all the Im¬ 
provements mentioned In No. 1. The case Is made of 
solid 14k. gold, In two thick plates, stiffened between 
with a sheet of tine composition metal. It Is 
guaranteed to wear like solid gold for twenty-five 
years or more. With proper care It will last a life¬ 
time. Price, delivered In good running order, $17.50. 
No. 3 L just like No. 2, but open face, screw back 
and front. Price, delivered In good running order, 
$14.40. 
No. 4. Sterling Silver Watch. 
MEN’S WALTHAM OR ELGIN. 
Full Jeweled, Nickel Works. 
No. 4 Is a genuine Waltham or Elgin watch with 
works just like those in No. 2 and No. 3. The case Is 
made of solid sterling silver, and it weighs three 
ounces. We have tried two-ounce and fcur-ounce 
cases, but we find that the three-ounce case Is just 
the right weight. It Is heavy enough to protect the 
works perfectly and at the same time it is extremely 
handsome. It Is hunting or open face as ordered. 
Price, delivered in good running order, $12. 
No. 5. Waltham or Elgin Watch. 
FOR MEN AND BOYS. 
Full Jeweled, Nickel Works. 
No. 5 is a very serviceable watch for men and boys. 
The works are just the same as those In No. 3. The 
case Is made of nickel stiver, screw back and front, 
thereby making it dustproof. Nickel silver is a com¬ 
position metal that looks and wears like solid silver. 
Price, delivered In good running order, $7.75. 
No 6. Ladies’ Solid Gold Watch. 
FULL JEWELED, NICKEL WORKS. 
No. 6 is a genuine Waltham or Elgin watch for 
ladles’ wear. The works contain all the Improve¬ 
ments mentioned in offer No. 1. The case, hunting 
only, is solid 14k. gold, with plain or fancy engraving 
as ordered. This Is not a cheap watch. It ordinarily 
sells at from $40 to $60. We will deliver one in good 
running order to any reader for only $30. 
No. 7. Ladies’ Waltham or Elgin 
Watch. 
1 4 K. GOLD FILLED CASE. 
Full Jeweled, Nickel Works. 
No. 7 Is a ladles’ hunting case watch of high merit. 
The works are just like those In No. 0. Tne case is 
made of solid gold in two thick plates stiffened 
between with a sheet of fine composition metal. It 
Isguaianteed to wear like solid gold for twenty-five 
yearsor more, and with careful use It will last a life¬ 
time. Price, delivered iu good running o-der, only 
$14.50. 
The Rural New-Yorker, New York. 
