I 
298 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 19 
Live Stockand Dairy 
MAPES, THE HEH MAN. 
Feeds, Breeds and Egg Fertility. 
Kill the Lice. —This is a good time 
of year to fight hen lice. It seems rath¬ 
er early perhaps for the mites, as the 
ground was frozen again this morning 
(April 3), but all our perches will get 
smeared with kerosene as soon as pos¬ 
sible. An old paint brush is about as 
good a tool to apply it with as I have 
ever found. If the job is neglected until 
the mites get thick and spread from the 
perches to the surrounding woodworK 
of the building a compressed air spray 
pump gives better satisfaction. By the 
time, however, that a man has been 10 
years in the field with a hen dairy he 
will have learned to look out for the 
“stitch in time.” I consider the first ap¬ 
plication of kerosene (or other lice-kill- 
er) to the perches, before it is quite 
time to expect the appearance of the 
pests, as one of the very best invest¬ 
ments that can be made in connection 
with poultry keeping. If the quarters 
where the fowls sit at night are kept 
free from mites there need be no fear 
of them in any other part of the house. 
If no broody hens are allowed to sit on 
the nests over night the nests will not 
become lousy. 
Value of Skim-Milk. —I have found 
cut “how not to do it” when allowing 
hens to balance their own rations. A 
pen of 50 of our very best young hens 
was selected early in February and corn 
and wheat and cracked bone were kept 
constantly before them. I wished to 
see whether they could not get carbon¬ 
aceous matter from the corn, nitrogen¬ 
ous matter from the wheat, and mineral 
matter from the bones, so as to carry on 
the business of egg production on their 
own hook. These three feeds, theoreti¬ 
cally, ought to contain all the matter 
needed, and could be fed in this way 
without daily attendance. All I would 
have to do would be to go and collect 
the eggs. Alas for human plans! The 
hens ate well, kept healthy, and were 
soon laying as high as 20 eggs a day. 
My hopes were short-lived, however. 
The egg yield soon began to dwindle 
down, and by March 15 they were only 
laying from two to six eggs a day. This, 
right in the face of the fact that Spring 
was at hand, and a pen of the same 
stock treated in exactly the same way, 
excepting that they had skim-milk to 
drink, were laying finely, often 75 per 
cent a day. Another pen of 50 of the 
same stock, no better to look at, were 
being fed in the cooperative test con¬ 
ducted by (jornell Experiment Station. 
This pen was in a duplicate house, only 
a few rods distant, and the hens were 
fed by rule; 4 y z pounds of balanced ra¬ 
tion wetted with three quarts of skim- 
milk each morning, and the same at 
night; nothing else whatever except 
grit and water. They laid 35 eggs on 
the day that the other pen laid two, 
and have continued to lay well right 
along. I was satisfied by this time that 
although wheat, corn and bone may be 
a lazy man’s ration, it is not a success¬ 
ful man’s ration, and abandoned the ex¬ 
periment. By carrying them a little 
skim-milk each day, they responded at 
once, and are now laying about 30 eggs 
a day, although they still have the corn, 
wheat and bone always before them. 
The Colony Plan. —I am often asked 
this question: “If you were going to 
start again, would you adopt the colony 
plan as you now have it?” I hardly 
know how to answer it. Let well enough 
alone is a good motto perhaps, yet there 
are pros and cons to this question. One 
of the strongest arguments in favor of 
the plan is the fact that the land does 
not become fouled with droppings; 100 
hens to the acre insures a green sod for 
roaming ground, except a very small 
spot right in front of each door. This 
is conducive to health, and also I think 
to fertility of eggs. In case a contagious 
disease breaks out in a flock (that rock 
on which so many fair ships have foun¬ 
dered), it can be checked and controlled 
more easily. When you have said that 
much, you have said it all, however. 
These two points probably are sufficient 
to recommend it strongly to a beginner 
who has all his experience yet to get. 
I neglected to name a third point, which 
is the obviation of the trouble and ex¬ 
pense of building and maintaining yards 
or runways to keep the different flocks 
separated. On the other hand is the 
convenience and labor of feeding and 
gathering eggs, in one long building. 
This is a continuous drain, and is well 
worth considering. I place but little re¬ 
liance on the food supply secured on a 
range (where large numbers are kept) 
and think this is fully offset by the 
difficulty of feeding uniformly when one 
flock can get access to the food given 
another flock. Some hens will follow 
the feeder about from house to house, 
and thus make it difficult to know just 
how many hens you are dipping feed 
for. This is the chief reason why I look 
with so much favor upon the plan of 
keeping food always before the hens. 
For one who has already gained his ex¬ 
perience, and is an expert at feeding, 
and avoiding contagious diseases, 1 
should recommend one long house, with 
enclosed runs for each flock, to be used 
when desired, and a four-foot alley at 
the rear, with track and truck for carry¬ 
ing feed, eggs, etc. For a beginner I 
would advise isolated houses large 
enough for 100 birds (12x24 feet) placed 
five or six rods apart. 
Best Broilers. —A reader of The R. 
N.-Y. asks whether Barred Plymouth 
Rocks are as suitable for eggs and broil¬ 
ers as the White Leghorns. I have not 
found them so. Aside from the color 
of the eggs, the Plymouth Rock eggs 
do not run so uniform in size and shape 
as do the Leghorns. The White Leg¬ 
horn cockerels make far better broilers 
for me at two to 2 y 2 pounds each. It 
seems to be next to impossible to , get a 
2%-pound Plymouth Rock that is plump 
in the breast. I get a great big frame 
with but little flesh. Even the White 
Wyandotte that has been boomed so 
much for the broiler business, does not 
begin to compare with the White Leg¬ 
horn. The skin and legs are yellow, and 
the flesh soft, what there is of it, but 
there are two bones to one flesh. The 
only point of superiority about the 
breed for the broiler trade is the small 
double comb. After they get matured 
they can be fattened, and then they 
make very superior birds for roasters. 
Fertile Eggs. —Another reader asks: 
“Does your system of feeding affect the 
fertility of the eggs?” For answer I 
can only say that I get about 300 fertile 
eggs from each sitting of 360 eggs. Is 
that a fair average for flocks that for 
the most part have 50 hens to one male? 
One incubator recently tested only had 
45 infertile, and another 48, while the 
highest so far this season has been 75. 
I hatched over 2,000 chicks last season, 
and averaged a little over 200 chicks to 
each 360-egg incubator full. The best 
hatch was 260 chicks. Cap the fertility 
of the eggs be affected by feeding? I 
believe it can to some extent. If I were 
to try for specially well fertilized eggs 
I should use a medium-sized flock to 
each male (say about 20 Leghorns) and 
then feed a balanced ration rather scant¬ 
ily, so that the hens could not lay more 
than one egg in two days. This would 
keep them in vigorous health, and the 
, egg would move more slowly through 
the oviduct, thus giving it a better 
chance for becoming fertilized, than 
where it is rushed along at the rate of 
one every 24 to 26 hours. 
o. w. MAPES. 
Soft 
Harness 
You can make your har¬ 
ness as soft as a glove 
and as tough as wire by 
using EUREKA Har. 
nese Oil. You can 
lengthen Its life—make it 
lust twice as long as It 
ordinarily would. 
EUREKA 
Harness Oil 
makes a poor looking har¬ 
ness like new. Made of 
pure, heavy bodied oil, es¬ 
pecially prepared to with¬ 
stand the weather. 
Sold everywhere 
in cans—all sizes. 
Made by STANDARD Oil CO. 
WIRE FENCE AT WHOLESALE. 
Also Coiled spring, plain and Barb wire. 8 end for Cat. 
i. W. H. Mu ' 
and prices. 
luson «fc Co., Box 67, Leesburg, ©. 
LIGHTNING WELL MACHT 
IS THE STANDAR D "l ! 
ST/AM PUMPS AIR LIFTS, » / 
GASOLINE ENGINES 
WRITE FOR CIRCULAR WM 
THE AMERICAN WELL WORKS 
AURORA.ILL -CHICAGO.- DAL LAS.TEX. 
Killed=Dead. 
You know that the horse 
buyer knocks off $50 or more 
for every lump or blemish on 
a horse. Get full value for 
vour horse—don’t have any 
lumps. Cure him with 
T 
Elixir. 
* -x , -— It is guaranteed under a for¬ 
feit of $ 100 . to cure any case of horse ail, curb, 
splints, contracted cord, callouses, thrush, etc. 
Used and Endorsed by Adams Express Company. 
TUTTLE'S FAMILY ELIXIR cures rheumatism, sprains, 
bruises, etc., Killspain Instantly. Our 100-page book, 
“Veterinary Experience” FREE. 
Dr. S. A. TUTTLE, 30 Beverly St.. Boston, Mass, 
Itcwaro of so-called Elixirs —none genuine bnt Tuttle’s. 
Avoidall blisters, they offeronly temporary relief ifany. 
HAVE YOU SEEN THE 
Jack 
of AH 
Trades? 
PUMPS 
WATER¬ 
SHEDS 
CORN- 
GRINDS 
FEED- 
CHURNS 
_ BUTTER- 
—and hundreds of other Jobs with tht 
strength of 15 men. Most Convenient and 
useful power ever invented. Cosfsonly TWO 
cents per hour to run. Especially adapted 
to farm work. 
IT IS A NEW ENGINE MADE BY 
Kansas Cny 
St. Paul 
Minneapolis 
Cleveland Omaha 
f '• Cincinnati Denver 
V^O m P*ny Detroit Salt Lake City 
Louisville San Francisco 
Indianapolis Los Angeles 
St. Louis Portland, Ore. 
Fairbanks 
Morse & Clevelanc 
1 H50J— 
Dog, Sheep or Goat Power. 
New Model. Strong. Durable. Light run¬ 
ning. Easily governed. Separator Agents say 
this is the ideal power for running Cream Sep¬ 
arators. We build the most complete and exten¬ 
sive line of Tread Powers on the market. 
Send for Free Catalogue. 
ST. ALBANS FOUNDRY AND IMPLEMENT CO. 
ST. ALBANS, VT. 
Dana’s White Metallic Ear Label 
with your name and consecutive numbers. Always stay on; 
easy to read. Best for sucking calves, cattle, sheep and I 
hogs. Used as official mark by 40 recording associations, 
also by thousands of the best farmers and breeders. t 
Sample Free. Agents wanted. Liberal terms. V 
C. n. DANA, 74 Main St., W. Lebanon, N. 0. 
HeL Steel Horse Collars 
h>* Hr-*"’ 
pair. Mam. 
Settles Hie Horse Collar Question lor Lite. Ideal Hot Weather Collar. 
Will not gall the shoulders; cheapest collar on 
earth because they need no hames and never wear 
out; Hgbter than other collar^; adjustable to any 
horse; are sensible, practical, and humane. Hun¬ 
dreds of testimonials. Every farmer and teamster 
should have them. Don’t delay, write today for 
full particulars, and be convinced of their merits. 
AGENTS make big money selling 
these collars; no charge for territory. Address, 
Howell & Spo.\ildirvgCo..Boi tvrCa.ro,Mich! 
COOPER 
A SHEEP DIP 
STANDARD OF THE WORLD 
for 6 o years. Used on 250 millions 
annually. Superior to all other 
kinds. ’ No smell. Benefits while it 
cures. Keeps flock clean a long 
time. Increases growth and quality 
of wool. Used by large majority of 
sheep breeders in all countries. 
If local druggist cannot supply, 
send $1.75 for $2 (100 gal.) pkt. to 
CYPHERS INCUBATOR CO., 
8 Park Place, New York City. 
Breeders’ Directory 
Registered Jersey 
Bull Calves 
from Ida Stoke Pogis and Golden Lad at fair prices. 
K. F. SHANNON. 907 Liberty St , Pittsburg, I»r 
123 HOLSTEINS^ 
DBLLHURBT FARMS, Mentor, Ohio. 
Pfl r Q Q I ft—PUREBRED HOL 8 TEIN-FRIE 8 IAN 8 . 
I III Odlu Bargains in BULL CALVES at the pres¬ 
ent time. Also BERKSHIRE SWINE and SCOTCH 
COLLIE PUPS. W. W. CHENEY, Manlius, N.Y. 
T HE MAPLE HERD of High-Bred 
HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN CATTLE are to be 
closed out as soon as possible. Animals of all 
ages and both sexes are offered for sale. Address 
WM. ROOD, Binghamton, N. Y. 
Young Registered Holstein-Fries- 
ian Bulls for Sale Cheap. 
I have two bulls two years old and several yearling 
bulls for sale cheap. They are large, handsome, per¬ 
fectly marked animals, all sired by Dora De Kol’s 
Oount No. 23757, and from best dams in herd. These 
animals are on McLennan Stock Farm, Ischua, N. Y. 
Inquire of P. B. MCLENNAN, Syracuse, N. Y. 
CLahI It FOR SALE.—Bulls old enough 
wlllir I"F1 vllls for service. Heifers and Young 
Cows with calf at foot. W. C. BLACK. Mercer, Pa. 
QPRING BROOK Stock Farm Berkshlres.. July 
August and September pigs for sale. Sows bred 
or open. J. M. HODSON, Mgr.. Montpelier, O. 
IMPROVED LARGE YORKSHIRE or B |*’ te S 
and October farrow. For sale at 
MEADOW BROOK STOCK FARM, Rochester,Mich 
R eg. P . Chinas, Berkshires and C. Whites. 
Choice Pigs, 8 weeks old, mated not 
akin. Bred Sows and Service Boars. 
POULTRY. Write for hard times 
„ prices and free circular. 
HAMILTON & CO., Rosenvick, Chester Co., Pa. 
ANRflRI fiflATC we handsome, hardy and 
All nun A QUA I d profitable. Prlxe stock 
Low prloes. Large olr. B. 
Cole k Co., Kenton, O 
IMPROVED LARGE YORKSHIRES the popular 
Collie Pnps-Ssu: 
emales. Circulars. SILAS 
South Montrose Pa. 
a 
FUMA 
JJPkills Prairie Dogs, 
Woodchucks, Gophers 
and Grain Insects. 
“ The wheels of the 
. (rods grind slow but 
exceeding small. Bo the weeyil, but you can stop 
1 el X lnd “Fiima Carbon Bisulphide’^”™™ 
BDWABD B. TAYLOR, Penn Yan, H. Y. 
THE CHAIN-HANGING 
Cattle Stanchion 
The most practical and humane Fastener ever in¬ 
vented. Gives perfect freedom of the head. I llustrated 
Circular and Price free on application. Manufactured 
by O. H. ROBERTSON, Forestvllle, Conn. 
FISTULA AND POLL EVIL 
Fleming’^Fistulaan^ol^vl^ureB CllTCd 
IB a new, scientific <k certain remedy. 0 , 
NO COST IF IT FAILS. I in 15 10 
Write today for Important elreular No. 441 0 nn m 
FLEMING BROS., Chemists, I OU U3VS 
Union Stock Yards, Chicago. " 
Wire Fence Machine! 
Write for our New Circular. 
BOWEN CABLE STAY FENCE CO., 
Box 5 - Norwalk, Ohio. 
DON’T BE DECEIVED ! 
- 4 
You cannot buy a fence with heavy, hard, double¬ 
strength stays, unless the wires are united witha 
metal binding. The Frost Fence contains double¬ 
strength wires for both horizontals and uprights. 
Catalogue free. 
THE FROST WIRE FENCE CO., Cleveland, O. 
The tension curve is a little thing but it 
means long life and good service in the 
fence. Go examine the nearest 
AMERICAN & Hog FENCE 
and see how tight it can be stretched —the 
tension curve allowing for contraction. This 
is the most popular fence in the world to-day, 
because the Best and Clicapest. 
Sold everywhere. If your dealer hasn’t it, write to 
AMERICAN STEEL &. WIRE CO., 
Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Denver. 
4 a ■ m Wc pnbllah a little booklet SAB Bk 
K ® 0 0 ■ 1 0 " which tells all about bow to A ELI | 
| I I I build slloa. How beet to grow AA IV II 
• M II I I cropa. Tellawbattogrow end a a I m 0# meal, i 
W 0 W W WILLIAMS MANUFACTURING CO., 
combine so as to make a balanced 
ration of tbe silage and save buy- 
rotein in the form of Linseed 
etc. The book is free. 
Kalamazoo, Mich. 
SILAGE 
