794 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November 22 
Live Stock and Dairy 
SWINE NOTES. 
Now and then a timid woman,or one 
who is unaccustomed to animals says to 
me: “I wonder how you dare to go 
among your pigs as you do. They are 
such bloodthirsty animals, and their 
bite is so very dangerous.' I suppose 
there are few animals which are worse 
to contend with than an ugly hog, but 
I have yet to meet an ugly Cheshire. 
Mine are petted like kittens when they 
are wee piggies and the mothers of the 
herd, handled in the same way in their 
babyhood, never object to the pigs being 
caressed. Oh! yes, I know how that 
must sound to women who have never 
cared for animals, but if they would 
once make a pet of a pig they would 
find it one of the most teachable of pets. 
I do not agree with those who claim that 
a pig would be clean if allowed the 
chance. I would rather say that he 
will be clean if there is absolutely no 
mud in which he can wallow. Probably 
were he provided with a marble bath, 
of easy access in Summer, he would 
make use of it if there was no black 
wallow in which he could take his ease. 
It is possible to keep a hog out of the 
mud. It is even possible to keep his feet 
out of the feeding trough, but to make 
him naturally cleanly is wholly to 
change his nature. Where hogs are 
reared for the greatest possible profit 
it is wise to have them very tame. A 
frightened, nervous, ill-treated and con¬ 
sequently ill-natured animal is very un¬ 
likely to be a money-maker. Much of 
what he eats must go to make up what 
his irritated nervous system consumes. 
A woman often finds more difficulty 
in securing comfortable quarters for her 
animals at all times than a man, for 
she has not the physical strength to lay 
floors and do many necessary things, 
and sometimes does not see signs of de¬ 
cay until they are far advanced, or can¬ 
not secure laborers to make needed re¬ 
pairs. I have in mind a small pighouse 
of my own. The floor did not seem very 
bad in the Fall and I thought it would 
not grow much worse in Winter, but it 
did. Shut from the ground by snow, 
the two brood sows which occupied the 
the house began operations on that floor. 
In vain were the holes stuffed with 
straw; plank after plank was rooted out 
and still I could not get it mended. The 
new floor, good hard maple plank, was 
laid before the young pigs were farrowed 
and no serious results were caused by 
the bad floor, but the hogs missed so 
much comfort that they might have 
enjoyed all Winter, that I remember this 
as one of my numerous failures to make 
my good workers as happy and content¬ 
ed as they might have been. These 
same sows seemed a little discontented 
with their food after the Winter closed 
in, two Winters ago. I did not think 
it wise to feed more grain, lest they 
become too fat, and I had neither roots 
nor apples for them. I did have prime 
clover hay, and I soaked a pail full of 
the heads and leaves, and mixed the 
grain ration with it, and the result was 
very gratifying. They had it every 
morning nearly all Winter. The Che¬ 
shire is not only a docile pig, and one 
which is easy to handle, but they are 
long enough to fill the pork barrel when 
slaughtered and the task of fattening 
them is exceedingly easy. Their growth 
on clover pasture is surprising, only 
a little grain being needed to vary their 
bill of fare. If milk can be supplied to 
them the grain may be omitted for the 
most part until the fattening time. My 
orchard is not convenient as a pig 
pasture, even though I might wish to 
use it in that way, but we have gathered 
many loads of ripe windfalls to supple¬ 
ment the rations of the swine. Pigs 
are very fond of ripe apples and use 
them to good advantage when the price 
is low enough. We shall store some 
Canfields for Winter use. 
Seneca Co., N. Y. sara a. little. 
FACTS ABOUT DISHORNING. 
What proportion of fat cattle are now 
sent tp market with their horns on? If 
they are thus sent, why do feeders now 
cut off their horns? Are most of the horns 
killed on the calf's head, or do they wait 
until the horns are grown before cutting? 
Do breeders of purebred stock, such as 
Short-horns and Herefords, dishorn their 
pedigreed animals? 
Nearly all cattle sent to market are 
dishorned from this section. Most of 
the cattle are dishorned at the age of 
one or two years. Some horns are killed 
on calf’s head, but not many. I think 
owners of pedigreed stock dishorn some 
of their animals, but not all. The object 
in dishorning is to prevent cattle hurt¬ 
ing each other while feeding, and espe¬ 
cially to prevent injury while shipping. 
Very few cattle die from dishorning, 
even after they are grown. I should say 
one per cent would be a large estimate. 
Danville, Ky. J. c. caldwell. 
Ninety per cent of the cattle that are 
fed for beef are dishorned. Feeders who 
send cattle to market with horns on are 
robbing themselves, as buyers do not pay 
as much for horned cattle as for those 
of the same quality that have no horns. 
It is no trouble to dishorn cattle, and if 
you will begin in time you can have the 
horns all off. I have something like 300 
cattle, and not one has horns. More cat¬ 
tle can eat at the same trough and more 
cattle will stand in the same shed that 
have no horns. Very few horns are kill¬ 
ed on the calf’s head; they are most 
usually dishorned at about one year old. 
At that time they are easily and quickly 
taken off by any of the dishorners. Very 
few purebred cattle that have horns are 
dishorned. The breeders are much op¬ 
posed to it, as prospective buyers are apt 
to think they would better buy a Polled 
breed. m. a. judy. 
Williamsport, Ind. 
Our experience with feeders and fed 
cattle is that the larger proportion now 
going to the feed yards are dishorned as 
calves, sometimes when yearlings. A 
few horns are killed on the calves’ heads, 
but that is not as sure to be satisfactory 
as to wait until the horn is started 
enough to clip readily. A nice bunch of 
feeding cattle smoothly dishorned will 
bring in Chicago or Kansas City 25 cents 
more per 100 pounds than horned cattle. 
Of course it only costs 15 cents per head 
to have them taken off, but when the 
feeder buys them he does not want to 
wait for them to heal, nor does he want 
the set-back that would be natural after 
the operation. As to breeders of pedi¬ 
greed cattle they do not as a rule dis¬ 
horn their show stock, as they do not so 
readily show their breeding when dis¬ 
horned. I will also say that each year 
finds a larger proportion of range cattle 
dishorned. As the wolves are extermi¬ 
nated they have no need of horns, and 
they handle and ship much better, also 
feed on less corn, as they do not use up 
energy fighting each other away from 
the feed troughs and around the feed 
lots. JOHN A. CARSWELL. 
Lone Rock, Wis. 
Sensible Hen Keeping. 
I read the poultry articles in The R. N.- 
Y. with much interest, and learn much 
from them. I have a few fowls, old and 
young, about 80 at the present time. I have 
raised about 50 chickens this season. I 
kept the hens of each brood in a coop for 
about three weeks. Perhaps six chickens 
died the first week from the mother step¬ 
ping on them. Since then they have had 
free range and no mother to look after 
them, and I have not lost one. Generally, 
my hens leave their chickens after three 
weeks’ care, and they always thrive and 
care for themselves. They do get in the 
habit of roosting in the trees, and when 
cold weather comes it is a trouble for a few 
nights to make them go in the henhouse. 
I think the long Summer in the fresh air. 
night and day, makes my chickens very 
strong and healthy. They give me very 
little trouble. I feed them morning and 
night, and leave grain where they can get 
it. I give them soft food, kitchen refuse, 
etc., every day at any convenient hour. 
They are near the stable and we have many 
rats, but have had no chickens taken. 
I often wonder why others have so much 
trouble with their fowls. About half the 
old fowls roost in the house at night in 
Summer. I do not have it cleaned out 
oftener than once in two months. There 
are several inches of sand on the floor and 
no catch-board under the perches. I leave 
the door of henhouse open at night, and 
young and old wander around in the wet 
grass as early and as late as they please. 
In the Winter I keep them shut in the 
yard. They have a sheltered scratching 
shed, and a good tight, well-lighted house. 
We shovel the snow out of the yard, which 
is very sandy, and 18 inches higher than the 
surrounding ground. They like to get out 
of the house even in Winter, and when the 
sun is warm I let them have an hour or 
two among the evergreens and on the 
beach. My pullets laid well all last Win¬ 
ter. I have never given my fowls any 
tonic, excepting that if they stop laying I 
put a little red pepper in their warm mash, 
and they soon get to work again. I did not 
raise any early chickens, and have never 
tried an Incubator or brooder. I know that 
my methods are not modern or scientific 
but they result satisfactorily. i. B. E. 
Westchester Co., N. Y. 
Breeders’ Directory 
Registered Jersey Buli Calves 
from Imported Golden Lad at fair prices. 
R. F. SHANNON, 907 Liberty .Street, Pittsburg, Pa. 
■ |“ CS C5 O—Four Grandsons of Exile, 
W Ei ft. V3> E T solid color; 2, 4, S and 9 
months old. Cheap for quality. 
J. ALDUS HERR. Lancaster, Pa., R. R. No. 
4. 
ICDCCV Rill I ~ A very richly bred Jersey 
WklidCI DULL Bull, four months old, dam 
has a record of 24 pounds of butter in seven days; 
also a young cow. dam record of 21 pounds. 
IRA WATSON. Fredonia, N. Y. 
A Foundation Herd of 10 or 20 young registered 
** HOLSTEIN COWS is offered at a special price 
by DELLHURST FARM. Mentor, Ohio. 
For Sale 
—PUREBRED HOLSTEIN- 
and SCOTCH COLLIE PUPS from registered stock.. 
W. W. CHENEY, Manlius, N. Y. 
Holstein-Friesians c s h t o C c k e otZl 
best breeding for sale. Prices reasonable. Every 
animal registered. WOODCREST FARM, Rifton, 
Ulster County, N. Y. 
McLennan brothers stock farm, 
ISCHUA, CATTARAUGUS CO., N. Y. 
Registered IIolstein-Friesian Calves for Sale. 
Seven Heifer and three Bull Calves. Large, hand¬ 
some, perfectly marked animals, eight to nine months 
old. All sired by Dora DeKol’s Count No. 23757. Dams 
equally well bred. Extended pedigree and full in¬ 
formation furnished upon request, inquire 
P. B. MCLENNAN, Syracuse, N. Y. 
PORTLAND FARM GUERNSEY HERD, 
Registered.—A few Young Bulls for Sale. Bulls of 
the best breeding—22. S and 6 months old. Reasonable 
prices. Apply to E. W. SCHUCH.ARDT, Mgr., 
Highland, N. J. 
Alfalfa in Ohio.— The writer is a senior 
student in the course in agriculture of the 
Ohio State University and has chosen for 
his thesis subject “A Study of the Adap¬ 
tation of Alfalfa to Ohio.” He desires to 
get into communication with all persons 
who have tried Alfalfa in Ohio. Any per¬ 
son who has done so is requested to send 
his address to the undersigned with a 
statement concerning his success. In re¬ 
turn, each person so reporting will receive 
a summary of all reports received. 
C. A. M’CLELLAND. 
Ohio State University, Columbus, O. 
YOUR 
That’s bad. Lame horses are unprofitable either 
for use or sale. Don’t have a lame horse. 
Cure him with 
Kendall’s Spavin Cure, 
the old reliable remedy for Spavins, Ring¬ 
bones, Splints, Curbs, etc., and all 
forms of Lameness. 
It is the most successful remedy ever discovered, as it is 
certain in its effects and cures without a blem¬ 
ish, as It does not blister. 
^COMPLETE CURE WITH TWO BOTTLES. (J 
Box 31, Williamstown, N. J., Mar. 20, 1900. 
Dr. B. J. Kendall Co., Dear Sirs:—I've used your Spavin ( 
Cure for a Spavin and cured It completely, and it did not , 
take two bottles to do it. You may use my name as refer¬ 
ence if you desire. Yours truly, JOS. A. STEELMAN. 
Such endorsements as the above are a guarantee of merit. 
Price $li Bix for $5. As a liniment for family use it has no 
equal. Ask your druggist for Kendall’s Spavin Cure, 
also “A Treatise on the llorse,” the book free, or address 
DR. B. J. KENDALL CO., ENOSBURG PALLS, VT. 
INCUBATORS 
From $6 up. Best reasonable priced 
hatchers on the market. 
Brooders, $4 up. None better at any 
price. Fully warranted. Catalog free. 
L. A. BANTA, LIGONIER, IND. 
ICTOR, 
INOUBATORS 
Hatch every fertile egg. Simplest, 
most durable, cheapest first-class 
hatcher. Money back if not posi¬ 
tively as represented. We pay freight. 
Circular free; catalogue 6c. 
Geo. Ertel Co., 
$ I rt-80 For 
B 200 Egg 
INCUBATOR 
Perfect in construction and 
action. Hatches every fertile 
egg. Write for catalog' to-day. 
GEO. H. STAHL, Quincy, III. 
f [TT> gfc tk I p—A choice herd of titer¬ 
s' Cw Fid Bra . oughbred, registered 
Devons. B. J. WIGHTMAN, West Eaton, N. Y. 
Phoohirop—Spring and Fall Pigs. S. A. LITTLE, 
Ullcollll Co Malcolm, Box A, New York. 
Excellent Berkshires at Ohio Farm, Le 
Roy, O., sired by our imported Boar, British Model 4th 
and others. M. L. & H. H. BENHAM. 
IMPROVED LARGE YORKSHIRES 
hog. Pigs of all ages from Imported stock for sale. 
MEADOW BROOK STOCK FARM, Rochester, Mich 
fteg. P. Chinas, Berkshires and C. Whites. 
8 wks. to 6 mos., mated not akin. 
Service Boars, Bred Sows. Write for 
prices and description. Return if not 
satisfactory; we refund the money. 
HAMILTON & CO., Rosenvick, Chester Co., Pa. 
AUPflDA rnATC are handsome, hardy and 
ANUUbIH wUH I V profitable. Prize stock. 
Low prices. Large cir. E. W. Cole & Co., Kenton, O. 
No Wall Street Tip Equals the Best Farm Tip. 
BUY ANGORA COATS. 
For Registered Stock address 
BOSWYCK FARM, RIDGEFIELD, CONN. 
9 firm CEDBETC Some trained. Book 
£UUU rEnllE I O and price-list free. 
N. A. KNAPP, Rochester, Ohio. 
JACKS FOR SALE. 
150 Jacks, Jennets and Mules now ready for the 
Fall trade. Some bargains. Address 
BAKER’S JACK FARM, Lawrence, Ind. 
For Sale.—Scotch Collies, magnificently 
bred. A. J. BENEDICT, Woodworth, Wis. 
f'nllio Pune—Spayed Females. Circulars. SILAS 
WUlilC ru F s DECKER, South Montrose, Pa. 
White Leghorn Cockerels 
We have a large flock of the finest stock we ever 
raised. Don't wait until Spring to buy your breeders 
and then take the leavings. Write now. State just 
what you want; price will suit you. 
WHITE & RICE, Box B, Yorktown, N. Y. 
Death to Lice 
D. J. LAMBERT, 
on HENS and CHTCKS, 
64-page Book FREE. 
Box 307, Apponaug, R. I. 
s 
END YOUR NAME 
for our special 15 day trial proposition on the 
DANDY GREEN BONE CUTTER. 
The fastest and easi—;t made. Itwiildouble 
your egg yield. Price $5 up. 
STRATTON MFG. CO.. BOX 13 ERIE, PA. 
A3 EGG MAKES 
Nothing equals green cut bone for hens. 
Any one can cut it with 
Mann’s Model Bone Gutter. 
j Open hopper. Automatic feed. 10 Days* 
Free Trial. No pay until you’re satisfied. 
If you don’t liko it, return at our ox pens©. Isn’t this 
| better for you than to pay for & machine you never 
t tried?Catl’gfree. p. W. MANN CO., 
flox 15, llllford, Huss. 
Out the Feed Bill. 
That’s what the HUMPHREY OPEN HOPPER GREEN BONE 
AND VEGETABLE CUTTER does, besides more than doubling 
the egg yield. It is the only really practical bone cutter made. 
Sold on a positive guarantee to cut more bone, with less labor, in 
less time than any other. It’s the best investment the farmer or 
poultryman can make. Send for handsome book and our special 
Humphrey & Sons, Box 39, Joliet, Ills. 
rag*- 
