1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
25 
RECUPERATIVE FORCES IN THE SOIL. VI. 
When a farmer can fully realize and understand 
that his unprofitable farm is not dead, but sleeping ; 
and that it can be re-awakened by the use of practic¬ 
able and not too expensive methods, he certainly 
ought to be encouraged to make a study of how it is 
to be done. His best and handiest means are to buy 
and study the best agricultural journals, visit the 
best farms and farmers within his reach, join and be 
active m a good farmers’ club, Grange, or other like 
society, and make it always his firm determination to 
let no opportunity to learn more about his business, 
pass without grasping it. He cannot fail to find some 
man, somewhere, who has surmounted obstacles which 
stand in his own way, and who is willing to tell how 
it was done. Indeed, wisdom of this sort is crying 
aloud all about us. In every township there are to 
be found more or less good farmers. Hire out to 
them, young man, and “steal the trade.” There is no 
law, moral or civil, which will condemn a theft of 
this sort. It is a kind of stealing which enriches both 
parties, and very rarely leads to any ill consequences. 
I may seem to be wandering from my subject in 
these remarks ; but while speaking of the recupera¬ 
tive forces latent in the soil which was made for man 
to dress and to till, it may be allowable to point out 
latent forces elsewhere, the development of which is 
essential, and which, indeed, must be put in action 
first of all. For it is certainly true, as was long ago 
affirmed, that “it is more in the man than it is in the 
land,” when it comes to this matter of availing our¬ 
selves of Nature’s power and willingness to help. I 
feel myself, old as I am, that the opportunities are 
still befoi-e me to become more fully and better in¬ 
formed, day by day, as to what is possible to be done 
with this earth of oui-s, to make its people wiser and 
better, as well as richer in every desirable way. The 
era of human improvement is yet young. Let us all 
be up and doing, so that we may leave as many as 
possible the better for our having been born. 
T. H. HOSKINS. 
A REVIEW OF THE POULTRY MARKET. 
The holiday season just closing has been one of the 
most disastrous in the dressed poulti-y max-ket, on 
record. The main trouble was the weather which, 
though favorable until a few days before Christmas, 
became suddenly warm, and lai-ge quantities were 
spoiled. This warm weather continued through the 
New Year market, and tons of poulti-y were a com¬ 
plete loss, being seized by the Health Hoard. Some 
that escaped this fate was sold to the wagon boys for 
just what it would bring—often not more than two 
or three cents per pound. Then there were vai-ying 
grades of quality—or lack of quality—above this, but 
very little of the best. One trouble was that ship- 
pex*s who had held back at Thanksgiving, because that 
is the usual time of the glut, had dumped their re¬ 
serves on the max-ket at the holiday season, and the 
market was glutted. The quality, too, of that sent 
last was not so good, on the whole. Usually, when a 
glut is threatened, and prices decline, the cold stor¬ 
age men buy the surplus to put away until later ; but 
this year, much of the poultry was so far gone that 
it was useless for this purpose, and it went to swell 
the bulk at the city dumps. 
The New Year max-ket, though not much of an im¬ 
provement so far as weather was concerned, was in a 
little better shape, and there was some good stock 
from near by, and prices received were the highest 
for a long time. Tui-keys, especially, were high, and 
choice ones went up the day befox-e the holiday, to 
16, 17, and even 18 cents, and a few extra ones sold 
up to 20 cents. These pi-ices were obtained becaxxse 
some dealers were forced to have the birds to fill 
orders, and cannot be sustained. At the time of going 
to press, choice dry-picked turkeys are worth 18 cents 
at wholesale, with choice scalded a cent or two less. 
Fancy ducks, also, were scarce, and advanced to 16 to 
17 cents, while geese wex-e more plentiful, and sold 
for 12 to 13 cents for the choicest. Fowls and chick¬ 
ens were plentiful, but those of choice quality were 
not in large supply, and sold well. A peculiar feature 
of the situation was the high prices of live poultry, 
and the xxnusual demand. The call is usually mostly 
for dressed poultry, but the large arrivals of that out 
of condition, and the demand for something better 
than the market affoi-ded, strengthened the live 
poultry market, and, as receipts were only moderate, 
good stock made a great advance over the previous 
week’s prices. At the px-esent writing, arrivals have 
been moderate, but any great increase in the receipts 
would lower prices. Reports from some parts of the 
country are to the effect that stock is pretty well 
cleaned up, and if this condition is genex-al, at least 
fair pi-ices are likely to be maintained. 
One thing we have striven to impress upon our 
readers is the desirability of dry-picking their poul¬ 
try. Only this morning, we saw a lot of very fat, 
fine young turkeys. Hut they had been scalded, their 
legs were cooked so that they were red, and many of 
them were badly skinned. The surface of the bodies 
was litex-ally cooked. By the side of them were some 
dx-y-picked turkeys, really not so good birds, but the 
manner of dressing made them look much more 
attractive, and they would sell for one or two cents a 
pound more. Another thing, if it is necessary to 
hold the birds for any length of time, the dx-y-picked 
ones will retain their good appeax-ance for sevex-al 
days, while the scalded ones will turn dark wherever 
bruised or the skin is broken, making them look old 
and spoiled. The scalded ones are mxxch more easily 
bruised in handling and packing, and the shaking 
around in boxes and barrels in ti-ansit, hurts their 
appearance greatly. For this market, poultry should 
have the heads and feet on, and be undrawn. The 
Boston folks want their poultry drawn. The needs 
of the market should be studied by any one intending 
to ship. 
THE OTHER SIDE OF "CORN HAY.” 
Fred Grundy, page 853, gave a glowing description 
of the woi-kings of the husker and shredder; and Mr. 
Wing is enthusiastic over the advantage of this method 
of securing the corn crop, and notes some of the dis¬ 
advantages. The machine has been used in this com¬ 
munity for some years. Of coui-se it has its friends, 
but one leading objection is that it does not perform 
enough for the labor employed. It is genei-ally con¬ 
ceded that the men required to run the machine can 
husk more bushels of corn in the old way. Many of 
those who have used the machine have lost their fod¬ 
der by husking it befox-e it was sufficiently cured, or 
while too wet. The fodder requii-es to be much drier 
for shredding than for storing in the old way. Then, 
again, the average stii-ring farmer will have his corn 
nearly husked before the fodder would be in condition 
to keep if shredded. The long, coai-se stalks ai-e a 
nuisance to handle at best, and I know of no farmer 
that has experimented with shredded fodder, but 
acknowledges its greater feeding value, and additional 
convenience in handling. 
In consequence of the small capacity of the shred- 
dei-s and huskers, if farmers wait until the fodder is in 
fit condition, much of the corn would go into winter 
unhusked. Instead of waiting, many farmers prefer 
to save the price of husking, by applying the labor 
already at hand, and then running the stalks through 
an ordinary gi-ain thi-asher. It puts them in feeding 
and baling shape equally as well, and performs the 
woi-k with much more rapidity. To be sure, New 
York farmers do not raise the lax-ge acreage of corn 
that is credited to western States ; pex-haps from five 
to twenty acres to the farm are grown, but with our 
crops as grown, this means a deal of heavy work. 
Actual facts are worth considex-ing, but estimates 
put forth without “ a legitimate basis ” tend 
to drive people into unprofitable ventux-es. Mr. 
Grundy speaks of a “dozen jobs crowded into one.” 
If this is profitable, why not add two or three more 
and receive the added profit ? 
Many farmers here are leaving their corn until well 
cxxred, then put it through an ordinary grain thrasher, 
at the rate of 300 bushels of shelled cox-n or more per 
day, at a cost of four cents per bushel for shelled corn. 
It costs us five cents per bushel of ears for a husker. 
As the thrasher shells it ready for use or market at 
less than half the cost of the husker, and prepares 
the fodder equally as well (some say better), why is not 
this the coming solution of the gathei-ing of the corn 
crop ? If the objection is lack of storage fox curing 
the shelled corn, the difference in cost would soon pay 
for increased storage capacity. j. m. corwin. 
Seneca County, N. Y. 
A DRESS SUIT FOR "HOTHOUSE LAMBS.” 
The hothouse lamb business has assumed consider¬ 
able importance with some sheep breeders. It is one 
thing to grow a lamb, and another thing to dress and 
ship it properly. Judging from the appearance of 
many of the lambs i-eceived, many more people have 
solved the problem of growing the lambs than have 
mastered the mysteries of preparing them for market. 
As the latter often makes a difference of one-half or 
even more in the price received, it may, at least, be 
considered as important as the raising. The market 
for these is, of course, limited, as is that for any ex¬ 
tremely high-pi-iced product. Not every one can afford 
to eat lamb that costs $8 to $10, and weighs but 25 
to 30 pounds dressed. The latter weight is plenty 
light enough for them after this date; 35 pounds 
would be better. The season for these opens with 
the Christmas market, and continues through the 
winter, prices usually being highest before Christmas. 
They should be grown as quickly as possible to reach 
the required weight, and should be fat and plump. 
In killing, cut the throat, making as small an in¬ 
cision as possible, and hang up by the heels that the 
lamb may bleed thoroughly. The blood must be en¬ 
tirely removed to have the meat present an attract¬ 
ive appearance. Open the lamb from the tail to a 
point about opposite the fore legs. Remove the en¬ 
trails, but leave on the head, feet and skin. Skin the 
hind legs and dx-aw the caul over them, and also di-aw 
it down over the kidneys, securing it with skewers. 
Slit the caul just enough to let the kidneys through. 
Put in what are known as back-sets. These are small 
pieces of wood about 14 inches long for an ordinary¬ 
sized carcass, and pointed at both ends. One end of 
each is inserted in the flesh about opposite the first 
rib ; they are cx-ossed over the back, and the other 
ends inserted far enough back on the carcass to draw 
the carcass open sufficiently to present a good ap¬ 
pearance, making it as flat as possible. 
Remove all traces of blood, and make the cai-cass 
look as attractive as possible in every way. Let it 
hang until perfectly cool. Replace the skin on the 
hind legs. Cover all the exposed flesh with clean 
white cloth, and sew the whole up carefully in burlap 
or bagging. Mark plainly with the names of both 
consignor and consignee, send by express, and also 
advise consignee by mail. Don’t send late in the 
week, and if prices received are not satisfactory, the 
probability is that it is because some detail in the 
work has been neglected. It would be a good idea 
for a tyro in this work to visit some successful grower 
and shipper, and see the whole operation performed. 
THE HORSE IS GOING BUND. 
I bought a five-year-old horse In October and when the cold fall 
winds began to blow, he had sore eyes which I afterward learned 
were caused by his wolf teeth being left in too long. Spots one- 
eighth of an inch across, of a white color, will come on his eye 
balls ; his eyes will run water and be blurred a few days at a 
time, and then get all right for a while. Some say that when they 
are troubled like that, they will be blind in a few years. 
Killowog, N. Y. r. R . L . 
The horse is suffering from periodic ophthalmia, an 
inflammatory affection of the interior of the eye. The 
natui-e of the disease is not well understood. It is 
known, however, to be associated with certain locali¬ 
ties, usually with a low, damp or marshy soil. It is 
also hereditary, with a taint so strong that it is very 
liable to be transmitted to the foal if either the stall¬ 
ion or mare has suffered from the disease. A peculiar 
feature of the disease is its strong tendency to a 
recui-renee of the attacks every four or five weeks 
(rarely less, sometimes longer) until total blindness 
results from effusion or cataract. Five to eight 
attacks usually result in blindness. Sometimes only 
one eye is attacked at first, and blindness results 
before the second eye is attacked. The affection 
usually occurs in young horses from two to six years 
old, rarely after that age. The wolf teeth had noth¬ 
ing whatever to do with the trouble. It would have 
made no difference whether they wei-e removed or 
allowed to remain and shed naturally. The popular 
belief that the wolf teeth have an iniurious effect 
upon the eye of the young horse, soLs to induce 
either disease or blindness, is another of those old- 
time fallacies that should be discarded along with 
the “hollow-horn” and “ wolf-in-the-tail” stories. 
There is no known satisfactory treatment for 
periodic ophthalmia. The frequency of the attacks 
and their sevex-ity, may be lessened by keeping 
the animals in good general health, and, espe¬ 
cially, in dry, airy well-ventilated stables. During 
an attack, protect the eyes from the strong sunlight. 
The following powders given in two-tablespoonful 
doses on the feed twice daily, will often prove bene¬ 
ficial, anti hasten recovery from an attack : Sulphate 
of soda one pound, powdered nux vomica and sulphate 
of iron, of each one-fourth pound, mix. When the 
disease is prevalent, prevention should be sought, by 
keeping the young horses away from the low, marshy 
grounds ; by careful feeding and stabling, and atten¬ 
tion to the general health; and especially, by not 
breeding fx-om either horse or mare that is or has 
been similarly affected. f. l. kilbornk. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
This is the best time of year to begin keeping accounts. 
“ Rogers’s Farm Account Book ” is the best. Send to Geo. A 
Rogers, No. Andover Depot, Mass. 
Ip you want white turkeys, Guinea fowls, Toulouse geese, o 
some choice young fowls of the leading breeds, send to D. A. 
Mount, Jamesburg, N. J., for prices. 
Hakkows for one, two, three or four hoi-ses, cutting from 5 to 24 
feet wide, either straight or slanting teeth, are made by G. H. 
Pounder, Fort Atkinson, Wis. Write him about them. 
Have you a hard maple tree on the farm ? Then you ought to 
have some maple syrup ; and you will need a double-tin sap 
spout. You can get a sample by writing the Record Mfg. Co., Ill 
Main St., Conueaut, O. 
Akk you feeding raw potatoes to pigs ; or any other food to any 
stock that would be cooked if you had the means of cooking it? 
If so, you should send for a catalogue of cooking kettles to 
Economy Mfg. Co., Homer, Mich. 
We have met R. H. Brown, of Miller’s Corners, Ontario County, 
N. Y., who advertises seed potatoes. Mr. Brown was well recom¬ 
mended by responsible people, and our readers will make no 
mistake in sending for his price list. 
If you need fruit baskets or crates of any kind send to R. T. 
Pierce & Co., South Haven, Mich., for their catalogue, which is 
illustrated with half-tone engravings of their goods, and will be 
sent free. “The best goods at the lowest prices,” is their claim. 
“The Wooden Hen,” is just the size of a good large hen, but will 
cover 28 eggs at once, and hatch them, too, if there’s any hatch to 
them. It’s the greatest novelty out, and costs but $5. Just think 
of it! And it will sit the year ’round if you wish. Write Geo. H. 
Stahl, Quincy, Ill., about it, and he will send you descriptive 
booklet. 
