1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
89 
Wisconsin now has a fertilizer law compelling' man¬ 
ufacturers to mark all brands of fertilizers, selling 
for $10 or more per ton, with a plain analysis. The 
experiment station is to analyze samples, and strict 
penalties are imposed. It will surprise many to learn 
that a State so far west as Wisconsin needs a fer¬ 
tilizer law ; but the need of it is well shown by Prof. 
W. A. Henry in a recent bulletin. He says : 
Small as is the fertilizer trade in Wisconsin at the present 
time, it is known to this station that a car-load of so-called com¬ 
mercial fertilizers was sold in the city of Madison some time 
since, at the price of good material, to a dealer who, after con¬ 
tracting for the goods, had them analyzed only to find out that 
the car-load of stuff on which a heavy freight bill had been paid, 
contained not even so much fertilizing elements as the same 
weight of soil from a common field. 
The fact is that the fertilizer trade has always given 
rogues a chance to sell counterfeit goods for real 
money. A bad smell in a fertilizer is the cheapest 
thing that can be put in it, while lots of farmers accept 
it as sure evidence of value. The chemist, backed by 
a strict fertilizer law, will soon show the fraud in a 
bad smell. 
o 
Last week, we mentioned the New York Farmers’ 
Congress which was organized at Albany by delegates 
from several farmers’ organizations. It was stated 
that the idea of this congress was first suggested at 
Atlanta during the meeting of the National Farmers’ 
Congress. The plan is to bring representatives of 
farm organizations together once a year to talk mat¬ 
ters over, formulate their wants and grievances, and 
give the public an idea of their strength and influ¬ 
ence. Of course, at such a meeting, all sorts of theo¬ 
ries and plans are discussed, but in its resolutions, the 
Congress gave the following statement of its princi¬ 
ples : 
1. The jury system to determine questions of opening or closing 
highways. 
2. Opposition to the single tax on land values. 
3. One of the railroad commissioners of New York State should 
be a practical farmer. 
4. Opposition to new officials and to any increase of official 
salaries. Such salaries are too high now. 
5. Approval of any economical plan of road improvement, but 
opposition to heavy taxes to build a few “speedways.” Build 
the “ cross-roads ” first. 
6 . If the present tariff is to be changed, put back the McKinley 
bill. 
Briefly stated, that is what the resolutions mean. 
Such matters as reduction in railroad rates, taxation 
of personal property, and “ more money in circula¬ 
tion,” were discussed, but not directly acted on by the 
Congress. The question of good roads was well dis¬ 
cussed, in fact, more was said on this subject than 
on any other. The majority appeared to favor the 
cash system of working roads rather than the labor 
system—with the work to be done at a fair price by 
farmers themselves. The Congress favors a State law 
providing for wide tires on wagons not compulsory 
until 1900, with a standard for width to which wagon 
makers can conform. It also suggests that stone for 
roads should be crushed at State prisons by convicts. 
Many of these suggestions are excellent, and will, un¬ 
doubtedly, result in good. If this Congress can be kept 
out of the hands of mere politicians, it will be a good 
thing for the farmers of New York State. 
DO HENS PAY? 
A BOY SAYS, YESI 
I have answered this question to my entire satisfac¬ 
tion, in the past two years. Late in the spring of 
1894, when I was 10 years old, I bought from my 
father four sitting hens and 52 eggs, paying $1.60 tor 
them. I afterwards sold the hens for $1.15. Out of 
the 52 eggs, 31 chicks were hatched ; one, a very weak 
one, was the only chick lost. This left me 30, of which 16 
were roosters, leaving 14 pullets. Twelve were mostly 
Leghorn, and the other two Barred Plymouth Rocks. 
They laid 1,681 eggs, or an average of over 120 eggs 
to a fowl. The average price per dozen was about 
10>£ cents, therefore the eggs brought $14.32. One 
of my sitting hens laid 22 cents’ worth of eggs before 
I sold her. The roosters brought $3.06 ; they did not 
pay for their feed, and this year I shall kill all roos¬ 
ters (except a few for breeding purposes), as soon as 
they can be distinguished. 
My hens laid twice as many eggs per fowl, as my 
father’s did. He thought that they would pay well 
another year, so he bought the flock for $5. I would 
not have sold them if I had not had some young, 
purebred fowls, and did not wish to mix them. The 
feed cost just $15. The young chicks were fed bread 
and skim-milk for the first two weeks of their lives ; 
after that, mostly wheat. For about two months, I 
fed them three times a day, afterwards but twice. I 
bought most of my feed from my father at the mar¬ 
ket price. In winter, for a morning mash, I fed 
boiled cull potatoes, mashed and mixed with bran 
and clover chaff. When good potatoes are worth 10 
cents a bushel, the culls make a very cheap feed. They 
were given cabbage to pick at, fresh water was kept 
by them all the time, and they were liberally supplied 
with oyster shells, and I never had a soft-shelled egg. 
Lime in some form must be given. I kept a strict 
account of every penny, and so know just what they 
cost me. This is the way it stands : 
DR. CR. 
Sitting hens and eggs.. 
Feed. 
.. $1.60 
.. 15.00 
Eggs. 
Eggs. 
Roosters. 
Hens (after they had sat) 
Old hens. 
$14.32 
.22 
3.06 
1.15 
5.00 
Total. 
Profit. 
..$16.60 
.. 7.15 
$23.75 
Total. 
$23.75 
Though $7.15 may seem but a small profit to some, 
for 1 M year’s care, it must be remembered that it was 
only an experiment to see whether it paid, and that 
I had but 14 hens. I now have about 25, and am 
planning to enlarge my flock to about 100. Any boy 
can make enough out of a small flock of hens to keep 
him in pocket money. I think that if farmers let 
their sons raise chickens or berries, and let them have 
what they make, they would stay on the farm more. 
It teaches a boy to keep accounts, and helps him to 
learn the value of money, two things which must, 
some time, be learned. My house was an unused one, 
battened and fixed up so as to be warm and comfort¬ 
able. The only loss I had after the chicks were grown, 
was of my rooster, who froze his comb and wattles so 
badly that he never recovered. I was fortunate in 
not having any of the numerous chicken diseases, 
lice, etc., andin not losing any chicks by skunks, minks, 
or other animals. The book, “ The Business Hen,” 
has helped me in many ways, as I was a beginner, 
and knew nothing about poultry raising. 
Yates County, N. Y. h. w. gillett. 
A TON OF BEEF ON FOOT. 
The breeding of beef cattle is receiving more atten¬ 
tion, and the business is recovering from the depres¬ 
sion of a few years back. There has been less decline 
in the prices of prime beef cattle than in the prices of 
many other farm products. At present prices of corn 
and other cattle foods, there ought to be big money 
in breeding them in this country, especially in the 
West. Most important is the securing of the breed 
best suited to the location, and which will make the 
best returns for the feed consumed. The Hereford is 
an excellent animal for beef, besides being fairly good 
for milk. It is said to be one of the best breeds for 
working cattle. The breed is of English origin. It 
is not a solid color, but head and feet are white with 
some other variable markings. The hair is long and 
curly, and the Herefords endure cold and exposure 
better than some of the shorter haired breeds. This 
is not saying, however, that they will not appreciate 
and repay good care and shelter. Lovers of some 
other breeds claim that the Ilerefords are heavy at 
the neck where the cheaper, coarser cuts are obtained; 
but some of the animals do not show this, and it can 
probably be overcome entirely by proper selection 
and breeding. Our illustration on page 83 is repro¬ 
duced from the Mark Lane Express, and is from a 
photograph of the best Hereford at the Smithfield 
Show, the greatest English exhibition. She was five 
weeks less than three years old, and weighed 1,876 
pounds. This shows an average gain from birth of 
about 1 % pound per day, not a bad showing. The 
Hereford has proved an excellent breed for crossing 
on common stock, and an infusion of this blood might 
be a help to the credit, side of the ledger of many a 
beef breeder. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
A New York farmer wants to engage a farm hand, married 
preferred. The right man can own a small farm in a few years. 
Address Owner, care Tre R. N.-Y. 
Can you write well ? If not, do the best you can on a postal card, 
aud ask G. Bixler, Wooster, O., to send sample of penmanship 
and particulars in regard to his system. 
Potato planting time will soon be here. The Improved Robbins 
planter has several valuable features found in no other planter. 
Ask the Bateman Mfg. Co., Greuloeh, N. J., for catalogue No. 2. 
They are the “ Iron Age ” people. 
If the farmer has a grinding mill, he needs one that will do a 
variety of work. The Nordyke * Marmon Co., Indianapolis, Ind., 
make one that will grind eorn-and-cob meal, buckwheat, Graham 
flour, or fine meal. They’ll send a “Book on Mills ” which will 
interest you. 
There are many incubators, some of them good—others not. 
The Improved Victor is manufactured by Geo. Ertel & Co., Quincy, 
Ill., and they challenge inspection and comparison with any other 
incubator made. They will send circulars free, or 80-page book 
for four cents. 
A New York City paper recently offered a choice of 10 bicycles 
as prizes, leaving the winners to choose any one of 10 makes. 
Every one of the winners chose a Columbia. This is a very good 
illustration of the popularity and merits of the Columbia. Pope 
Mfg. Co., Hartford, Conn., are the manufacturers. 
It will soon be time to tap the trees. Maple stigar is scarce in 
market. The best brings the best prices. To make the best, you 
need the best tools, from start to finish. The G. H. Grimm Mfg. 
Co., Hudson, O., have them—spouts, buckets with covers, tanks, 
evaporators, and everything needed. Write for their illustrated 
circular 
MCM/ IMPROVEMENTS, 
IlLVV PRICES. 
COMPLETE LINE OF 
POTATO MACHINERY, 
CUTTERS, SPRAYERS, SORTERS, ETC. 
SEND FOR ILLUSTRATED CATALOCUE. 
ASPINWALL MFC. CO., 
• >tt SABIN ST., JACKSON, MICH. 
AGENTS T -— ACME PULVER,Z,NG HARROW, 
U L CLOD CRUSHER AND LEVELER. 
Adapted to all soils 
and all work. Crushes, 
cuts, lifts, pulverizes, 
turns and levels the soil 
in one operation. Made en¬ 
tirely of cast steel and wrought 
Illustrated pamphlet mailed free. il OH -Jp) CICt LC(llly 'i'fldeStVUCt 'lble. 
Cheapest riding harrow on earth. $8.00 and up. 
SENT ON TRIAL 
K B.—I deliver free on board at distributing points. 
DUANE H. NASH, Sole M’f’r, 
Millington, New Jersey, and Chicago, 111. 
PL*ABE XXimON THIS PAPER. 
THE DAVENPORT 
POTATO Cutter 
and PLANTER. 
It marks, furrows, cuts, 
drops and covers all In one 
operation. 
No more cutting need 
by hand, 
it cuts the potato the 
same as if done by hand. 
It leaves the field with 
its work done complete. 
The only perfect potato 
planter made. 
Send for free catalogue to 
PLANO IMPLEMENT CO., 56 Plain Street, Plano, III. 
ENGINES, 
SAW MILLS, 
THRASHING MACHINES. 
Beat Machinery at Lowest Prices. 
A. B. FABQUHAR CO., York, Pa. 
)A SAW MILL. 4 H. P. and 
larger. Corn and Feed Mills 
^ Hay Presses AWaterWheels 
DkLOACH MILL MFG. CO.. Box 367, Atlanta, Ga 
LIGHTER LABOR 
AND 
BETTER RESULTS, 
SPRING SHOVELS, 
but it is furnished either 
With SPRING or 
PIN SHOVELS 
as desired. Has Six Narrow Shovels, two 
on each outside Stationary Beam. The two 
inside Shovels only being movable sidewise. 
Has adjustable Iron Axle, Ratchet Levers 
for raising aud lowering the Beams. 
\_ 
Write for full Descriptive Circular to 
'“'BUCKEYE 
RIDING 
CULTIVATOR 
This Cultivator is shown 
equipped with 
P. P. MAST & CO., 9 Canal St., SPRINGFIELD, OHIO. 
BRANCH HOU8B-fUlLAUBIjPlIIAi PA. 
