1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
555 
Live Stock Matters 
WAYS OF KILLING WOODCHUCKS. 
Powder and Sulphur for Them. 
Woodchucks seem to thrive better in 
some localities than in others. Fourteen 
years ago, when my father bought the 
place where I now live, it had been pas¬ 
tured for 20 years or more. With very 
little clover and no cultivated crops, 
there were but few woodchucks. If 
there is anything which a woodchuck 
likes better than another, it is clover. 
As soon as we began to plant beans and 
cabbage, and raise clover, the wood¬ 
chucks began to come. I had a common 
double-spring steel trap, and caught a 
good many, but could not thin them off 
to any noticeable extent. Sometimes, 
in mowing a small piece of two or three 
acres of clover, we would find a dozen 
or more burrows. The mower knives 
would get broken and dulled in the 
gravel which they threw out. The 
fourth or fifth summer, we began to 
shoot them, and that summer we killed 
40. The next summer, we shot 30 more, 
and they began to be less plentiful. 
Many times when they were working on 
small cabbage or sweet potato plants, 
and we wished to get rid of them quickly, 
we would find their holes and put into 
them a piece of cloth with a tablespoon¬ 
ful each of powder and sulphur, put an 
end of a piece of fuse in the powder, and 
tie the cloth tightly around it, keep the 
other end of the fuse above ground, and 
fill up the mouth of the burrow with 
earth. Then light the fuse and the 
woodchuck would never come out if 
the work was properly done. About 
five years ago, a bounty of 25 cents each 
was levied on their scalps. Since then, 
they have been almost exterminated 
in this locality. h. r, t. 
Feed Them “Loaded’’ Apples. 
As regards G. G. G.’s failure in getting 
rid of ground hogs by the means which 
he describes on page 507, I would ad¬ 
vise him to abandon the use of bisulphide 
of carbon, though this is, undoubtedly, 
a remedy good enough, if only properly 
applied. At this season, early apples 
are quite easily obtainable, and wood¬ 
chucks like them almost as well as the 
small boys do. By making a tiny hole 
in such an apple, one can soon impreg¬ 
nate the fruit with strychnine sufficient 
to kill a dozen woodchucks. Roll an 
apple thus loaded into every woodchuck 
hole. Of course, unless the hole is near¬ 
ly perpendicular at the surface, it would 
hardly be advisable to employ such 
means in a pasture or lot where stock of 
any kind are kept. Another and better 
way is to place in a paper sack a table¬ 
spoonful or more of good blasting 
powder, mixing with it about a tea¬ 
spoonful of sulphur ; a fuse a yard long 
is required, one end of which should be 
placed in the sack. A string should next 
be tied around the mouth of the sack, 
care being exercised to keep the end of 
the fuse in the powder. Insert the sack 
into the hole far enough to do execu¬ 
tion, and at the same time allow the 
other end of the fuse to come to the top 
of the ground. With sods and earth 
fill up the mouth of the hole, pressing 
the material in firmly around the fuse. 
Touch a match to the fuse, and in a 
generality of cases the woodchuck will 
let your turnips and other vegetables 
alone. Early in the season this method 
is very effective. feed. o. sibley. 
Bisulphide of Carbon. 
I have always had my share of wood¬ 
chucks, and I never could get rid of 
them until last season. I got an ounce 
of bisulphide of carbon, used one-half 
on three burrows and, in about three 
hours, all three had been dug out. I 
used the other half where an old one 
had young; the next morning, I dug out 
fifty, and not one has ever dug out of 
the hundreds that we have treated, un¬ 
less there was some opening that we 
missed. Pour from one to two spoon¬ 
fuls on anything that will absorb the 
stuff, push it into the hole three feet, 
push down a sod nearly to it, hoe on 
earth and tramp down. Treat all main 
outlets the same, and next summer one 
will be puzzled to find the place. A. b. j. 
NOTES ON SILO BUILDING. 
In the fall of 1890, a man living in my 
neighborhood wanted a silo very much, 
but had not the spare money to build an 
expensive one. After some consultation 
with those supposed to be authority on 
the subject, he concluded to use such 
material as could be picked up from the 
place, buying only the frame, nails, 
tarred paper and boards for the roof, 
the whole of which cost less than 320. 
The frame was cob-house style, the 
girths being quite close at the bottom, 
the distance between them increasing as 
they neared the top; the distance at the 
bottom was 18 inches, while it was four 
feet at the top; the height is 22 feet, the 
girths were 16 feet long, 2x6 inches, 
lapped and spiked at the corners. It was 
afterward found that the strain was too 
much for this light frame, but the diffi¬ 
culty was remedied by doubling the 
first four girths and the sill. The boards 
(old fence boards which had been drawn 
to the woods for sap wood) were put on 
double, with tarred paper between. 
The whole set on a light dry wall, with 
a trench filled with cobblestones be¬ 
neath to secure good drainage. The 
bottom was scooped out, banking up the 
wall as high as the bottom of the 
boards with clay. Doors for removing 
the ensilage were made on the side next 
the stable from top to bottom. The silo 
was covered with a board roof, the 
gable being left open. This silo has 
done good service for six seasons, and I 
know of no reason why it cannot be 
used six more. 
Last fall, I had occasion to build a 
silo on very short notice, and this is 
what I built, and am perfectly satisfied 
with it. It is octagonal in shape, the 
sides being 6% feet inside, the height 20 
feet, besides the wall, which makes the 
whole about 21 feet. The diameter is 
about 16 feet from side to side. It is 
built cob-house fashion, the frame run¬ 
ning horizontally. The girths or ribs 
are the longest I could get out of 16-foot 
stuff cut once in two, 2x6-inch ; they are 
doubled for the sills, and are all thor¬ 
oughly spiked at the corners. The first 
two spaces between girths are 20 inches ; 
the next two are two feet ; the next one 
is 3% feet, and the next two are four 
feet each. This frame is lined with two 
courses of rough hemlock boards, with 
tarred paper between. A set of doors 
extend from top to bottom, and to be 
sure that no air shall get in around 
these doors, they are covered with strips 
of paper from top to bottom, when ready 
to fill the silo. The roof consists of eight 
12 foot 2x4 rafters, covered with pine 
siding. To prevent rats or mice entering 
at the bottom, I mixed one-half barrel of 
coal tar with sand, and placed all around 
the inside of the silo. 
A neighbor has a round silo in his 
barn, 15 feet in diameter and 20 feet 
deep. The staves are made from 2x4- 
inch stuff, held in place by five round 
iron hoops. This silo is inside his barn, 
did not need a roof, and cost but 340 for 
hoops, lumber and carpenter to help 
build it, and cement to grout the bot¬ 
tom. These silos are keeping ensilage 
satisfactorily, and are all of them cheap. 
COST OF MATERIAL IN OCTAGONAL SILO. 
576 feet 2x6x16. 
64 feet 2x4x12. 
2,160 feet boards. 
2,800 feet at $12 per M. 533 50 
450 feet pine at $18 per M. g 10 
Tarred paper... 5 00 
Nails.'. 4 00 
here, built of masonry, and costing about 
3400 which has been a positive damage 
to its owner. Another 3300 one has never 
been filled but once. Another stone one. 
costing over 3500, in an adjoining county, 
is an entire failure. One trouble with 
two of these is that they are entirely too 
large, and another fault is that they are 
all of them masonry, which does not 
keep ensilage as well as wood. Lastly, 
the men who built them, had more 
money than knowledge to put into silos. 
There is no reason why a very costly 
silo cannot be a good one, but it is not 
usually the case in this vicinity. 
Shortsville, N. Y. j. q. w. 
NATURAL HEAT FOR CHICKS. 
A friend of mine never has a chick die 
m the shell if it reaches hatching size. 
When the first chick of a hatch begins to 
peep, she takes the eggs away from the 
hen, puts them in a light box padded 
with cotton, covers them with a soft 
cloth, and sets the box close to the back 
of the stove where it will keep warm, 
about 100 degrees F., and there the hatch 
is completed. If there is a weak one in 
the lot that is unable to burst the shell 
open, she carefully cracks it all around, 
but does not open it, and if the chick is 
matured, it will kick it open. 
If a chick is strong enough to mature 
—that is, grow to hatching size, it will 
burst the shell and get out, if it is not 
smothered by heat, or chilled to death. 
In the incubator, they are usually smoth¬ 
ered, but under hens they are oftener 
chilled or crushed. Often a sitting hen 
will stand up as soon as she hears the 
first peep, and when she feels a chick 
move, she will tramp about until she 
crushes some that would have come out 
all right if she had kept still. The rea¬ 
son why chicks, that is, mature chicks, 
die in the shell, is to be found in the con¬ 
ditions surrounding the eggs when the 
hatch is due. 
There is no heat like animal heat for 
young things. I have seen chicks that 
were kept in a good brooder, and cared 
for in the most careful manner, droop 
and die when there was no apparent 
reason under the sun for it, while another 
lot, running at large on the lawn and 
brooded by hens kept in little coops, 
lived, thrived and rapidly grew into 
lusty fowls. Those in the brooders 
were kept from all dampness (said to be 
fatal), all manner of lice (declared to be 
deadly), never allowed to smell an earth 
worm (said to be charged with gapes), 
were supplied with grit and a great 
variety of food (supposed to be neces¬ 
sary), and still they died, though the 
heat in the brooder was kept steadily at 
95 to 100 degrees F. Those brooded 
by the hens wet themselves with dew 
every morning, dragged the festive worm 
from his lair and swallowed him whole, 
were never entirely free from lice, 
though nearly so, and lived on corn 
(sure death), cracked and soaked in 
water three or four hours. Take two 
weak chicks and put one under a hen 
and the other in a brooder, and the first 
will revive and grow strong, while the 
latter will creep and cheep about a few 
days and die. There seems to be some¬ 
thing in animal heat that fire heat does 
not Supply. FRED GRUNDW 
Don’t be “ pennywise and pound foolish ” through 
taking for your cough, medicine that you know noth¬ 
ing about, when one of long-established reputation 
and proven quality like Dr. Jayne’s Expectorant can 
be had. The best family Pill, Jayne’s Painless Sana¬ 
tive.— Adv. 
Horse Owners! Use 
GOMB AULT’S 
Caustic 
Balsam 
A Safe Speedy and Positive Co 
♦ BUSTER ever used. Tak. 
trio place of all liniments for mild or severe actio 
Removes all Bunches or Blemishes from Hor« 
and Cattle. SUPERSEDES ALL C4UTFB 
OR FIRINC. impoe^blfto produce scar or WernS 
8 °i2 *5 warranted to give satlsfactlo 
® *50 per bottle. Sold by druggists, c 
S“‘W ei bres8 charges paid, with full directioi 
for its use. Send for descriptive circulars.. 
THE LAWRENCK-WILLIAMS CO., Cleveland ( 
Protect Your Stock Fro.n Files. 
Myself and patrons have been so delighted with the 
effect of "Sboo-Fly,” manufactured in Philadelphia, 
Pa., that 1 made duplicate orders in May. aggregating 
250 quarts. J. W. BUSHEK. 
Kansas City, Mo. 
I have used Slioo-Fly two years on my cows. It 
pays. Send me Twenty-five (25) gallons. 
Fallsington. Bucks Co., Pa. H. W. COMFORT. 
CpCHIAI Send 20c.; will return 1 pint Slioo-Fly. 
Name Express Office. $1.50 per gal. One 
gal. lasts 3 animals a season. Freight pd. on 10 gals. 
Siioo-Fr.r Mfg. Co.. 1005 Fairmount. Ave., Phila., Pa. 
AGENTS WANTED. 
HIGHEST CLASS REGISTERED 
JERSEY CATTLE 
R F. SHANNON, PITTSBURGH, PA 
PfiR CAI E~~J er sey bull, grandson of Man- 
■ UH wHLC keenac 2nd. fit for service; a very 
fine individual. Also, three beautiful young Jersey 
Cows, fashionably bred; all by noted sires. 
M. MDNDY. Marlboro. N. Y. 
GUERNSEYS. 
Fifty head choice Cows, Heifers 
and Bulls for Sale. 
ELiLiERSUE STOCK FARM, 
RHINECLIFF, N. Y. 
Whether it is Gold or Silver, you get full, dollars 
when buying from the Best. Boar pigs and Bull calves 
Willswood Herd 
Recorded Berkshire Swine. 
Registered Guernsey Cattle. 
WILLS A. SEWARD, 207 Broadway, New York City; 
South-Down Sheep. 
CASSIUS M. CLAY, White Hall, ICy. ’ 
WE 
are selling, at reasonable prices, 
POLAND-GHINA PIGS 
all ages. Write us what you want; we can please 
F. H. GATES Sc SONS, Chittenango, N. V. 
W. &B. P. Rocks and W. Wyandottes 
Good March to May-hatched Pullets or Cockerels, $1 
One-year Breeding Hens. $1; six for $5. 
One-year Cocks, $2. Eggs, 75c. per sitting. 
8tock and Eggs guaranteed pure. 
I)R. H. J. ASHLEY, - - fllachias, N. Y. 
400 
SELECTED PEKIN DUCKS; extra stock 
Brookside Poultry Farm, Columbus, N. J. 
MANN BONE CUTTERS ..S 5 «„ 
TRY TIIICM BK FORK YOU PAY FOR TIIKM. 
NOTHING ON KARTH WILL 
MAKE HENS LAY 
Like Green Cut Bone. Ill. catlg. free if you uarne 
this paper. F.W. MANN CO., MILF03D. MASS. 
PASTEUR 
Anthrax Vaccine 
The only preventive remedy 
for ANTUKAX In CATTLE, 
HORSES, SHEEP, MULES 
and GOATS. 
PASTEUR Anthrax Vaccine Co., Ltd. 
(Sole Agents United States and Canada), 
No. 5G FIFTH AVENUE, 
CHICAGO. 
Kills and 
Prevents 
Ticks, 
Lice 
and 
Scab 
Book on dipping mailed free, by -w- 
Cooper & Nephews, Galveston, Tex. Ill 
100 gal. pkt. $2, 25 gal. pkt. 50c. JL A. 
If druggist cannot supply, send $1.75 for $2 pkt. to 
CYRIL FRANCKLYN, Cotton Exchange. N. Y. City 
COOPER 
Will 
m&ke 
wool 
Arrow 
Galled Horses 
Breasts, Backs, Mouths, etc., stained, 
healed, toughened and CURED WHllt AT WORK. 
It s the beet. You will swear to this fact if you 
willtryCALL POWDER. 80 centa by mail. 
MOORE BROS. ALBANY N. Y. . 
BICKMORE’S GALL CURE 
Will cure your horse of collar 
and harness gall without loss 
of time or money. You work 
'the horse and cure him at the 
same time. Equally good for 
Cuts, Scratches, Speed Cracks, 
Sore Tents on cows, 4c. Ask 
your dealer for it. If he should 
-» u.—-— - not have it correspond direct 
<Be Sure And WorkThe Horse wit ^ U8 i. s,im p |e mailed for 10 
^ ^ cents, Knoiurh to cure 1 horse. 
Bickmore Cali Cure Co. Box709, OLD TOWN, ME. 
Horses, Cattle, Sheep and Swine. 
Geo. W. Curtis, AI. S. A. Origin, History, 
Improvement, Description, Characteristics, 
Merits, Objections, Adaptability South, etc., 
of each of the Different Breeds, with Hints on 
Selection, Care and Management. Methods of 
practical breeders of the United States and 
Canada. Superbly illustrated. About 100 full 
page cuts. Cloth. $2. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New York. 
the hole, and found them dead. A 
neighbor joined with me and we got 
20 pounds from Cleveland, at 12 cents 
per pound; one pound is enough for 
Total.$50 70 
Eleven days’ work built this silo, ordi¬ 
nary farm help at that. 
There is a silo only a short distance from 
ELLIOT’S PARCHMENT BUTTER PAPER. 
HALF’ A 
__ REAM. 
To dairymen or others who will use it, we will send half a ream, 8x11, free, if they 
will forward JO cents to pay postage. Why not try the Best Butter Wrapper ? 
FREE 
A, G. ELLIOT <& CO., Paper Manufacturers, Philadelphia, Pa, 
