894 
December 16 , 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the record-breaking hen was classed as a poor layer 
by people who pride themselves on their ability to pick 
out a hen by her shape, while the drone was selected 
as a good type of layer. 
It will be seen by studying these pictures that the hen 
does not carry all her character on the outside. Mr. 
Cosgrove from these pictures selected the hens with a 
strong, protruding breast and a sharp curve under it as 
BARRED P. ROCK HEN (212 Eggs). Flu. 408. 
the better layers, but we have found that different peo¬ 
ple. when questioned separately, have different types in 
mind. In view of all the facts we think the following 
“ opinion from a well-known poultry authority is sound: 
I know of no particular shape or form that indicates the 
laying qualities of the hen. In culling out the pullets I 
would discard any that exhibited lack of vigor and any 
that were under size: not that the large hen is the best 
layer, but lack of size is very apt to indicate improper rais¬ 
ing, and a pullet that has been stunted in her growth should 
never be used. I would select for layers the healthy, vig¬ 
orous. alert, busy hen. and then in shape have them as near 
as possible to standard requirements of their class or breed. 
The great point, however, is to cull them, even though in 
culling the flock is cut down one-half. 
If there is some question about the shape of a busi¬ 
ness hen there is no doubt concerning the ability of 
such a hen to hand over her good qualities to her 
daughters. Where trap nests are used so that records 
can be kept it seems to be demonstrated that such 
daughters are likely to follow their mothers in egg pro¬ 
duction and ability to lay large eggs. The trouble is 
that the heavy layers are not aways the most vigorous 
birds, especially after they have laid many eggs. An¬ 
other trouble is that unless a male from some strain of 
layers be used the breeder will lose a good share of the 
gain from the female side. This would be something 
like using a scrub bull in a dairy of well-bred cows. 
COLD ROOM IN AN ICEHOUSE. 
I intend to build an icehouse 20 x 16 feet outside. 10 
feet high to the eaves; walls two feet thick; dead air space 
between Capacity will be about 40 tons. I want a cold- 
room about six feet square and six feet high, built into one 
corner of the house. This room will have ice on two sides 
WYANDOTTE HEN (216 Eggs). Fig. 409. 
and top, double walls and an air space on the outside. En- 
tiance will be by vestibule, so that the outside changes 
will have as jittle effect as possible. Will such a room be 
practical for storage of milk (in cans or bottles), butter, 
cream, and various farm products? Would it be all right 
to finish inside tightly with matched boarding or will some 
ventilating system be necessary? What temperature could 
I expect? J- A- N. 
Newburyport, Mass. 
It would be far better to build the cold room with 
its end against one side or one end, so that the ice 
could be made to come in contact with three sides and 
on top. Then it should be constructed entirely of con¬ 
crete, bottom, sides and top. The concrete would pro¬ 
vide a perfectly sanitary and indestructible wall, ceiling 
and floor, which would take care of the drainage from 
the ice, and would at the same time make the best con¬ 
ductor of heat to utilize the effect of the ice. It is prob¬ 
able also that it is the cheapest material which could 
be chosen. 
I should recommend that the icehouse be made 
18 x 18 feet on the ground instead of 16 x 20, and 
either 12 feet to the eaves or else to sink the floor of 
the cold-room two feet below the bottom of the ice¬ 
house, so as to be able to place a greater depth of ice 
above the cool-room. Making the icehouse square will 
cause the ice to keep better, as there will be the least 
outside wall to draw the heat. It would be better to 
increase the height of the icehouse and reduce the other 
dimensions if only a 40-ton capacity is desired, as the 
ice will keep better and remain longer against the 
walls of the cool-room. The walls of the cool-room 
should not be less than eight inches thick, built up to a 
height of five feet above the floor, and then spring the 
ceiling over in a well-rounded arch which is eight 
inches thick at the crest, carrying the outside of the 
walls up straight, and finish off flat across the top. In¬ 
side shelves may be shaped in the cement, or short 
pieces of iron pipe may be bedded in the wall at desired 
places to carry the shelves. It would also be desirable 
to bed several hooks in the ceiling, upon which fresh 
* meats could be hung. It seems likely that a room 6x6 
would be found more satisfactory in size. One 5x9 
ISABELLA GRAPE AS A COTTAGE VINE. Fig. 410. 
See Ruralisms, Page 898. 
would give more wall space to cool the air and con¬ 
tents of the room. Such an adjunct in an icehouse 
convenient to the kitchen would be satisfactory for the 
family needs as well as for the dairy. A temperature 
as low as 40 to 45 degrees would be maintained as 
long as the ice lasted above the ceiling. The plan, how¬ 
ever, could not be expected to cool large volumes of 
milk daily through the season unless arrangement were 
made to utilize the water melting from the ice by draw¬ 
ing it into a vat in the cool-room in which the milk 
could be set. No special arrangement for ventilation 
would be required. The outside of the cool-room, as 
well as the inside and floor should be plastered smooth 
with a thin coat of rich cement to make the walls 
water-tight. (Prof.) f. h. king. 
SMALL FARMS IN MONTANA. 
On the stock ranches feeding is taking the place of 
riding the Winter range, as I have done lots of times 
in the eighties. One sees stock getting fatter instead 
of thinner. In the Spring of 1885 and 1886, for instance, 
the cattle were piled up in heaps of 20 to 50 dead, and 
we had to haul the bodies away with the teams from 
near the house to keep them from driving us out with 
the odor. That was in eastern Montana. Christmas, 
1888, found me on a sheep camp in Alberta, helping at 
a premature get of lambs, temperature 35 degrees below 
zero. We saved 90 per cent, due to a great drop of 
twins, and to the fact that old Harry, the boss, used to 
rush them from the sheds and pile them in my bed until 
I got a chance to get in and fire them into his. No 
expostulation on my part would make him do otherwise. 
He licked a lynx to death that Winter that was killing 
a sheep. Christmas of 1884, to go further back, found 
me camped on the Orange River in South Africa with 
Methuen’s Horse. The day before the cooks had put 
the puddings in the camp kettles ready for Christmas, 
but a sand storm came up that night, and for three 
days we lay in camp suffering torments. That sand 
put out the fires, drifted the tents full, filled our eyes 
until there was no water left in them, even to quench 
their burning. Here I am, having exchanged my 160- 
acre homestead for a five-acre fruit farm, under ditch. 
There are 3,000 acres (about) laid out around Missoula 
in such homes. In Winter we aim to haul manure and 
rustle wood. Practically speaking, however, we are all 
WYANDOTTE HEN (204 Errs). Fig 411. 
out trying to rustle jobs at wages. My total takings, 
not profits, on the five acres have been: First year, raw 
ground, $120; second year, still leveling, $340; third 
year, fairly good shape, $900; fourth year, frost hurt us, 
$428. So you see that in spite of the great stories told 
of the profits on an orchard home, if one makes a 
hundred dollars an acre he is doing as well as can be 
expected, as early and late frosts may cut down his 
fruit crop on which his main income depends. Give 
me an irrigated quarter-section in this country with the 
necessary stock, and one is not so liable to starve to 
death as specializing on an orchard home. 
Montana. _ h. c. b. colvill. 
PEACH ROT EXPERIENCE . 
From long experience I have concluded that the tex¬ 
ture of the fruit and climatic conditions have more to 
do with peaches rotting than excess of wool or fuzz. 
Varieties that have an excess of juice are more inclined 
to rot than those of a drier texture. Many of the very 
earlies of the Hale’s Early type are very liable to rot, 
while those fully as early of the Chinese type are com¬ 
paratively free from it. Sneed and Greensboro of the 
latter type will often escape when Amsden and Triumph 
of the former type will all rot. Still, when climatic 
conditions are favorable to the rot, it will attack any 
variety more or less. It is not always induced by wet 
rainy weather. The past season, which has been noted 
for the small amount of rain from April to September, 
rot has been unusually severe in this section, attacking 
every variety as it ripened, not excepting Elberta. I 
think the exemption from rot of the Elberta is more 
due to the rather dry texture of this fruit than anything 
else. Nearly all of the large open-bloom varieties are 
much hardier than the small bloom varieties; they go 
through uninjured when the others are killed by cold, 
and often stand from five to 10 degrees more. The 
WYANDOTTE HEN (226 E«ss). Fig. 412. 
nearer the natural type they are the hardier. Many of 
the fine yellow varieties are much more tender in bud 
than the white or red fleshed. The past season here 
has been very unsatisfactory to most peach growers; 
most of the young orchards set plenty of fruit, but it 
dropped before maturity. The older orchards were 
overloaded for the season, and the fruit was miserably 
poor. Some young trees that held their fruit were very 
fine, and prices unusually high in the early part of the 
season. chas. bi.ack. 
New Jersey. 
