190 & 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
39S 
MAPES, THE HEN MAN. 
The Dry Mash. —The hen man re¬ 
ceived the condolences of his friends last 
Winter when his hens went on strike with 
complacence, knowing that brighter days 
were in store. This has been oue of the 
brighter days, and possibly readers will 
enjoy reading about it almost as much as 
they did about the dark days. The dry- 
mash system of feeding has robbed the 
colony plan of keeping hens of much of 
its unpleasantness. I see that Mr. Cos¬ 
grove soon got discouraged with the dry 
mash for some reason. I burned my 
bridges behind me, and have seen no 
reason to regret it as yet. One of the 
serious objections to the colony plan with 
me has been the difficulty of feeding uni¬ 
formly on account of so many of the hens 
coming to meet me, and congregating in 
unknown numbers at some of the houses. 
It was difficult to know whether you were 
feeding 40 hens or 60 or 80. The same 
hens roost in each house every night, and 
if doors are closed after they are on the 
perches at night, the morning feed can 
be distributed intelligently, before the 
doors are opened. For the noon and 
night feed it has always been largely 
guesswork in Summer when the hens have 
their liberty. On this account I have 
adopted the plan of giving the day’s al¬ 
lowance of mixed whole grains to each 
flock in the morning. Possibly it would be 
better to divide it into two feeds, or even 
to withhold it all until evening, compell¬ 
ing them to eat the dry mash only during 
the day. I shall give the plan of feeding 
the grain in the morning before the flocks 
get intermingled a good trial at any rate. 
The boxes containing the dry mash are 
arranged so that the hens can help them¬ 
selves at all hours, and a closed bin in 
each house contains a mixture of cracked 
corn, oats and wheat, two parts cracked 
corn, one part oats and one part wheat. 
The dry mash consists of 200 pounds 
cornmeal, 200 pounds wheat bran, 200 
pounds wheat middlings and 100 pounds 
meat scraps. The cut clover has been 
omitted since the grass began growing. 
The Brighter Day. —The first thing in 
the morning, while the hired man is milk¬ 
ing the cows, I take a “constitutional,” 
calling at each of the colony houses on 
the way, and scatter on the floor a quart 
of the grain mixture to each 15 hens. On 
the door of each house is a pencil mark 
showing the number of hens that roost in 
that house. Most of the houses have 45 
hens in them. These get three quarts of 
grain. Any that have more or less get a 
little more or less, as the case may be. 
I he small door is then opened and I pass 
on to the next house. I have to take it 
leisurely, or I should get around before 
the milking is done and breakfast is ready. 
By 6:30 I am ready for my breakfast with 
a good appetite, and breakfast is usually 
ready for me. What next after break¬ 
fast? Why, bless you, nature has pro¬ 
vided green feed in abundance, water in 
abundance, and the hens do the rest un¬ 
til it is time to go and collect my rent at 
night, which I take in eggs. A lazy 
man might lie in his hammock and listen 
to his hens cackle from breakfast time 
until 5 P. M. My daily average is now 
about 700 eggs, and the hens eat about 
$4 worth of feed. That will cover the 
cost of the feed delivered fn the houses. 
1 he price of market eggs is unexpectedly 
high for the time of year, netting me a 
little over two cents each. As you will 
see, this gives me $10 for my share, after 
paying for the hens’ feed, with a chance 
to lie in a hammock and listen to the hens 
cackle for 10 hours after breakfast. How 
many mechanics and others who spend 
that ten hours strenuous toil for $3 will 
envy the hen man his job? Of course 
there are some days when henhouses have 
to be cleaned, etc., but the fertilizer thus 
obtained makes an additional source of 
income sufficient to hire it all done if 
desired. 
The Spring Hatch. —I am writing this 
on Saturday evening before Easter, and 
have not spent much time to-day lying in 
the hammock. The Easter card which I 
received to-day did not consist of pic¬ 
tured chicks, but of the genuine article. 
I took 575 downy beauties out of the in¬ 
cubators, and gave them their first feed 
in their brooders. Not a single colored 
feather could I see in the whole lot; pure 
white every one; that is an Easter card 
worth having! I had 90 dozen more eggs 
from Jesse’s stock all ready to put in the 
incubators as soon as I got them cleaned 
and aired. The hatch removed to-day 
was not a roaring success. I should have 
had at least 600. They were tardy in 
hatching, few of them getting out of the 
shell until the twenty-third day. This 
was caused, I presume, by the extremely 
cold weather during the first 10 days of 
incubation. Take a note of this, and run 
your incubators up to 104 instead of 103 
in a very cold room. 
Feeding Experience. —How does it 
work to give the day’s allowance of whole 
grains at one feed in the morning? How 
long does it take them to eat it? Not 
long. In half an hour’s time most of them 
have the platter in the same condition 
that Jack Spratt and his wife left theirs. 
They then have to turn their attention to 
their box of dry mash for the rest of the 
day. When I go to collect my rent at night 
I have a mob of hungry tenants about me 
all the time, coaxing for more grain. I 
usually toss them a handful in each house 
in order that they may remember whose 
hand it is that feeds them, and realize that 
I am their best friend. Some of them 
seem to follow me about for a long while 
with their “Ca-a-ca-ca.” “Come on, now,” 
they seem to say. “He will give us all 
we want at the next house.” No use, 
biddies, you must wait until to-morrow 
morning. See if you can’t get a little 
more dry mash down before bedtime. 
Hen Burglars. —Here is another argu¬ 
ment in favor of one big house rather 
than a lot of small ones. Some lazy thief 
has been living at my expense this Win¬ 
ter. My colony houses have been bur¬ 
glarized a number of times. The thief or 
thieves have taken about a dozen at a 
time, only taking a few from each house, 
probably with the idea that they would 
not be missed. The district attorney is 
ready and willing to send me a detective 
at public expense to try to locate the 
guilty parties, but it is almost impossible 
to watch 30 flocks, scattered over 10 acres 
of ground, on a dark night, without a 
small army of detectives. Were they all 
in one big building the job would be 
greatly simplified. It is said that “mur¬ 
der will out,” and they may yet come once 
too often. A few years ago a couple of 
brothers came in the night with a wagon 
and stole 60 or 70 at one haul. Luck 
favored me at that time, and I soon had 
them languishing behind prison bars un¬ 
der a three years’ sentence for burglary. 
Proof is the all-important item in pros¬ 
ecuting criminals, so as a first step we 
went through our entire flock and put our 
private mark in the web of the foot. It 
is hard to swear positively to a dead hen, 
particularly after the feathers are plucked, 
unless there is some such means of iden¬ 
tification. Was it a big job? It looks 
like quite an undertaking to go through 
more than a thousand hens and mark 
them for identification, but three even¬ 
ings sufficed for the job. An ordinary 
punch such as is used for harness proved 
to be a good tool. It has handles that 
allow it to be used like a pair of pliers 
or shears. One man holds the hen’s foot 
up with toes extended, while the other 
uses the punch. In this way a flock of 
50 can be marked in a very few minutes. 
o. w. MAPES. 
Barley and Cows.—T his is a dairy and 
barley country; some of these barley men 
have cows that are a loss to the owners 
every day in the year, and we have dairy 
men here who make big money out of their 
cows. It does not pay to raise barley here 
if they run the dairy as it should be run. 
Milk brings about $1 per 100, and pork 
sells for about live to six cents the year 
around. Our soil raises from 100 to 150 
bushels of corn to the acre: the farmers 
have plenty of feed to carry them through 
to pasture. A good cow will bring from 
$50 to $60, but there are very few for sale. 
Wisconsin. gust h. webek. 
Disfigured With Eczema. 
Brushed Scales From Face Like Powder 
—Under Physicians Grew Worse— 
Cuticura Works Wonders. 
“I suffered with eczema six months. I 
had tried three doctors, but did not get 
any better. It was on my body and on 
my feet so thick that I could hardly put 
a pin on me without touching eczema. My 
face was covered, my eyebrows came out, 
and then it got in my eye. I then went to 
another doctor. He asked me what I was 
taking for it. and I told him Cuticura. 
He said that was a very good thing, but 
that he thought that my face would be 
marked for life. But Cuticura did its 
work, and my face is now just as cleai 
as it ever was. I told all my friends 
about my remarkable cure. I feel so 
thankful I want everybody far and wide 
to know what Cuticura can do. It is a 
sure cure for eczema. Mrs. Emma White, 
641 Cherrier Place, Camden, N. J., April 
25, 1905.” 
JSURE 
\AND WORK 
| THE HORSE. 
OLLAR CALLS 
need not Interfere in the ■ 
least with your work, it 
yon will use 
BICKMORE’8 
GAUL CURE 
Guaranteed to cure all harnall, 
collar and saddle galls , speed •rocks, 
•cratches or gTeaseheel. Look for trade 
mark. Take no substitute. Blck more’s 
Horse Book and 1-ox. box Blok more's 
Gall Cure FEEE for 10c to Paj Post¬ 
age. Write today. Bold by dealers. 
Bickmore Gall Cure Co., 
Box 012, Old Town, Main*. 
She’s Too Lousy 
A printed five minutes talk sent 
free to everybody. 4A How to Keep 
Away Vermin Permanently,” 
saving monthly expenses for 
whitewash, kerosening, insect 
powder, lice killers. 
Carbollneum Wood 
Preserving Co., 
351 W. B’way, New York, 
•0ULTRY SUPPLIES 1 
We sell everything the ponltryman needs. Incu¬ 
bators, It rood era. Foods, Tonics* Powder*, 
Fences, Bone Cntters, Egg Boxen, etc. 
We also sell Farm Implements. Write to-day 
for a free copy of our Poultry Supply Catalogue 
and Farm Book. You'll be surprised 
how much you can save by buying all 
your supplies from one place. 
JOSIAII YOUNG, 
i 27 Grand Street, Troy, N.Y. 
m 
L ‘A 
i 
<500000000 
We keep ev-i 
_ _ J erything in the) 
i POULTRYLIKE-] Fencing, Feed, Incu-S 
jbators, Live Stock, Brooders—anything—2 
jit’s our business. Call or let us send you! 
jour Illustrated Catalogue—it’s free for the J 
jasking—it's worth having. < 
(Excelsior Wire & Poultry Supply Co.,< 
(DepH. G. 26 & 28 Vesey Street. New York City. 
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo< 
$1. PER MONTH 
I to $2. per month rents any incubator. 
I Rent pays for it. Ws Pay the Freight. 
40 Days Trial »t same prices. Buy 
— - # plans aud parts and 
build one. Prices, ready to use; / 50 egg 
$5.00; 100 egg $9; 200 egg $12.75. Brood- 
_ I ers, $3.50 up. Guaranteed. Catalog free. 
BUCKEYE INCUBATOR CO., Bo* 23, Springfield, O. 
PINELAND 
INCUBATORS 
HATCH GREATEST NUMBER 
OF FINEST CHICKS. 
BROODERS 
HAVE NEVEKBEENEQUALED 
FIDELITY FOOD 
FOR FOWLS AND CHICKS. 
Used everywhere by practical poultrymen and 
specialists fanciers with unfailing success. Insures 
perfect health and promotes rapid growth, 
Concise Catalogue from 
PINELAND INCUBATOR & BROODER CO., 
Box D.D., Jamesburg, N. J., U. S. A. 
Maple Villa Poultry Yards—Eggs and stock guaran¬ 
teed. Humburgs. Leghorns, Andalusians, Minorcas, 
Wyandottes, Rocks, Anconas. w.g.mosheb, Sylvauia, Pa. 
BRED FOR WINTER LAYERS. 
Barred P. Rocks. W. Wyandottes, Single Comb R.I. 
Reds and W.Leghorns. Selected eggs,75c. persetting. 
Others 60c. O. L1NDEMARK, Gt. Barrington,Mass. 
S. C. WHITE LEGHORNS. 
Eggs for hatching from 500 choice mature birds, bred 
and selected for vigor and egg production. Send for 
our circular and prices. White & Rice, Yorktown, N.Y. 
UTILITY! 
Laying ability flrst,standard require¬ 
ments second. LARGEST POULTRY 
PLANT IN AMERICA. 8. C. White 
Leghorns, White Wyandottes, Barred 
Plymouth Rocks. Free Booklet. 
WOODLANDS FARM, Iona, New Jersey. 
Davred, Buff and White Rocks, Wyandottes B. &. W. 
Minorcas and Leghorns, Mammoth Pekin Ducks. 
$3 each, $7.50 for trio. Eggs $2 for 15, $3.75 for 30, $5 
for 45. Duck eggs $1.50 for 11, $2.75 for 22, $5 for 44. 
Edward G. Noonan. Marietta, Lancaster Co., Penna. 
\A#HITE WYANDOTTES-Heavy layers; Eggs 
»» $4 per 100, fertility guaranteed; baby chicks. 
FOREST HILL FARM, Box C, Burnwood, N. Y. 
rOKNISH INDIAN GAMES, N. Y. Prize Wln- 
ners. Eggs from prize winners, $1.50 per 15; Cat. 
W. C. VALENTINE, Huntington, R. F. 1). 1, N. Y. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 14. 
White Plymouth Rocks ™LT“n 
Eggs from Prize Matings, $2 per 15. Laying matings 
from large vigorous tested layers, $1 per 15; $5 per 
hundred. ISAAC C. CLARK, Penn Yau, N. Y. 
S. G. BROWN LEGHORNS ing’j’rom selected 
Hens. Have been breeding Brown Leghorns for 
fourteen years. Eggs, $1 per 15, or $4 per 100. J. A. 
BUSH, R.F.D. No. 10, Lockport, Niagara Co., N. Y. 
Var’s Poultry, Pigeons, Parrots, Dogs, Cats. 
Ferrets, etc. Eggs a specialty. 60 p. book; 10c. 
Rates free. J. A . BERGEY, Box 8,Telford.Pa, 
S P White I QO'hnrne 300 Selected Breeders. 
i Ui TV HUB LBgllUllloa Bred for heavy laying. 
Eggs for Hatching $1 per 15; $4 per 100. 
D. F. ARNOLD, Burlington Flats, N. Y. 
BUFF. White Leghorn. Eggs 75c per 15. $1.25 per 30. 
$2 per 60. Clr. free. JOHN A. ROTH, Quakertown, Pa. 
S ALE OF A CHOICE FLOCK OF ANGORA 
GOATS. We have decided to sell our entire 
flock of 50 Extra Fine Angora Breeding Does, ages 1 
to 4 years, are the cream of 5 years careful breeding, 
and are a grand foundation flock of heavy shearers. 
Will make a low price for the bunch. 
WOODS FARM, Bath, N. H. 
ROCK-HOLLAND FARM Te^york Ei 
EGGS from IUI P|umni|t|i Rnnko\* 2 P er setting of 15. 
Pens headed I "f ■ ■ I J III U U III II UOnu /$3.00 per 30. $6 per 100. 
WINNERS. 8 |White Holland TURKEYS}''ir.'r."‘ : 
Improved Early Canada (90 day) Seed Corn, 50 ears $1. 
P 
EKIN DUCK EGGS 
13 EGGS, $1.25; 26, $2; 100, $6 
W. WYANDOTTES and W. LEGHORNS, 
15 Eggs, *1.25 ; per lOO, *6.00. 
John H. Gamber, R. F. D., No. 1, Lancaster, Pa. 
WRIGHT’S WHITE WYANDOTTE 
Eggs, Duston strain direct. Satisfaction guaran¬ 
teed, $4 per 100. Grand View Farm. Stanfordville, N.Y. 
Yl/HITE Plymouth Rocks. Buff Plymouth Rocks,and 
Rose Comb White Leghorns. Choice stock. 15 
Eggs, $1; 50, $3. R. C. HINKLE, MUlersburg, Pa. 
ONE BREED ONLY S?‘iftS5f n »4 0 £rr , ioo aea ” 
C. A. HALL, Oak Hill, New York. 
CRfiC Buff Orpingtons, 15, $1.00; Barred Rocks, 15, 
LUUO 75c.; Berkshire Pigs pairs not akin, $9.00; 
Collie Pups reasonable. W. A. LOTHERS, Lack. Pa. 
TURKEY EGGS, BRONZE, Wyandotte and W. 
* Leg. eggs, guaranteed to hatch or money refunded, 
1500 layers. C. Adell Kayner & Co., Lockport, N. Y. 
ROSE COMB RHODE ISLAND REDSiTWs 
right. Circular free. E. E. BAUM, Potsdam, N. Y. 
R ose comb brown leghorn eggs 
for hatching that wi 11 produce beauties and layers 
$1 per 15; $4 per 100. I. C. Hawkins, Chester, N. Y. 
Rose Comb Brown Leghorn Eggs cUVwhne 
Leghorn and White Wyandotte 20; Houdan, 13, $1.00. 
Locust Grove Poultry Yards, Middleport, O. 
R egistered angora goats— Pairs or 
trios. REGISTERED RAMBOUILLET RAMS. 
Write for prices and information. 
MELROSE STOCK FARM, Oincinnatus, N. Y. 
E GGS $1 per 15; $2 per 40, from thoroughbred Brah¬ 
mas, Rocks, Wyandottes, Reds, Leghorns; 12 va¬ 
rieties; catalogue. S. K. MOHR, Coopersburg, Pa. 
Mammoth Pekin Ducks Eggs 
$1 for 11, $7 per hundred. Also S. C. White Leg¬ 
horns, Anconas, S. C. Black Minorca, $1 for 15; $5 per 
hundred. GEO. W. DeRIDDER, Ballston Spa, N. Y. 
RARRCn RflP.Itt Exclusively, Ringlet strain. Eggs 
DflnnCU ilUbkO, from Prize Winners $1 per 15; 
$3 per 50. J. W. COX, New Wilmington, Pa. 
BIG MONEY IN SQUABS 
BREEDERS FOR SALE. 
Address GENESEE SQUAB CO., Le Roy, N. Y. 
S. C. WHITE LEGHORNS 
50c. perdoz. 
Incubator chicks 10c. each. Stock unsurpassed for 
beauty or business. HILANDALE FARM, 
Brooklyn Station, Cleveland, Ohio, Rt. 2. 
E GGS —Our famous egg-producing strains of 8. C 
Brown Leghorns and Barred Kocks $1 per 15 
Hatch Guaranteed. NELSON BROS., Grove City, Pa 
WHITE WYANDOTTE 
Eggs, $3.50 per 100. Pekin Duck Eggs 75 cents per 11. 
HUNN LAKE POULTRY FARM, Bangall, N. Y. 
L IGHT BRAHMAS—Prize 
for 15. C. GORDON, R. F. 
stock. EGGS $1.00 
D. 1, Sprakers, N. Y. 
ROSE COMB WRITE LEGHORNS, WRITE 
Plymouth Rocks Eggs 15 for $1.00; 50 for $3.00; 100 
for $5.00. L. C. HILLS, Delaware, Ohio. 
SQUAB RAISING PAYS. 
New York City is the Best Market. 
We keep Squab breeders and poultry in same houses, 
andflndboth do as well aswhen kept separate; yours 
will do as well. Our best mated Homers are prolific 
breeders; properly mated, and guaranteed Write 
to-day for free circular. BAY STATE SOUAB 
COMPANY, Dept. A, Wakefield, Mass.~ 
PEKIN DUCK EGGS Immense drakes $3.25. 
HOPE, West Medway, Mass. 
WHITE WYANDOTTES EXCLUSIVELY! 
Eggs for Hatching from vigorous stock bred for stan¬ 
dard requirements and heavy laying. Prices $1.50 for 
15; $5 per 100; satisfac. guar. E. F. Keau, Stanley, N.Y. 
EMPIRE STATE S. C. WHITE LEGHORNS 
Winners at N. Y. State Fair. 1904-05. Trios, $5. Eggs 
for hatching, $1.00 per 15; $5.00 per 100. Catalogue 
free. C. H. ZIMMER. R. D. 41, Weedsport, N. Y. 
R HODE ISLAND REDS, White and Barred Rocks. 
Light Brahmas, White Wyandottes and Leg¬ 
horns, hardy, prolific, farm bred, pure stock. For 
Birds (moderate prices) or “Eggs to Hatch” at 
8c. each. Write WALTER SHERMAN, No. 25 
Boulevard, Newport, R. I. 
