1911 
THE RU RAL NEW-YORKER 
133 
WHEN SHOULD PULLETS LAY ? 
At what age should 100 April pullets of 
the American breeds, such as P. Rocks, 
Wyandottes, or R. I. Reds, be giving a 25 
per cent egg production, when they are 
reared on free range with good feed? 
Connecticut. p. 
This is a question somewhat difficult 
to answer, because what one man would 
consider “good feeding" another might 
think was neglect. Undoubtedly the 
date at which pullets of the American 
breeds will commence laying may be 
very considerably hastened by the kind 
of food given them, and the food is 
not the only thing to be considered. 
They may be very badly set back by 
overcrowding at night, sweating off 
nearly all the day’s gain. And this 
often happens when there is an abun¬ 
dance of small houses and plenty of 
room if the chicks would remain in, or 
return to their usual houses. But some 
night (and it will be the night when you 
had to go away or neglected to make 
the usual rounds) a lot of them will 
crowd into one house, and if it is warm 
weather and a closed house with just 
an entrance hole, there will be trouble. 
Probably no other single cause con¬ 
tributes so much to “setbacks" in the 
growth of young stock where a lot of 
them range together. This overcrowd¬ 
ing is particularly dangerous in the 
Fall. Often there is a change of weather 
in the night, a driving rain meets the 
chicks as they come out with the first 
streak of daylight, they get chilled, colds 
result, there are a lot of wet nostrils, 
and you must get out your permanganate 
of potash and put in the drinking water, 
or you will have a lot of roupy birds 
before you know it. But 1 have got 
away from the question: “At what age 
may the American breeds be expected 
to lay a 25 per cent egg yield?” If 
they have had beef scraps and a good 
dry mash where they could get at it 
anytime, and plenty of a variety of hard 
grains, wheat, oats, barley and cracked 
corn, green food, plenty of good water, 
and no setbacks, Wyandottes and R. 1. 
Reds should be giving a 25 per cent egg 
production surely when seven months 
old, P. Rocks three to four weeks later. 
Last Summer my first brood of White 
Wyandottes were all laying when six 
months old; one of them began in Au¬ 
gust when just five months old; hatched 
March 20, laid August 21. After lay¬ 
ing out the first clutch she molted her 
tail feathers only; I know, because she 
got against a freshly painted hay rake 
and had a blue mark on each wing 
which remained after she got to laying 
again, which she did before her new tail 
was fully grown. I attribute this early 
laying partly to the fact that I have for 
severel seasons mated up three or four 
pens from the earliest laying pullets. I 
did it because I thought the early lay¬ 
ers were the best layers, but probably 
the effect was to increase the tendency 
to early laying. The bad effect of over¬ 
crowding may be minimized by using 
houses that are entirely open in front, 
except for wire netting coming down 
to six inches above the floor. A board 
fastened by a button at each end closes 
that six inches at night and keeps out 
cats, etc. When the board is removed 
the chicks come out under the wire. A 
wide board fastened against the coop at 
top, with the bottom edge slanting out¬ 
ward, will keep driving rains from wet¬ 
ting the inside of the coops. 
GEO. A. COSGROVE. 
spreading. Your observations are about 
right. Lime shows on clover, cabbage, 
Timothy and wheat, but gives poorer re¬ 
sults generally on oats, rye, corn or 
Red-top. As a rule, we think celery 
will do better on a slightly acid soil. 
Potato Questions. 
IF. M., Locke, N. Y .—I have five acres 
of land, not very good soil, that I wish 
to put to potatoes. I have covered it with 
horse manure and buckwheat straw, wish 
to plow deep and fit well, mark both ways 
three feet apart, and use 200 pounds of 
high grade potato fertilizer. How would it 
do to drop fertilizer in hills and potatoes 
on top of it, and cover deeply? Could you 
tell me the best size to cut seed and could 
I spray with five-gallon compressed air 
sprayer that is carried on back, and use 
same mixture for blight and bugs? 
Ans. —We do not use manure on po¬ 
tatoes. As this field is to be planted 
we would drop the fertilizer, after cov¬ 
ering the potato seed in the hills and 
cover with a cultivator. We should 
cut the seed to pieces containing two 
strong eyes. It will be a large job to 
spray five acres by hand with a five- 
gallon sprayer. We should not want to 
try it. _ 
Trespassing Pigeons. 
What remedy can you give for keeping a 
neighbor’s pigeons off your grain field and 
also a point or two of law on the subject? 
Sebago Lake, Me. w. f. d. 
After notifying the neighbor of the dam¬ 
age, in case this does not help a shot gun 
is about the only remedy. You have the 
right to protect your property. You could 
only collect at law the damage done by 
the birds, and your neighbor could only 
collect the value of the birds if you shot 
them. 
A PERFECT STAND 
Of potato** ia what you will get with good 
eecd and an Iron Ago Planter. It plants 100 
per cent, without misses or doubles or in¬ 
jury to the seed. Every seed piece placed, 
just right, at even spaces and covered uni¬ 
formly. The boy pays tor bis labor 10 to 20 
times over, and the planter pays for itself— 
•ok any user. With or without fertilizer distributor 
IRON ACE Garden Tools 
have “made good” and proven their 
superiority for 75 years. Sond 
postal to day for our Anni¬ 
versary Catalog—it tells all 
about our Potato Planters, 
Cultivators, Diggers, Spray- 
ers, Garden Tools. Wheel ' Tj'sC'i 
Hoes, Drills, etc., and ia 'L'-. >> 
F U E B Don't delay. :& ° v ' ^ ^ *' S~A 
BATEMAN IVt'P'O CO. 
BOX 1036 9RENLOCH, N. J. 
■ 1 ■ i ■ refii 
3 'N 
Save Money on 
■m 
1 
i Berry Boxes and 
Miffi 
Baskets 
Fruit and Vege¬ 
table Packages 
and Growers* Supplies of all kinds,! 
Write for free money-aaviug catalogue * 
and price-list. 
Lararest Faetory’of its Kind in the Country* 
NEW ALBANY BOX AND BASKET C0.,Box 111, New Albany,Ind. 
Lime Exposed to Weather. 
F. K., Coldwater, N. Y .—Is air-slaked 
lime, lying in piles outside for years and 
lumpy, any good on land? I did not see 
any difference in oats, but clover is better 
than ever before. Cabbage showed the dif¬ 
ference in the limed and not limed parts, 
but in celery I could not see any difference; 
parts not limed were even better. 
Ans. —The tendency of burned lime 
when exposed in this way is to go back 
to the carbonate form about the same 
as ground limestone. These lumps 
should be crushed to permit even 
NATURALS PHOSPHATE 
In Rotating Your 
Crops don't fail 
to apply Natural 
F i ne-C round 
Phosphate when 
breaking your ciover, 
grass or grain stut 
sods. ,This is the bes 
time to apply it to th 
soil direct. Address 
THE RELIABLE 
The right amount 
applied just then, 
at not over $1.00 
per acre cost per 
crop,will increase 
each crop grown du r¬ 
ing the rotation from 50 
to 75* Write for free 
00 k I e t, telling all 
bout it. 
THE FARMERS GROUND ROCK PHOSPHATE CO .TENNESSEE 1 
The Sowing of Fertilizers. 
Commercial fertilizers are coming 
into more general use every day. That 
they are difficult to sow is well known 
to all users. The reason for this is that 
they vary as to consistency. Some of 
the fertilizers are bone dry, others 
lumpy and sticky. Then, too, commer¬ 
cial fertilizers are affected by atmo¬ 
spherical conditions, which make them 
hard to sow. The Superior Drill, made 
by The American Seeding-Machine Co., 
Incorporated, Springfield, Ohio, will 
successfully handle all known brands 
of commercial fertilizers no matter how 
difficult to sow. The Superior is guar¬ 
anteed to dp the work and to do it right. 
Therefore the farmer runs no risk in 
purchasing a Superior. These drills are 
made in a wide range of styles and 
sizes, and in addition to sowing all 
brands of commercial fertilizers, as well 
as granular lime, will sow every known 
grain and grass seed, from the tiniest 
grass to large bush Lima beans without 
cracking the seed. The grain and fer¬ 
tilizer feeds are known to be positive 
force feeds. The mechanism is very 
simple and easily understood. The Su¬ 
perior is strong and will stand up under 
the most severe work. Write to the 
manufacturers for a copy of their Supe¬ 
rior catalogue. Then go to your retail 
dealer and insist on seeing the Superior 
Drill. 
THE SIMPLE, 
KODAK WA Y 
DEVELOPING films in the Kodak Film 
Tank is so easy and so little apparatus is 
needed that you can do all the work on the 
kitchen table and have room to spare. The 
Kodak Film Tank can be used in any light— 
no dark-room for any of the processes. The 
experience is in the tank, so you won’t waste 
any time or materials in learning how. 
The important part of it is that a begin¬ 
ner who uses the Kodak Film Tank gets 
better results than the veteran Kodaker who 
clings to the dark-room method. Develop¬ 
ing films will make many a winter evening 
pass quickly and will give you that satis¬ 
faction which comes from doing every part 
of the work yourself. 
Ask your dealer or write us direct /or a /ret 
copy 0/ the booklet “Tank Development ." 
EASTMAN KODAK CO., 
387 State Street, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
THIS FORGE OUTFIT WILL SAVE IT'S COST 
IN 30 DAYS ON YOUR FARM 
This Practical Farmer's F^rge Outfit saves it’s small initial 
cost only So.bO- in HO days. With it you can do all your black- 
sniitbii:i? and repairing. Does equally as much work as any 
$10-GO forge ever made. One farmer writes: “I had never 
before built a Are in a forgo, but now I do all my own black- 
smithing and repairing and have invented a Horse Hoeing 
Machine and made 75 of them on the Farmer’s 
Forge.” Another writes: ‘‘I wouldn’t take 
fclOO for mine, if I couldn’t get another.” 
Special Winter Offer 
Farmer’s Forge complete, $3.60, or 1 Farmer’s 
Forge, 1 anvil and vise combined and 1 pair of 
tongs, all for $5.40. 
Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money Refunded. 
Our Farmer’s Forges sold 14 years ago are still 
giving entire satisfaction. Our forges have hearths 
24x26 inches, Ilk inch blowers, run easy and have 
all the first-class qualities of high-priced forges. 
Fully warranted. Orders shipped promptly. Write to¬ 
day. Send stamp for catalog 11 ancf testimonials. 
C. A. S. FORGE WORKS, SARANAC, MICH. 
Edwards interlocking 
“Reo” Steel Shingles 
Need *•;' 
No Repairs! « 
They Last as 
Long as the 
Building 
Paint Without Oil 
Remarkable Discovery That Cuts 
Down the Cost of Paint Seventy- 
Five Per Cent. 
they are stamped of best Bessemer 
Steel 5 to 12 feet longf and 24 Inches wide. 
I hey are made either in plain steel, painted 
on both sides, or heavily galvanized. They 
will not rust nor corrode. The interlocking 
feature covers the nails and provides for 
expansion or contraction. 
Put Them On Yourself 
Anyono can lay these shingles on any roof* 
dust u hammer and a few nails is all you need. 
Edwards Interlocking Reo Steel Shingles 
will save money for you. They will lust 
longer than wood-slilngle or composi¬ 
tion roofs and give you absolute protec- 
ii°a,wS ln8t f,re and lightning. We give a 
$10,000 guarantee bond that no roof cov¬ 
ered with Reo Steel Shingles will bo de¬ 
stroyed by lightning. 
Factory Prices—Freight Prepaid 
Being the largest manufacturers of every kind 
of iron and steel roofing material, we are in a 
position to quote you lowest possible manufac- 
turer-to-user prices. 
Write for New Catalog 273 
which gives valuable information yon should 
have. You can save money and huve a better roof 
by buying Edwards Interlocking Reo Steel 
Shingles, bend us dimensions of vour building 
and wo will quote you cost of a Reo Steel Shingle 
Roof delivered at your ruilroud station. (36) 
THE EDWARDS MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
223-273 Lock Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO 
A Free Trial Package is Mailed to Every¬ 
one Who Writes. 
A. L. Rice, a prominent manufacturer of 
Adams, N. Y., has discovered a process of 
making a new kind of paint without the use 
of oil. He calls It Powdrpaint. It comes In the 
form of a dry powder and all that is required is 
cold water to make a paint weather proof, fire 
proof and as durable a3 oil paint. It adheros to 
any surface, wood, stone or brick, spreads and 
looks like oil paint and costs about one-fourth as 
much. , 
Write to Mr. A. L. Rice, Manuf’r., 408 North 
St., Adams, N. Y., and he will send you a free 
trial package, also color card and full informa¬ 
tion showing you how you can save a good many 
dollars. Write to-day. 
FOR MENDING HARNESS 
Ittakes 
a wax ■ 
thread, 
feeds 
shoes, tents, awnings, pulley bolts, car¬ 
pets, saddles, suit cases, buggy tops, 
dash boards, or any heavy material. 
Stewart’s Automatic 
from spool and 
docs the work of 
any harness maker . 
machine. It is indis¬ 
pensable for farmers. 
Agents wanted. Sont prepaid 
for $1.25. Bend at onco for 
catalog. STEWART-SKINNER CO. 
35 Hermon Street, Worcester, Mass. 
istheonly per¬ 
fect Sewing 
Awl. 
SAVE HALF THE LABOR 
in sawing wood. You can do 
this and at the same time, 
cut more wood in a given 
, time than in any other way 
Li by using 
9 - 
Table is mounted on grooved rolls, moves 
easily—cut of saw is down instead of 
against the operator as in old style ma¬ 
chines. Must be seen to be appreciated. We also 
manufacture Drag Saws. Saw and Shingle Mills. 
Get our pi'ie.v on Canvas Baiting: they will surprile you. 
Send for prices and full information. 
Ireland Machine & Foundry Co.,14 State St.,Norwich,N.Y. 
CIDER PRESSES 
The Original Mt. Gilead Hydraulic Preza 
produces more cider from less 
apples than any other and is a 
KIR MONEY MAKER. Sizes 
10 to 400 barrels daily. Also 
cider evaporate s, apple- 
butter cookers, vinegar 
generators, etc. 
OATALOGOE FREE. 
THE HYDBAULIC PMESS MFG. CO.] 
ld7 Lincoln Ave., Mt. Gilead, Ohio, ’ 
Or Room 119 L 39 X. laudt Street. New York, N. Y. 
Would Vz More Water 
wu ^T.p^ta Interest You? 
It is accomplished with the Double-Acting 
“American” 
Deep Well Pump 
It delivers full cylinder 
capacity both on the Down- 
stroke and the Up-stroke. 
It requires at no time more 
power than the up-stroke of 
a single-acting cylinder of 
the same displacement. 
Send for the most com¬ 
plete deep well catalogue 
ever Issued, No. 110 just off 
the resa, mailed free. 
THt 'MERICAH WELL WORKS, 
^General Ollier and Works, 
Aurora. III., U. 8. A. . , . 
Chicago Office, - - First National Bank Bui.ding. 
More Money made with 
a STAR Grinder than 
any other Implement 
on your Farm. 
... „ No to11 to Pay-no trips 
to mill. Fresh feed for your stock 
—more beef, pork, milk, health¬ 
ier stock.This means more money 
Our 35 years’ experience at your 
service free with helpful booklet, 
write to-day for prices and 
terms. 
THE STAR MANUFACTURING CO. 
13 Depot St., New Lexington. 0. 
TRADE MARK REGISTERED IN U. S. PATENT OFFICE. 
^TIU^ 
. . . MANUFACTURED ONLY BY . . . 
The Rogers & Hubbard Co., 
Middletown, Conn. 
Send for free Almanac telling all about 
Hubbard’s “Bone Base” Fertilizers. 
