1911. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKE R 
605 
THE VIRGINIA HEN CONTEST. 
Last week we gave the first report 
from those New Jersey hens. This week 
comes the first statement from Virginia. 
You remember that we closed last year 
with a picture of Queen Lil, a White 
Leghorn hen which laid 234 eggs in 
about 10 t /2 months. Her owner, Mr. 
Jas. E. Walter, Jr., wants to learn if 
these egg-laying qualities are hereditary. 
So he has started what he calls a “'Bred- 
to-lay” pen of Leghorns which are de¬ 
scribed in his first report. These hens 
are trap-nested and will be kepi to¬ 
gether for one year. We shall know 
what each one lays and what the food 
costs. The cockerel with these laying 
birds is a son of Queen Lil. As in the 
case of Mr. Dougan, we invite criticism 
and investigation, as our only object is 
to get the facts. 
Report No. 1. 
We will give now the line-up of our bred- 
to-lay pen consisting of one cockerel, two 
hens! six pullets Queen Lil, three years old, 
record 234 eggs, 10 months, 13 days. Queen 
Bess, three years old, record 212 eggs, one 
year; six pullets, Nos. 374, 375, 370, 379, 
*382, 384, hatched in May and June. Cock¬ 
erel Prince Edward 1st, son of Queen Lil. 
This pen is in a colony house 0x8 feet with 
a yard 8x25 feet. They are given their lib¬ 
erty every third day. Corn, wheat, mash 
and cabbage is kept before them in hoppers. 
The corn and wheat hoppers are closed 
about 9 a. m. and opened again about 4 
p. m. Table scraps and tested-out eggs are 
fed every other day. As a beginning we re¬ 
port for the month ending March 7 eggs laid 
as follows: Queen Lii 15; Queen Bess 18; 
No. 374, 8; No. 375, 12; No. 370, 14; No. 
379, 15; No. 382, 12; No. 384, 11. 
Total for the month, 105 eggs. This is 
not a good record and it is only fair to say 
that more eggs were laid, but the trap-nests 
were in poor condition and the hens got out 
several times and no account was taken of 
these eggs, as we did not expect to keep an 
exact record of the pen. Now, however, 
an exact record of eggs and feed will be 
kept. We have after three years’ study and 
experimenting perfected what we consider a 
perfect trap-nest. Suppose we call it the 
Rural trap-nest. The nests made by me 
look truly rural, but nevertheless they de¬ 
liver the goods and that is what counts. Of 
the 105 eggs laid we had on hand and set¬ 
ting on March 7 about 60 eggs, so at pres¬ 
ent the average would stand about as fol¬ 
lows : 
DR. 
To 1 colony house, 0x8 feet.$10.00 
To 58 feet poultry netting at 2 cents. 1.16 
To 1 month's food for 9 head fowls 
at 12 cents. 1.08 
$12.24 
Clt. 
By 60 eggs on hand and setting. . .00 
By 3% dozen eggs sold at 23c. doz.. .87 
$11.37 
JAMES E. WALTEU, Jli. 
TESTING A HOLSTEIN COW. 
1 have a big Holstein cow eight years 
old, and I wish to test her when she fresh¬ 
ens. 1 also wish to force her as much as 
1 dare for a short time test. 
Milford, Mass. f. a. w. 
If I were planning to test a cow, either 
for milk production or for butter fat, 1 
would like to prepare her considerably 
in advance of the actual time when she 
was to undergo the test. In order to do 
her best, she should have plenty of time 
to rest and thoroughly recuperate before 
freshening. Colantha Fourth’s Johanna 
was, I believe, dry for more than a year 
before she made her famous record. 
During the resting period plenty of 
nourishing food should be given. In the 
Summer months it is hard to beat pas¬ 
ture grass, provided always that it is in 
abundance, along with pure water and 
reasonable protection from flies. At 
other times the food may consist of 
silage, clover hay, Alfalfa, corn stover, 
etc., for roughage, with a moderate grain 
ration composed of such feeds as bran, 
middlings, ground peas and oats and a 
pound or two of linseed meal daily. At 
this period cotton-seed meal should be 
fed sparingly. There are so many mixed 
feeds and by-products of grain upon the 
market, some good and some undesirable, 
that it is difficult to know the best com¬ 
bination of foods to recommend for dif¬ 
ferent localities. In preparing a cow for 
test she should be allowed to lay on con¬ 
siderable flesh, not forgetting to allow 
plenty of exercise, along with the abund¬ 
ance of feed, in order that she may be 
strong and active at the time of parturi¬ 
tion. Slacken up on the grain feed a 
few days before she is due to freshen, 
and see that the bowels are fairly loose. 
Feed lightly for two or three days after 
calving, or until the udder is fairly free 
from inflammation, then gradually in¬ 
crease each day until the cow is getting 
all the grain that she will eat up clean. 
Begin the test when she is on a com¬ 
paratively small ration, and continue it 
until she is eating all that she will con¬ 
sume. In this way your test will prob¬ 
ably run for about three weeks. You 
may then select the best seven consecu¬ 
tive days as your week’s record. Your 
cow should have all the roughage—of 
the best of quality, of course—that she 
will eat up clean, at least twice a day. 
She should have access to plenty of pure 
water at all times, and about an ounce of 
salt should be given daily. Holstein 
breeders feed and milk their cows every 
six hours when under test. Plenty of 
succulent food, good silage or roots, or 
both, if possible, is essential for a cow 
to do her best. If these are not to be 
had we would feed about three pecks of 
potatoes each day during the test. As¬ 
suming that your roughage is Timothy 
or mixed hay and corn stover, a grain 
ration like the following ought to give 
satisfaction. We are ignoring cost, as in 
a test the one object in view is to make 
a record regardless of cost; One part 
cotton-seed meal, one part linseed meal, 
one part gluten meal, four parts ground 
oats, four parts cornmeal. The nutritive 
ratio of this ration is 1:3.3, which is con¬ 
siderably narrower than the standard. If 
fed with Alfalfa or clover hay, the cot¬ 
ton-seed meal and one-half the linseed 
may be dropped. c. s. M. 
Live Stock in Ohio. 
Tin' Ohio Department of Agriculture gives 
the following report of live stock in that 
State: Number of stallions, thoroughbred 
runners, 73; trotting stock. 816; foreign 
bred draft, 1,012; American bred draft, 
1,214: other pure breeds, 234; unknown 
breeding, 830; purebred bulls (all breeds), 
7,791;; purebred boars (all breeds), 12,540; 
purebred rams (all breeds), 17,430. Pel' 
cent of different breeds of cattle. Short¬ 
horns, 16.82; Aberdeen- Angus, 1.93; Ilere- 
fords, 2.46; Polled Durlianis, 2.33; Gallo¬ 
ways. 0.43 ; Jerseys, 15 ; Ilolsteins, 6.36 ; 
Red Polls, 1.73; Guernseys, 0.86; Ayrshires, 
0.18; Devons, 0.31; Brown Swiss, 0.07; 
other pure breeds, 0.81; grades, 37.15 ; na¬ 
tives, 13.56. Per cent, of different breeds 
of swine: Berkshires, 10.13; Poland Chinas, 
29.03; Chester Whites, 17.37; Duroc Jer¬ 
seys, 17.58; Yorkshires, 0.84; Hampshires, 
0.33; Tamworths, 0.23; unknown, 24.49. 
Per cent, of different breeds of sheep: 
Merinos, 17.34; French Merinos, 2.61 ; 
Cotswolds, 3.38; Oxford Downs, 2.18; 
Shropshire Downs, 14.71 ; Hampshire 
Downs, 0.85; South Downs, 4.86; Lincolns, 
0.63; Dorsets. 0.50; Cheviots, 0.07; mixed 
bloods, 24.37 ; grades, 28.50. The above 
report is comoiled from returns received 
from 935 rural townships of the State. 
Lame Pigs. 
I would like to give some advice to C. S. 
M.. on page 412 ,as I had some pigs just 
the same as his. I killed them to find out 
the cause, and here it is: Kidneys three 
times larger than they ought to be, heavy 
and yellow. They went into soap grease; 
that is all they are lit for. I would advise 
C. S. M. to get rid of his as soon as pos¬ 
sible and save feed, money and time. it. 
A Good Judge of Cows 
is likely to be a good judge of a cream separator. The 
same quality of brains that enables a man to breed high- 
class dairy cattle, leads him to buy the best cream separator. 
It is worth noting that the man who produced the 
World’s Record Holstein cow 
COLANTHA 4TH’S JOHANNA, 
lias a United States Cream Separator. This man is 
W. J. Gillette, of Rosendale, Wis. 
And do you know that 
JACOBA IRENE, 
the great record-breaking Jersey cow, is owned by 
A. O. Auten, of Jerseyville, Ill., who uses the United 
States Separator on his farm ? 
Also the owners of the wonderful $10,000 Guernsey cow 
YEKSA SUNBEAM, 
the Reitbrock estate, of Helendale Farms, at Athens, 
Wis., use four United States Separators on their farm. 
TWILIGHT LONAN. 
Chas. L. Hill, of Rosendale, Wis., owner of the 
celebrated Guernsey cow Twilight Lonan, uses a United 
States Cream Separator on his farm. 
LORETTA D. 
F. IT. Scribner, of Rosendale, Wis., who developed 
the celebrated Jersey cow Loretta D., and who is one of 
the great Jersey breeders of the country, uses a United 
States Cream Separator. 
If the United States Separator is the separator for 
these business men and thousands of others, leaders of the 
dairy world, why not for you? These experts—men who 
know, and do—require the use of a separator which skims 
closest, washes easiest, runs easiest, and wears longest. 
This is the reason they all choose the United States 
Separator. 
The United States Separator holds World’s Record, 
therefore is the World’s Standard Separator. 
Vermont Farm Machine Co., Bellows Falls, Vermont. 
Distributing Warehouses in all Dairy Sections. 
OSGOOD 
Pitless 
Steel 
Frame 
Indispensable on every farm; 
saves the time and mouey you 
would spend on a public scale,and 
urea perfect .accuracy al¬ 
ways. Good for a life— 
f^^tlrae. Send for catalogue. 
Oosood Scale Co., 
Box 157, Binghamton. N. Y. 
THE BOSS CREAM RAISER 
will raise the cream 
between milkings and 
give you sweet skim 
milk for bouse and 
stock. Ice not necessa¬ 
ry,cold well or spring 
water will do the 
work. No skimming, 
no crocks and pans to 
handle. TEN DAYS 
FREE TRIAL. Price 
$3.25 and up. 50.000 
of these machines in use today. Send for Free Catalog. 
BLUFFTON CREAM SEPARATOR CO. BOX M BLUFFTCN, 0. 
Dividend Paying Cows 
Mi Aiax Flakes 
Because: Ajax Flakes is an Unequalled Milk Producer 
THREE AJAX RECORDS: 
Wera Belle Weiftview —Winner of the January, 1911, Hoard’s 
Prize, Wisconsin Competition; 2,014 lbs. milk, 72 lbs fat. 
Dollie Dimple —Year Record: 18,458 lbs. milk, 906 lbs. fat. 
Daisy Cornucopia Pauline —No. 91,712; a wonderful thirty-day 
record : 2,420 lbs. milk, 126 lbs. butter. 
You can deceive yourself by buying inferior feeds, but you can¬ 
not fool a cow. She will not give you the maximum quantity of 
high quality milk unless she has the best feed. Ajax Flakes lead 
them all—30% to 33% Protein, 12% to 14% fat, about 24% digestible 
protein. 
NOW IS THE HEAVY FEEDING SEASON 
Order AJAX FLAKES immediately of your nearest dealer. 
If he happens to be out of “AJAX” refuse all “just as good” im¬ 
itations and write us at once how to obtain any amount, from one 
bag to one carload, direct from us. “AJAX” is twice as strong as 
bran—only costs $3.00 more. 
125 Lbs. 
TRADE MARK 
Registered 
ILS-PAXOFF. 
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS 
Protein 30- 33% 
Fat . 11% 
Carbohydrates 30-40% 
Fibre 12-14% 
Ohio and Western Dairymen write: 
Chapin & Co., Dept. 9, Milwaukee, Wis. 
Eastern Dairymen write: 
Chapin & Co., Dept. 9, Buffalo, N. Y. 
