1911. 
THIS RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
lies 
The Henyard. 
The Engineer’s Brooders. 
We want very much to know just how 
Mr. Thatcher arranges his brooders, and 
sprouts his oats. e. m. a. 
Massachusetts. 
Our brooders are simply 2%x4 feet, boxes 
one foot high, placed in our 8x8 colony 
houses. There is no bottom in these 
boxes, as the floor of house is airtight, 
being covered with heavy roofing paper. For 
a cover 16 inches of board running length¬ 
wise of the box, the remainder a muslin 
covered frame. On the under side of this 
board is the heating drum and pipe taken 
from brooders we had bought and found 
too small for our purpose. The lamp is in 
a small box that fits close up to the end 
of brooder box. Board cover is not fast¬ 
ened to brooder box. 
For sprouting oats when weather is not 
freezing we use box three feet wide, one 
foot high, any length desired; ours is 16 
feet. Place same convenient to water sup¬ 
ply. For bottom spread on the ground 
one inch of sand and cement mixture, not 
quite level, so water will drain off. For 
cover use frame covered with poultry net¬ 
ting and old bags. Soak oats in palls 24 
hours, empty in heap on floor, spread to 
two inches deep when it begins to sprout. 
Keep wet. In Winter we sprout in wooden 
pails in cellar, piled five high; holes in 
bottom of pails; pour hot water in top 
pail. L. B. THATCHER. 
Preserving Hen Droppings. 
What shall I buy, and how much of it. to 
scatter over one peck of hen droppings, 
gathered each day, and put in barrels for 
Spring use, to preserve the same and make 
a good garden or general fertilizer? 
Connecticut. l. h. c. 
The simplest plan for a small lot of hen 
manure is to scatter plaster or sulphate of 
lime over it. Use enough to make the 
manure white. This will dry and preserve 
the manure, but does not make a “perfect 
fertilizer.” To make that, crush the dry 
manure in Spring and follow the directions 
in “The Business Hen.” 
Trouble with Ducks. 
We have about 140 White Pekin ducks 
in good condition. We keep them in a 
well-ventilated house 35 by 85 feet, di¬ 
vided into four pens; good comfortable 
beddings and rat proof and nothing so far 
as we can see to disturb them. Yet for the 
past two months they keep up fire greatest 
commotion at night unless we hang a 
lantern in the house. Can you give the 
cause? j h 
Shields, Pa. 
Many Pekin breeders make a continuous 
practice of hanging a lantern at night. 
But. in this case, despite the help of the 
lantern. I am inclined to think they have 
not been fed enough at night. Ducks are 
always noisy when hungry. If it is real 
panic, it must be because they had a bad 
fright sometime. Ducks are subject to 
such aftermath from bad fright; sometimes 
never seem to get over it. c. s. v. 
Cotton Seed for Hens; Crude Fiber. 
1. Why won’t cotton-seed meal do to feed 
chickens’? I can get cotton-seed meal, 41 
per cent, protein, for $1.65. while linseed 
meal, 32 per cent, protein, is $2.50. Have 
any careful tests been made with cotton¬ 
seed meal in dry mash, and what were the 
results? 2. What harm does crude fiber 
do in feed? I remember seeing the state¬ 
ment that it would not do to feed hens too 
many sunflower seeds as they have such a 
high per cent, of crude fiber. 
The best hen nest yet is a lard tub which 
can be bought of grocers for a nickel, and is 
greasy enough to be lice proof. L. c. p. 
Charlottesville, Pa. 
1. Cotton-seed meal is not a proper feed 
for laying hens, as it will color the eggs a 
sort of greenish tinge, spoiling their sale, 
and it is too concentrated for young chick¬ 
ens, except when fed in very small quan¬ 
tities. I do not know of any official experi¬ 
ments having been made with cotton-seed 
meal in a dry mash, but its effect would be 
practically the same, no matter how it was 
fed. 
2. Too much crude fiber is liable to over¬ 
work the digestive organs of a fowl and 
cause weakness which may lead to disease 
and loss. Sunflower seed, like a great many 
other useful feeds, possesses its greatest 
value when fed in smal' quantities and co-m 
bined with other feeds into balanced ra¬ 
tions. c. s. G. 
Confined Hens; Feeding Meat. 
I have just completed a henhouse after 
the Corning plan. I would like to know 
if letting hens out daily is beneficial or 
detrimental? They were housed about Oc¬ 
tober 15. Will hens esrt too much fresh 
meat if it is hung up where thev can help 
themselves? j. s. c. 
Oswego, N. Y. 
If J. S. C. is going to use the eggs from 
these birds for hatching next Spring I 
would give them their libertv. If market 
eggs only are wanted he will get more 
of them by keeping birds in house, and 
they will keep in good health provided he 
supplies their needs. Whichever plan is 
adopted stick to it. as changing about makes 
them restless, and prevents best results. 
I have never been fortunate enough to 
have all the fresh moat wanted for a flock 
of any considerable size. But if I had good 
meat I should not hesitate to feed it the 
way .T. S. C. mentions, provided they had 
plenty of greens and all the grain they 
would eat. Watch droppings; if they be¬ 
come soft and watery reduce quantity of 
meat. l. b. tiiatcher. 
Proportion of Male Birds. 
Will you give me the proportion of hens 
to a male in the following: Leghorns, 
Wyndottes, Pekin ducks, geese, guineas? 
Unslaked Lime for Heating. 
I experience considerable trouble in the 
pigeon lofts during cold weather, all sorts 
of diseases spreading at that time. To 
heat the lofts would require an expensive 
plant and could be done only with much 
difficulty; though the heat of course would 
render the air more dry, relatively at 
least. Can anything be done with un¬ 
slaked lime in this direction? Suppose 
you have a low box, about 2x3 feet and 
one foot high, bottom and lid being solid 
wood, the sides of wire netting, and you 
spread unslaked lime in this box, coarsely 
grained, say of the size of peas. The lime 
will absorb moisture from the atmosphere 
and thereby will get somewhat heated, thus 
Improving the air in the loft in two ways. 
Do you think this worth trying? Do you 
know whether it has been tried? 
New York. N. J. 
I do not know that your plan has ever 
been tried but do not think it would an¬ 
swer the object you have in view. It 
would undoubtedly help to remove foul 
odors and also absorb some moisture but 
would give out its heat too slowly to af¬ 
fect the temperature of a properly ven¬ 
tilated pigeon house. I am strongly inclined 
to think your trouble due to a lack of 
good ventilation. Average Winter weather 
may cause a tendency to breed slowly or 
not at all. but it seldom promotes disease. 
It is the dampness and foul air that results 
from an attempt to keep a house warm 
without artificial heat that makes more trou¬ 
ble than any amount of cold air properly 
circulated through the building. Try re¬ 
placing every other window with a muslin 
frame so that there is plenty of fresh air 
without any drafts. Unless the tempera¬ 
ture is about zero for several days, your 
birds are not likely to be sluggish or dopy. 
By all means try the lime box and report 
results; it may help. R. B. 
Breeding Pullets or Baby Chicks. 
Regarding that question as to whether 
to breed from White Leghorn pullets or try 
baby chicks, or buy, to my mind, it depends 
entirely on how you are situated. If you 
have first-class stock to start with and are 
able to give two or three breeding pens 
extra attention and care, you will find 
White Leghorn chicks easier to hatch and 
raise than those of any other breed. 
Whether or not you have had much experi¬ 
ence in handling incubators will count for 
something as well as the cost of the ma¬ 
chines. I think where you are able to take 
the time and pains to build up an extra 
good laying strain it pays well. If on the 
contrary you haven’t time and room to 
fuss over them and feel sure that you can 
get day-old chicks that are active and vig¬ 
orous, I would do so. It is much better 
to get them well hatched by a specialist 
than turn out disappointing hatches your¬ 
self and waste your time trying to raise 
chicks that have failed to incubate properly. 
It is a plain business proposition; if you 
can get strong healthy chicks from reliable 
parties without fear of introducing white 
diarrhoea and at a reasonable figure and 
make a fair profit at it, buy them. If you 
have the experience and equipment to breed 
and hatch successfully and develop an A 
No. 1 laying strain, and can make enough 
more to pay for the extra pains and study, 
I would select the best and breed from 
them. r. b. 
I would advise that you mate your Leg¬ 
horns about 10 hens to a cock bird, Wyan- 
dottes eight to one, geese three or four 
geese to a gander, ducks from six to eight 
at first in the season, but may increase to 
10 or 12 and about 10 or 12 guinea hens 
to a cock guinea. If your birds are con¬ 
fined I would rather make the proportion 
less than to make it greater. c. h. s. 
Coal Ashes for Mites and Lice. —In 
the Spring of 1909 my henhouse, a small 
one. but large enough for my small flock 
of hens, became badly infested with mites. 
Two large window-openings on the south 
side of the house have no glass, but are cov¬ 
ered with muslin during the cold weather, 
and I find it well to have the roosting place 
protected by a muslin curtain during the 
cold months. This curtain was swarming 
with mites, and I removed it and subjected 
It to a bath of boiling water. Then, follow¬ 
ing the advice of an acquaintance who keeps 
a few hens, I dusted all parts of the house 
thoroughly with fine sifted coal ashes, and 
placed a supply of the ashes in the house 
for the hens to dust themselves with, and 
have kept up the supply ever since. I have 
had no more trouble with mites, and the 
hens keep remarkably free from lice. 
$ 3 , 000,000 
Will be saved this winter to the 
15,000 users of Indiana Silos. Are 
you getting your share? There 
is another winter coming. Our 
best salesmen are the 15,000 
Indiana Silos now in use. 
SILO PROFITS 
Written by over two hundred of the best breeders, 
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Licensed under Harder Patent No. 627.732. 
INDIANA SILO COMPANY 
The largest manufacturers of Silos in the world. 
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3 IO Indiana Bldg. Dea Moines, Iowa 
Silo Bldg. Kansas City, Mo. 
^^^^gH3ooc^Agent^wante<^ver^where^^^^^^^ 
SILOS 
The kind ‘‘Uncle Sam’* uses. Best 
and cheapest. Send for catalog. 
HARDER MFC. CO. 
Box 11 , Coblosklll, N. Y. 
Continuous Opening 
Best Materials 
Braced Door Frame 
Adjustable Doors 
Permanent Ladder 
Three Styles 
Five kinds lumber 
B est white Holland TUfiKEYS.*white Wyandotte c 0C : 
erels and Toulouse Gees©, for sale. Prices low for 
quality. K. SCHIEBEK, K FI) 3, Bncyrus, O. 
giant bronze turkeys-- ssasa 
Pullets. Grand Stock at Farmers’ prices. 
H. J, VAN DYKE, GETTYSBURG, Pa. 
CHOICE WHITE HOLLAND TURKEYS 
MRS. NILES GROVER, S. New Berlin, N.Y. 
DURE BRED WHUE HOLLAND TURKEYS FROM PRIZEWINNERS 
Mrs, it,. J. Rider, Rodman. New York 
FOR SAl F~ MAMMOTH bronze tur. 
t . KKYS - Satisfaction guaranteed 
Inquire of Mrs. FRANK ELLIOTT, Moravia, N Y 
Know How Much You Make Next Year 
No one shall pay a cent for Bickmore's Farm Account Book. It 
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BICKMORE’S 
FARM 
ACCOUNT BOOK 
Published by 
Bickmore Gall Cure Co. 
OLD TOWN, MAINE, U. S. A. 
BICKMORE’S 
GALL CURE 
a remedy that cures , and the horse works all 
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Send Your Name , 
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Isave-the-horseI 
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BAVE-TilE-HOR8E ROOK is an eney- 
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the latest, most reliable and highest authority. It Is 
scientlflo but not technical. Takes in every scope 
and character of diseases causing lameness. 
Tobias, Nebr , June 4th, 1911. 
Tioy Chemical Co., Binghamton, N. Y, —A year and a half 
ago I had a bottle of yonr spavin remedy. 1 cured my horse 
with it aud then gave what 1 had left of it to a friend who had 
a mule with a spavin, which veterinarians had failed to cure. 
My friend today says, “ It’s certainly a sure cure. ’ Kind $5.00 
for another bottle, Very truiy, Thso. RdodXS* 
" When discriminating, cantlons, hard-headed bank¬ 
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and then select ** Save-tho Horse ’* from the mass of 
remedies presented, and these are the kind of men 
our testimonials are from, is there need to ask why ? 
FXPFPT AHVIfF FRFF ® c,cnl,e case. We’ll advise 
LAfLItl rtul ILL I DLL frankly and clearly what to do. 
«JL» a bottle, with a contract to absolutely and perma- 
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(except low). Curt, Splint, Copped Hock, Wmdpulf, Sboo 
Boil, ln|ured Tendons nod all lameness or relund tbe money. No 8C&I 
or loss of hair. Horse works as usual. 
S5 at ell Druggists or Dealers and Etprnss Paid. 
TBOY CHEMICAL CO T 24 Commercial Are., Binghamton, N. Y. 
MacKellar’s Charcoal 
For Poultry is best. Coarse or fine granulated, also 
powdered. Buy direct from largest manufacturers of 
Charcoal Products. Ask for prices and samples. Est. 1844 
R. MacKELLAR’S SONS CO., Peekskill, N. Y. 
SILVER SPANGLED 
Hamburg Cockerels 
75 Cents Each 
AUSTIN JACKSON, Mineral Springs, N.Y. 
B UFF ROCK PULLETS, $2.00 each. Cockerels, $3.00. 
Rose Comb Red Cockerels, $4.00. All April 
hatched. “FOUR ACRES,” Nutley, N. J. 
Make 
Yonr Chickens 
Pay Bigger Dividends , 
and e niMt n \fe n t Iy ‘ ontgreen hone,gristle 1 
Green Bone Cutter Is the only ma¬ 
chine Oil the market that cuts green 
bone fine enough for bantams and 
Chicks without making splinters or 
,,_, , chunks. Has automatic feed. Both 
a” e nr0 f reu t0 alternate in turning crank. 
Has forged steel cutter head. Cuts hardest 
.'If. 8 or w 1 cut corn, clear meat, vege¬ 
tables or even crumble bread for chicks. 
Neverclogs. Get one on free trlul 
lor <1 ays, A postal brings our 
book, "How to Make Poultrv Pay,” 
E. C. STEARNS & CO. 
„ Box 17, 
Syracuse, N.Y. 
PULLETS and YEARLING HENS 
dottes, single and rose comb; Brown and W. Iieg- 
horus, R. I. Reds; from 80 cents per head up. Write 
for just what you want and how much you wish to 
invest. Maple Cove Poultry Yards, R. 24 Alliens, Pa. 
B arred Plymouth rocks— 25 big, husky, vigorous 
Cockerels for sale. Also a few Pullets. 1’rices 
reasonable. G. F. WILLIAMSON, Flanders, N. J. 
SPECIAL (BARRED ROCKS AND PARTRIDGE COCHINS 
uwiHkj p u u ets $0.00, Cockerels $3.1)0 to $5.00. 
nrCCR ] Some good enough for exhibition, 
tw land all good utility stock. 
MINCH BROS., Route 2, Bridgeton, N. j. 
Single Comb White Leghorn Xe^ESS 
kind, $1.00; Cockerels, $1.50. Also Berkshire Pigs 
and Gilts. Geo, L . & H. E. Ferris, Atwater, N.Y. 
SINGLE COMB WHITE LEGHORNS 
Choice lot Yearling Hens, Early Pullets and-Cock¬ 
erels; any quantity at attractive prices; bred-to-lay 
kind. SUNNY HILL FARM, Flemington, N. J. 
Cfinn ^i n S^ a *Combed White Leghorns, Barred 
UUUU Plymouth Rocks, Imperial Pekin Ducks, 
. , Bronze Turkeys and Guinea Hens at 
right prices. Yearlings, pullets, cocks or cockerels. 
Order at once for best selections. Largest success 
f«l poultry plant in the vicinity of New York City. 
Agents Cyphers’ Incubators. 
BONNIE BRAE POULTRY FARM New Rochelle, N. Y. 
WAWTPn- SINGIE COMB WHITE L15G- 
IIMil I LU HORN HUNS and PtJLI.KTS. 
Any quantity. Must bo thoroughbred and vigor¬ 
ous. State number, age and price. 
W. C. W ORMAN, Flemington, N. J. 
Pullets, Large, Early, Mixed Breeds 
at 8Uc each in lots of 10 or more, cash with order. 
F. O.B. here. J. HARLAN, R. D. 24, Athens, Pa, 
INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS-Gonuine White Egg Strain. 
I $6.00 per trio. GEO. BOWDISH, Esperance, N.Y. 
s 
C. BLACK ORPINGTONS-Good Birds, prices low. 
• E. W. SLATE, Box A, South Hammond N. Y 
Rose Comb Reds-Indian Runner Ducks 
High-class breeders and young stock for show, 
utility and export. May return at mv expense if not 
satisfactory, Sinclair Smith, 602 Fifth St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
T HE FARMER’S FOWL— Rose Comb Reds, best winter 
layers on earth. Eggs, $1.00 per 15. Catalogue 
free. THOS. WILDER, Route 1, Richland, N. Y. 
0(1 EGGS $1.00— Leading varieties, 52 breeds. Prize Poul- 
ZU try, Pigeons, Hares, etc. Booklet free. Large illus¬ 
trated descriptive Catalog 10c. F. G. WILE, Telford, Pa. 
Pfllll TRYM C M — ’fc fa.il to secure Stock and 
rUULI Li I III Lit Eggs at our reduced prices. 
EAST DONEGAL POULTRY YARDS. Marietta, Pa. 
The Celebrated Hun¬ 
garian 
Capercailzies, Black Game, Wild Turkeys, Quails, 
Rabbits, Deer, etc., for stocking purposes. Fancy 
Pheasants, Peafowl, Cranes, Storks, Beautiful 
Swans, Ornamental Geese and Ducks, Foxes, 
Squirrels, Ferrets, and all kinds of birds and 
animals. Send four cents for illustrated descriptive 
circulars, WENZ S MACKENSEN, Dept. 10, Pheasantry 
and Game Park, Yardley, Pa. 
and English PARTRIDGES I PHEASANTS 
POULTRY COURSE 
THE 1STH ANNUAL 
Poultry Clas/t of the Rhode Island State College 
will be held January 3 to February 16 inclusive 
We tench all branches of poultry keeping, Class Work, Lect¬ 
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Operations for each student. This is a chance to learn poultry 
keeping ami a good place to live for six weeks this winter. 
Terms moderate. Write for particulars. 
Pres. Howard Edwards, Kingston, K. I. 
T OULOUSE GEESE —Pair weighing 35 lbs., 1911 batch, 
price $10.00. PEKIN DRAKE, weighing 8 lbs., 
1911 hatch, $4.00. PEARL GUINEAS, pair, $3.00. 
L. O. QUIGLEY, Goshen, Orange County, N. Y. 
WHITE EMDEN GEESE-g® ?j}||j 
for rest of November, cash with order, F. O. B. here. 
Maple Cove Poultry Yards, R. D. 24, Athens, Pa. 
Snow White Wyandottes andT™ h d re to 
Goldenrod Farm Stewartstown, Pa. 
lay. Circular free. 
S UPERB STRAIN” WHITE WYANDOTTES—Selected COCK¬ 
ERELS for breeding, $2.00 and $3.00 each, this 
month. It’ they don’t please, return at our ex¬ 
pense. 0WNLAND FARM, Box 497, South Hammond, N. Y. 
KEAN’S WHITE WYANDOTTES 
Extra fine Cockerels ready for service, $3.00 each. 
1 ullets, $2.00 each. Guaranteed to satisfy the most 
fastidious. Also Choice Indian Runner Drakes, 
$2.00 each. E. FRANKLIN KE AN, Stanley, N.Y. 
kM AK.V-SIIKL SOLUBLE 
k Roughest grit on earth. In¬ 
creases egg production. 
, The original silica grit. 
. Avoid substitutes. Ask 
* your local dealer or 
send $1.00 for two 
ioo-lb. bags f. o. b. cars. Agents wanted, 
EDGE HILL SILICA ROCK CO. 
B °X <1 Now Brunswick, N. J 
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