1883. J 
A MER1 (Mm AGRIO GET GRIST, 
113 
Standard Fowls. 
BY D. Z. EVANS, JR. 
Breeding fine poultry has become as much of a 
science, as breeding any other kinds of live-stock, 
even though it does not require a tithe of the out¬ 
lay or expense, and those of limited income cau 
indulge their tastes in that direction, being reason¬ 
ably sure of making the fowls pay their way, and 
in some cases, realizing quite snug little profits. A 
mistake tod often made by novices, is to buy a pair, 
or trio of first premium birds, at some large Poultry 
Show, and then expect to raise from them, the fol¬ 
lowing season, nothing but chicks which will be as 
meritorious, every way, as their parents. Very 
often it is desirable to get these prize-taking birds 
for breeding purposes, if the fitting of them for ex¬ 
hibition has not impaired their health or strength 
in any way, for from such birds many fine chicks 
can be reasonably expected, but if from ten to fif¬ 
teen per cent of the offspring can be rated as extra 
“ standard ” birds, the breeder has every reason to 
feel well satisfied. In procuring choice breeding 
stock, however, we would not make it a point to 
buy the exhibition birds at the shows, but rather 
visit the yards of some prominent breeder, who 
breeds the variety or varieties you wish, and there 
select what you need. By this means you secure 
the choice birds, just as they are “at home,” with¬ 
out having been pampered or fixed up for exhibi¬ 
tion. As to varieties, that is a matter which must 
be decided by each individual, but it is very bad 
policy to try more than one breed at a time, 
for if the breeder attends to the birds properly, he 
will find all his time and skill required to perfect 
one breed. It is far better to be able to sell extra 
specimens of one kind to purchasers, at a round 
price, than to supply customers with many kinds 
at a low price, and a corresponding low grade. 
In attempting to rear standard fowls, it is abso¬ 
lutely essential to hatch out the chicks as early 
each season as it can possibly be done, to enable 
them to have the entire season to perfect them¬ 
selves. Of course, chicks hatched out in March, 
require more care and attention, while in the 
downy state, before they become fully feathered, 
than do those brought out in May. With many 
breeds, the experienced breeder can, while the 
birds are very young, pick out those chicks which 
will, or should meet the requirements of the “ stan¬ 
dard,” and to these he can give extra care and at¬ 
tention, to induce a rapid aud healthy develop¬ 
ment, the others being given ordinarily good care, 
and consigned to the kitchen, as they are needed, 
and become fit. It may seem rather hard to cull 
close, frequently selecting but ten or fifteen birds, 
at first, from a flock of forty or fifty, and consign¬ 
ing the others to separat e quarters, as a mere food 
supply for the house, yet in no other way can im¬ 
provement be assured. And those who wish to 
raise standard birds, but do not yet understand 
the desirable qualities of the breed they wish to 
rear, should post themselves thoroughly in 
the matter; first by reading upon the subject, in 
the different periodicals devoted to poultry ; then 
by studying the “Standard of excellence,” for 
poultry, which gives the “ ins,” as well as the 
“ outs,” of each recognized breed of domestic 
poultry; then by visitiug the prominent poultry 
shows, and carefully noting the size, shape, weight, 
and markings of those which carry off the honors, 
and lastly by purchasing a pair of standard birds, 
as a model to breed to, rather than as stock from 
which to produce all standard chicks. Those who 
have been successful in a pecuniary point of view, 
in rearing poultry for mere food purposes, cannot 
always make a success of it in attempting to breed 
thoroughbred fowls to a high degree of excellence 
for the simple fact that not only must the best of 
care and management be bestowed, and the food 
and feeding be all that is desired, but there are cer¬ 
tain requirements in the way of plumage, markings, 
shape, style, and weight, w'hich count very heavily 
in the show-pen. While the show-room will go 
far towards teaching many valuable items of knowl¬ 
edge to the novice, making repeated visits to some 
well known and successful breeders of thorough¬ 
bred fowls will do far more, as many of the practices 
there in vogue, can be seen aud learned, the breed¬ 
er rarely refusing to show the visitor his birds, aud 
how he conducts his operations. 
Lima Beans as a Farm Crop. 
The Lima, the most popular bean among ama¬ 
teurs and market gardeners, is slow in finding its 
way into the gardens of farmers. The dry beans 
sell for several dollars a bushel, and the market 
has never been adequately supplied. Lima beans 
are easily raised, and yield as bountifully as most 
other pole beans ; and they continue to blossom 
and bear until killed by the frost. We know of no 
reason why they can not be made a specialty, like 
hops or tobacco, and grown on a large scale. They 
would require better soil and treatment than the 
common field bean, but as the price is three times 
greater, these could well be afforded. A rich grav¬ 
elly or sandy loam suits them best, and the phos- 
phatic manures are well adapted to them. On this 
kind of soil we have not found them to run too 
much to vines, even with heavy dressings of com¬ 
post prepared from muck and stable manure. The 
vine is a strong grower, and requires abundant 
nourishment. The pods are formed quite thickly 
from the top to the bottom of the poles. They 
want the full benefit of the sun, and the rows run¬ 
ning north and south, should be four feet apart, 
and the hills four feet apart in the row. In plant¬ 
ing we prefer to put the eye downwards, and not 
more than one inch deep. The first of June is early 
enough for this latitude. This bean needs frequent 
cultivation, until the vines shade the ground. 
This crop is well suited for farmers remote from 
cities and markets. The market gardener will 
not grow Lima beans to sell dry, because they are 
worth more in the green state, and he can sell all 
he can raise. But the farmer, however remote 
from the city, can market his whole crop in the 
winter, and be well paid for his labor. 
Farming Outlook for 1883. 
Some anxiety is manifested as to the prospects 
of the coming season. The lower price of wheat, 
as compared with last year, and the statement 
widely published last autumn that, with the ex¬ 
ception of Spain, the .world’s wheat crop was over 
an average, have induced many farmers to hesitate 
about planning for the usual acreage of wheat and 
com. There are some general considerations to be 
taken into account. Our country produces more 
than it consumes, and the prices of grains and pro¬ 
visions are governed very much by the amount of 
foreigmdemand. If we have a surplus of one hundred 
and fifty million bushels of w-heat, and the foreign 
requirements amount to one hundred and seventy- 
five millions, there will be competition for all we 
have and prices will go up largely. But if our 
surplus be barely ten to twenty millions above the 
foreign demand, the competition of even this small 
amount for purchasers, will tend to depress rates. 
The consumption of wheat is largely affected by 
the prices. If the people of Europe have to pay 
$1.75 to $2.00 per bushel, they will use tens of mil¬ 
lions of bushels less than if it costs them $1.30 to 
$1.40. On learning of the generally good foreign 
crops, speculators were afraid to undertake the ma¬ 
nipulation of our grain, as had been done during 
two years previous. The result is that prices have 
beed moderate, the export demand*bas' continued 
good, and all we shall have to spare of the crop of 
1882 will be taken, if rates continue as now, 01 - 
even a little higher. 
The fact is, the glowing accounts of the world’s 
crop given in September and October prove to have 
been a little high-colored. Then the last potato 
and root crops, which constitute a much larger 
part of the food of the people abroad than with us, 
were a partial failure in many foreign localities. 
This has led to an unusual consumption of grain. 
Again, throughout Great Britain and in some con¬ 
tinental countries the weather during autumn was 
wet and stormy, devastating floods occurred quite, 
generally, and the average of wheat sown was con¬ 
siderably reduced. 
It may therefore be considered nearly certain 
that throughout Great Britain, our largest and best 
customer, and in Europe generally, their home¬ 
grown crop of 1882 and all the supplies we have 
for export will be used up prior to the harvest of 
1883, and there will not be a large new crop abroad. 
Further still, it was expected that the heavy drafts 
upon India and Australia caused by tiie speculative 
prices maintained here last year, would stimulate 
those countries to a greatly increased attention to 
wheat growing. But the moderate prices this year, 
and the improved and cheapened transportation 
from America have produced discouragement, and 
much sooner than was generally expected, we shall 
regain our position as the world’s granary. 
There is, then, everything to encourage Ameri¬ 
can farmers to active efforts. All the winter wheat 
now in the ground, and a heavy sowing of spring 
wheat are not likely to yield so large a crop as to- 
produee stagnation or put prices below remunera¬ 
tive figures. All we have said of wheat applies to 
corn as well. Now, more than ever before, Indian 
corn is becoming a general article of food on the 
other side of the Atlantic, and this is likely to in¬ 
crease largely. Meats are still far above the prices 
of former years, and the improved modes of trans¬ 
porting dressed meats, with the present limited 
supply, give promise of a demand for all we can 
produce for a year or two at least. Let our farmers 
lay out large plans for the present year. It is bet¬ 
ter, where the soil and climate allow, to diversify 
the crops, North as well as South, so that if one 
kind should partially fail, there may be another to 
fall back upon. 
Poles for Beans and Other Climbers. 
White birches and alders so commonly used for 
bean poles, are about the poorest, for they last 
only one season at the best, and sometimes break 
off at the surface of the ground, and let down the 
beautiful pyramid of green before the pods are 
ripe. White Cedar from the swamps is durable, 
and the rough bark enables the vines to climb 
without any help from strings, but these are not 
always accessible. Red Cedar is much more wide¬ 
ly distributed, and on the whole makes the best 
bean pole. The wood is as durable as the White 
Cedar, and young trees, from which poles are 
made, grow quite stout at the ground, and, if well 
set, will resist very strong winds. A set of these 
poles will last for a generation. For bean poles, 
all the side branches are trimmed off, but for a 
support for ornamental climbers, these may be left 
on. A Cedar, six or eight feet high, with the 
branches gradually shortened from below, up¬ 
wards, makes an excellent support for ornamental 
vines. One of these, covered with a clematis, or 
other showy climber, makes a pyramid of great 
beauty. It is well to prepare a supply of poles for 
beans and other plants before the work is pressing. 
Lime and Soot,— “ A Subscriber ” writes that 
he has six barrels of slaked lime and three barrels 
of soot every week, and asks us which is the best 
use to which he can put them on the farm The 
lime can be applied directly to any soils that con¬ 
tain a considerable amount of vegetable matter. It 
is especially valuable on wheat lands, and is spread 
at the rate of 50 to 150 bushels to the acre. It is 
also found beneficial on grass lands. Lime may 
also be used with muck, to form an excellent com¬ 
post, and sods and other vegetable matters may be 
composted with it. Soot contains salts of ammonia 
equal to from one to five per cent, of ammonia. 
Applied to wheat at the rate of 50 to 100 bushels or 
more to the acre, it has given good results, and is 
also useful on grass lands. It is regarded as es¬ 
pecially useful for potatoes. Applied in the liquid 
state, two quarts of soot to a barrel of water, it is 
an excellent stimulus for garden vegetables and for 
pot plants, and will be disagreeable to insects. 
