AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
569 
1883.] 
Cross-bred Fowls. 
Many poultry raisers pay but little attention to 
crosses, and they are sometimes worthless if not 
properly made. A cross of the Brahma cock and 
Leghorn hen is a very different one from that of 
the Leghorn cock and Brahma lieu, not only in 
size, form, and exterior characteristics, but also 
in laying qualities. Before attempting to keep 
fowls of any kind, the breeder should consider 
his purpose in so doing, his proximity to good 
markets, the quarters, soil, etc. If the object be 
the production of eggs alone, the Leghorns, Ham- 
burgs, Polands, Houdaus, and Black Spanish, are 
more suitable. But in looking over the list it is 
well to consider that each breed possesses advan¬ 
tages and disadvantages. The Black Spanish lay 
very large eggs, but the birds are almost worthless 
for market when their usefulness is over. The 
Polish and Houdans arc crested, which is an objec¬ 
tion when the seasou is wet, though both breeds 
are excellent layers, the latter being a splendid 
market fowl. The Hamburgs are the most beauti¬ 
ful but rather tender, while the Leghorns are liable 
to have their very large combs frozen in winter. 
These breds are all non-sitters, and the eggs laid 
by them are white, without a shade of color. 
Crossing fowls enables ns to combine the merits 
of different breeds. The Brahma has a very small 
comb, is heavily feathered, and grows to large size. 
By crossing this breed with the Leghorn, we re¬ 
duce the comb of the latter, increase the size of 
the body, and afford heavier feathering. The 
crosssed fowl will sit, though the propensity is not 
so strong as in the pure Brahma, and the good 
qualities of both breeds are blended. A cross of 
the Brown Leghorn and Partridge Cochin permits 
of uniformity of color, and makes a superb fowl 
for all purposes. The Houdan answers excellently 
for crossing on the large coarse hens, the offspring 
usually being larger than either of the parents. 
When two non-sitting breeds are crossed, such as 
Leghorns and Hamburgs, the result is sometimes 
persistent sitters. An excellent cross is to use a 
Langshan cockerel with large common hens, the 
pullets from which are mated with a Houdan cock¬ 
erel. This gives a hardy, early maturing, large¬ 
bodied fowl, and if a Plymouth Rock cockerel be 
used the succeeding season, it will be an advan¬ 
tage. The Langshan is the earliest maturing of 
any of the Asiatics, but has dark legs,-which are 
considered objectionable by some. For plump¬ 
ness of body, yellow legs, and hardiness, the new 
breed—the Wyandottes (formerly American Se- 
brights) are equal to any. They are nearly as large 
in size as the Plymouth Rocks. Crossed fowls do 
not produce uniform chicks. A pure-blooded cock¬ 
erel must always be mated with crossed pullets. 
considerably less meal, and yet fattened faster than 
when fed on meal alone. The pork was fully 
equal in solidity, taste, and appearance, to any he 
had ever made previous to using pumpkins as a 
part of the swine ration. The ecouomy was so 
great that he has continued this system ever 
since, and strenuously recommends it to all others. 
1 
Plug Draining. 
In plug draining no foreign material is required 
for the water channel, this being wholly formed of 
the clay removed in making the drain. The upper 
portion of the trench is dug with 
a common spade. A narrower 
spade is used below this, and the 
last portion of soil is removed by 
an instrument called the bitting 
iron, shown in figure 1. This 
consists of a narrow spade, three 
and a half feet long and an inch 
and a half wide, sharpened like a 
chisel (a), and provided with a 
tread (c) and a fulcrum (6). The 
mold for the water passage is 
made of a number of blocks of 
wood one foot long, six inches 
high, and somewhat wedge- 
shaped. Six of these blocks are 
joined together by hoop iron let 
into the ends of the blocks level 
with the surface. When com¬ 
plete, the whole forms a flexible 
wooden bar, as shown in figure 2, 
having a chain attached to one 
end. This bar is wet, and placed 
in the bottom of the trench, with 
the narrow side be’ow. The clay 
which has been remo ved is return¬ 
ed by degrees and rammed down 
firmly upon the wooden mold. As 
soon as the trench is filled, the blocks are drawn 
forward by the chain and lever until five are ex¬ 
posed, one being still under the earth filled in, to 
prevent caving at the edge and keep the open¬ 
ing continuous. The further filling of the drain 
is continued in the same manner as described. 
I 
Fig. 1. 
What Plowed Ground Pays Farmers. 
Anything that dignifies agriculture is useful to 
farmers, who, as a class, are far too prone to look 
upon their own calling as lower than many others, 
in respectability and importance. Under this false 
feeling, they give far less attention to improving 
themselves and their processes—by observation, by 
reading, by study. They do not wake up to the 
METHOD OF MAKING THE 
If this is not done, the chicks hatched from the 
crossed stock will be of different colors, shapes, 
and sizes, as they usually revert to different an¬ 
cestors. Sandy soil is best for the feathered-legged 
breeds. Plenty of room in the coops should always 
be allowed, without regard to the breed of fowl. 
In experiments made several years ago by a 
Massachusetts farmer, he found that by feeding 
his swine a few pumpkins from October on until 
they were ready for slaughter, they consumed 
THROAT OF THE DRAIN. 
benefit that science can bring to them as well as to 
other pursuits ; and, with such feelings and ideas 
imbibed in the home circle, their children are al¬ 
ways on the look-out for some “higher” occupa¬ 
tion. It seems marvelous, whenever we think of it, 
that only about one family out of sixteen among 
farmers are actually supplied with books and jour¬ 
nals devoted to their own important pursuit. 
Take one illustration of the magnitude of our 
agriculture. Omitting the pastoral interest, which 
exceeds any other one; also leave out garden and 
fruit products, root crops, rye, barley, peas, beans, 
in short everything except four leading crops 
grown on tilled ground, viz., corn, wheat, oats, and 
cotton. The total yield of these for the present 
and past four years aggregate, in round numbers, 
about eight hundred aud twenty-five million bush¬ 
els of corn; twenty-three hundred million bushels 
each of wheat and oats, aud thirty million bales 
of cottou. If we estimate the average money 
value to the actual producers on the farm, and for 
the crops sold and used by themselves, at seventy 
cents per bushel for wheat, thirty cents per bushel 
for corn aud oats, and thirty-five dollars per bale 
for cotton, we have the soil yielding in these four 
plowed crops alone, over five thousand seven hun¬ 
dred and thirty-two million dollars; or over 
eleven hundred and forty-six million dollars every 
year !—a sum so vast as to be beyond actual com¬ 
prehension. All other pursuits sink into insignifi¬ 
cance in comparison with that of the farmer. 
Tame Grasses in the West. 
BY PROFESSOR S. I’.. THOMPSON, OF NEBRASKA. 
In the prairie regions of the great West, for 
some time after the country is settled, only native 
grasses are needed. The conditions of a settled 
country are not congenial to the wild grasses, and 
while they do remain they are not quite equal in 
value to the tame grasses. As a rule, tame grasses 
furnish feed about a month earlier in the spring, 
and the same length of time later in autumn, than 
the wild grasses. When the wild grasses begin to 
dry up in the fall they are tougher than tame 
grasses, with the exception of the Buffalo and 
Bunch grasses of the arid region along the eastern 
slope of the Rocky Mountains. There is no kind 
of forage which will fatten cattle faster than our 
native prairie grasses during the growing season, 
from the middle of May to the middle of August. 
Tame hay is more nutritious, but stock usually 
like good prairie hay better. Tame hay must be 
made at a season when rains are frequent; while 
the best time to make prairie hay is in the month 
of August aud the early part of September, when, 
as a rule, but little if any rain may be expected. 
Eastern farmers, when they first come West, 
think that they should cut their prairie hay early 
in July, as they have been accustomed to cut tame 
grass. Wild hay, made early in July, is of poor 
color and flavor, as well as lacking in nutritive 
qualities. All the valuable wild grasses here are 
late in blooming. At the time of writing (Septem¬ 
ber 17), Blue Joint and Indian Grass, or Wood 
Grass, which are considered by farmers two of 
our most valuable native grasses, arc still in full 
bloom. However valuable the wild grasses may 
be, the tame grasses are also needed. In the latter 
part of the growing season, tame grasses furnish 
a better quality of feed than the wild sorts. 
SEEDING TO TAME GRASSES. 
The first and simplest mode is to sow tame grass 
seed, especially Timothy and Blue grass, on the na¬ 
tive prairie, when it first begins to fail from tramp¬ 
ing or too close feeding. This seeding should, if 
possible, be done early in the spring, on one of the 
late snows. If the soil, when soft, be well scari¬ 
fied with a sharp harrow, it will increase the 
chances of a catch. With good seed sown in this 
way, success is almost certain. The tame grass 
will not make much show at first, but will hold its 
own, and the Blue grass will finally occupy the en¬ 
tire ground. Is is best to keep the grass eaten 
down moderately short, but not bare. Blue grass 
will stand a large amount of tramping on our soft 
western soil; indeed it seems to thrive better for it. 
The two principal difficulties in seeding on culti¬ 
vated land are, the extreme fineness and lightness 
of the soil, and the frequent lack of rains in early 
spring. Any kind of grass seed sown on clean 
soil, from the middle of March to the middle of 
June, and followed by a good rain, will be certain 
to do well. A ton and a half of mixed clover and 
timothy hay has been made from an acre sown in 
March and mowed during the following July. 
The following is the method pursued by many 
