THE CULTIVATOR. 
123 
tempted to put a lock of hay into their barns until per¬ 
fectly cured. There are those among us however, who 
are not so particular. A peep into the yards of the two 
classes, would, I should think, satisfy any one, whether 
;perfect or imperfect curing is best. Salt is good, in 
trough or manger where cattle can help themselves; but 
it will not, as I think, make badly cured hay good, and 
well cured hay does not need it. 
Whilst on the subject of hay, I will say a few words 
more. The practice of leaving uneured hay until near 
night before it is cocked, is a bad one. It should invaria¬ 
bly be put up by 4 o'clock, at which time the dew begins 
to collect. When thus put up, it cures rapidly in the 
cock, requires less handling afterwards, and loses less in 
weight, than if put up when cold and wet with dew. 
The horse rake has recently been introduced among 
us with good results, enabling one man with a horse to 
do the work of five or six with small rakes. We have 
also a broad hand rake for cleaning after cocks and raking 
after cart, with which one man can do as much as two 
with small rakes, and with less fatigue. With these and 
other improvements, hay is now got in, well cured, at 
$1,75 to $2,25 per ton. A few years ago the cost was es 
timated at $3 to $4 per ton. 
As this is my first, and may be my last communication 
to the Cultivator, I must say a word about Devon cattle. 
We have made something of an experiment with Dur 
hams; and the prevailing opinion is, that taking into con¬ 
sideration milking, fattening and working, our old stock 
is preferable. This old, or as we call it, native stock, 
came undoubtedly originally from Devonshire and the 
adjoining counties of Somersetshire and Gloucestershire, 
where the Devon breed prevails. Great numbers of our 
ancestors came from those counties. The breed has been 
greatly improved in England within thirty or forty years; 
while with us, no care whatever has been taken, either 
to keep it distinct or to improve it. It is surprising, how¬ 
ever, after so many generations, how plainly the distinc¬ 
tive marks of the Devon can yet be traced, notwithstand¬ 
ing so many crosses and so much neglect. We want now 
a new infusion of the original blood. Many of your 
readers here, would be gratified with particulars of the 
present state of the breed, and also where they can be ob¬ 
tained in this country. Richard Cowles. 
Farmington, Conn . Jan. 9, 1844. 
MORE ABOUT TURKIES. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I intended to have 
written out, somewhat in detail, my views upon the sub¬ 
ject of raising turkies, but have delayed until I am incli¬ 
ned to omit it altogether. Something however seems to 
be required from me, in justice to a correspondent in 
your December number; and I will therefore, even at 
this late day, proceed to spread before your readers, a 
few thoughts which may be of service to some who 
would like to cultivate a better acquaintance with this no¬ 
ble bird. Many persons who have practiced raising tur¬ 
kies for years, still think that success depends very much 
in “luck.” Let me say then in the outset, that in my 
opinion, this is a great mistake. He who trusts to luck 
in this business, will be quite sure to meet with disap¬ 
pointment. Turkies, when left to themselves, to seek 
their place for a nest, hatch out their brood, and wander 
about with their young, are not very likely to be “ lucky.” 
Chance may lead some “ old fox,” or other lover of good 
things, to pass by the nest where the old turkey sits, and 
her escape in such a case, would be luck indeed. 
My first experiments with the turkey were unsuccess¬ 
ful ; and most of my good neighbors, when they heard of 
my failures, were prompt to exclaim, “ we told you so.” 
But the loss of all my eggs the first year, and little better 
the next, did not convince me that turkies could not be 
raised. I have this year raised eighty-six, and feel quite 
sure, I could raise two hundred another with little diffi¬ 
culty. For two or three years past, I have succeeded so 
well, I feel some confidence in saying that others will run 
no great risk in adopting my plan. 
He who would succeed well in this business, must, du¬ 
ring the winter, feed his flock well, and familiarly. By 
the middle of March or first of April, they will probably 
commence laying. If they are quite tame, as they can 
be made to be, they will be likely, if left to run at large, 
to lay about the house or barn; but the safest way is to 
drive them into some shed every morning, and let them 
out about noon. They will then lay in the corners of the 
room; and when they come to set, they will be conve¬ 
nient to be taken care of, and by closing the door at 
night, they are secure from harm. After some three or 
four, or more, commence setting, others may be shut in 
a different place. I usually take the eggs from the nest 
as they are laid. A turkey will cover from seventeen to 
twenty-one eggs. I last season, set three turkies with 
twenty-one eggs each, and they hatched sixty. One of 
them hatched every egg. These were in one room. I 
never feed the turkey on the nest, and I am decidedly op¬ 
posed to the practice of so feeding them. It is well 
enough to place feed where they will find it; but if the 
turkies are hardy and in good condition, this is not very 
necessary. Most turkies are good setters, and such will 
commence hatching in twenty-eight days. They should 
be left upon the nest until the young are dry and able to 
stand. The hen may then be put into a coop in a warm, 
dry place, and the chicks permitted to run out, but should 
not be fed for twenty-four hours, or even a longer period. 
I am very particular on this point, as I think many young 
turkies are destroyed by over feeding soon after they are 
hatched. After the first day, a little curd or boiled egg 
may be scattered upon a board or flat stone. If the weath¬ 
er is cold or wet, it is well to season their food with pep¬ 
per. I have experimented with giving young turkies 
feed very highly peppered, and have never seen any bad 
effects, and have frequently noticed cases where I was 
quite sure the use of it had produced much good. Very 
little if any Indian meal, should be given. If used, it 
should be wet up some hours before being fed out. I 
will not tax your columns with prescriptions for the cure 
of the different “ evils” which young turkies are “ heir 
to.” A sick chicken is worth nothing; and my experi¬ 
ments with such, have been of the bold kind, upon the 
“ kill or cure” principle; and I have sometimes effected 
astonishing cures. But it can be of little practical use to 
your readers, to give a full statement on this head. “ An 
ounce of preventive, is better than a pound of cure.” 
After the first two or three weeks, it is well to let the 
old turkey out some four or five hours each pleasant day, 
if you have a pasture or other suitable grounds. There is 
much danger, however, in leaving them out over night, as 
they are disposed to wander about while the de w is on. 
There is a diversity of opinions as to the best variety 
of the turkey. Some preferring the pure white, others 
the black; and some there are, if we are to judge by 
their practice, who prefer every mixture of color, “ ring 
streaked and speckled.” I go for the native color. My 
flock at the commencement of last season, consisted of a 
turkey cock, the first generation from the wild state; the 
color and shape exactly agreeing with the wild turkey; 
and eight hen turkeys of my own raising. The hens are 
of a dark color, yet not black, with an inclination to 
white at the end of the wings. A very large share of 
those raised the last season, were in color and form like 
the cock, with less of the flesh color on the legs. I 
would give a more full account of my flock as it appeared 
in the fall, before I made inroads upon it; and a more 
full description of the color and brilliant plumage of ma¬ 
ny turkies now on hand, but fear your readers would 
think me drawing from fancy. 
My opinions and recommendations thus briefly stated, 
are based upon experiments of my own, and differ in some 
particulars from writers upon the subject. “ Boswell,” 
for example, advises “ the putting* two or three eggs of 
the common fowl, under each turkey, that the common 
chicks may set an example for the turkey chickens, and 
which determines them to eat sooner than they otherwise 
do.” Now this is all moonshine. Young turkies are 
more in danger of eating too much than too little; and I 
would again caution all who -would hope for success, not 
to feed high the first week or two. Feed often, but spa¬ 
ringly. If during the first four or five weeks any of 
them should droop, and decline eating in the morning, 
give them pepper, by taking a small quantity of their 
regular food and about an equal quantity of pepper, mix 
it, and give as much as a healthy one of the same size 
would eat. 
