342 
THE RURA.I> NEW-YORKER 
THE EGO LAYING CONTEST. 
The record for the fifteenth week of 
the contest shows 1,415 eggs laid dur¬ 
ing the week; for the sixteenth week, 
1,639; a gain of 224 eggs over the previ¬ 
ous week. This shows an average of 
1 6 2 /s eggs for each pen. 
The English White Leghorns still lead 
in the total number of eggs laid, their 
record being 298 at the close of the six¬ 
teenth week. The Rose Comb R. I. 
Reds come next with a record of 244. 
Two pens of the Single Comb Reds 
laid 27 eggs each out of a possible 35, 
one pullet laying seven eggs in the week, 
as also did one pullet of the Buff Or¬ 
pingtons, and one of the White P. 
Rocks. The “booby prize” goes to a 
pen of Black Minorcas, which have laid 
three eggs in 16 weeks. The pen of 
Buff Orpingtons owned by O. Wilson, 
Pa., broke all records by laying 31 eggs 
in the week out of a possible 35; one of 
the pullets laying seven and each of the 
others six in the seven days. The White 
P. Rock pen of Hans Lobert of Penn¬ 
sylvania was a close second, with 29 
eggs to their credit for the week. The 
scratch feed is composed of corn, wheat 
and oats, with a small amount of Kaffir 
corn, barley and buckwheat. The dry 
mash is composed of wheat bran, mid¬ 
dlings, low-grade flour, ground oats 
cornmeal and gluten. The animal food 
is beef scrap and fish scrap. Mangel 
beets were furnished for green food 
until the very severe cold froze and 
spoiled the entire stock; since then beet 
pulp has been the “green food.’ 
Rot only is all the food weighed and 
the record of the amount consumed by 
each pen made, but all the eggs are 
weighed, and at the close of the contest 
it will be possible to tell not only the 
number but also the weight of the eggs 
and the amount of food consumed by 
each pen. This will be valuable infor¬ 
mation for the poultry and egg produc¬ 
ers, but the contest as a comparison of 
breeds is really of little value, because 
five birds are compared in several 
breeds with 15, or 40, or 60, or 150 of 
some other breed. There could only be 
a fair comparison when an equal num¬ 
ber of birds of each breed were entered. 
That the White Leghorns have shown 
up so well as layers during this extra 
and long continued cold Winter fc a 
surprise to very many poultry breeders, 
and will probably lead to the adoption 
of that breed for commercial eggs on 
large poultry plants in sections of the 
country where they have hitherto been 
considered as too poor Winter layers to 
be available. As the freezing of the 
comb and wattles is the main objection, 
what is to hinder cutting these off, the 
same as a gamecock is “dubbed”? The 
bird minds it very little; I have seen a 
gamecock pick up and eat the wattles 
that had just been cut from his own 
neck. Someone will say, “Why not use 
the Rose Comb White Leghorn”; but 
the Rose Comb bird still has the long 
and pendulous wattles, and it is these 
that make more trouble than the comb, 
because they fall into the icy water 
when the bird is drinking. Another 
point is worth noting; Leghorns may 
be bred with combs much smaller than 
those we are accustomed to see; one of 
the best Leghorn breeders I ever knew 
used to save the hens that had low 
combs, some rising not over one-half 
inch above the head, to mate for cock¬ 
erels, thus obtaining the straight smooth 
comb without a bend or wrinkle in it, 
that is so much desired in Leghorn 
males. geo. a. cosgrove. 
Dry Stalks in the Silo. 
I would like to know whether anyone has 
had experience in putting dry corn into a 
silo at'this time of year by moistening it 
while cutting with plenty of water, or would 
it be better to cut and store it in mow with 
straw? This was a mammoth crop, growing 
as high as 16 feet tall, and measuring eight 
inches around the but. I own a blower and 
engine for tilling silos and just got started 
to fill as my engine broke; it happened 
to be one of these western machines, and 
have been forever getting repairs for it 
and could not get another engine large 
enough to run the blower. I have what 
would make about 150 tons of silage. 
New York. w. a. s. 
Some years ago we had a full discus¬ 
sion of this. A few men were putting 
dry stalks into the silo and wetting them 
with hot water, but the general verdict 
seemed to be that it did not pay. On a 
small scale steaming the dry stalks will 
make a fair “imitation silage,” but where 
there is any large quantity we think it 
will pay better to cut or shred the stalks 
and feed them dry. 
Mercurial Ointment for Vermin. 
After using many dips, powders, and 
washes to kill lice on cattle for several 
years, have used mercurial ointment with 
greatest success and best results by apply¬ 
ing it between hind legs or back of the front 
legs where the hair and hide is thin. I 
wish to know the scientific process or effect 
it has to kill the lice in this way. Also if 
there is any injurious effect to the condition 
or good health of the animal, being so rank 
a poison. e. p. b. 
Corfu, N. Y. 
Mercurial ointment has long been 
considered a very efficacious remedy 
against lice. This action is due to the 
poisonous effect which it has upon the 
lice with which it comes in contact, and 
it possibly also has an indirect action 
due to the absorption of the mercury 
by the cattle and its dissemination 
throughout the tissues of the body, in¬ 
cluding the skin, from which in turn it 
may be absorbed by the lice, thus 
poisoning them in an indirect manner. 
Although it may be admitted that 
mercurial ointment is more or less ef¬ 
ficacious against lice, its use on cattle 
is very inadvisable, for the reason that 
cattle are very susceptible to mercury, 
and are liable to be severely poisoned 
by it even if only very small quantities 
are used. b. h. ransom. 
Bureau of Animal Industry. 
Composition of Farm Crops. 
J. A., WaulzeslKi, iris.—Flow much of the 
different elements of fertility are removed 
by a crop of corn planted in drilled rows 
three feet six inches apart, and six inches 
in the row, also bow much will a 
crop of 100 bushels with stalks remove 
from the soil? What elements are re¬ 
moved by a season’s growth of Alfalfa, 
three cuttings? How much will a cured ton 
remove? What books do you advise pur¬ 
chasing regarding fertilizers, their uses, and 
general information regarding crop feeding? 
Ans. —The following figures show the 
amounts of plant food removed in a 
ton of certain crops. You will have to 
estimate the weight of such a crop 
yourself: 
Pounds in One Ton. 
Nitrogen Phos. Acid Potash 
Cornfodder. 10 10 20 
Corn grain.32 12 7 
Corn cobs. 5 1 3 
Alfalfa . 45 12 30 
Wheat. 40 15 10 
Wheat straw. 10 5 13 
Potatoes . 7 3 12 
“Fertilizers,” by Voorhees, price $1.25; 
“Fertility of the Land,” by Roberts, 
price, $1.25; “Farm Manures,” by Sem- 
pers, price 40 cents. We can supply the 
books. 
Tuberculosis. 
I had a Jersey cow that always stayed 
poor with good care, but gave plenty' of 
milk until her fifth calf, when after two 
or three weeks she began failing in her 
milk and went nearly dry. This was in 
the Spring, and when good pasture came 
she still got poorer and had the scours 
very badly until we quit milking her al¬ 
together. We had kept on milking her for 
some time, hoping that she would get all 
right, but of course not using the milk. She 
lived until August, I think; she had no 
cough and seemed to have a good appetite, 
hut always had been a little fanciful as to 
what she ate, not wanting any medicines 
of any kind in her feed. Her last calf 
being a heifer came into a cow last Spring, 
being three years old. She does extra, well 
as to giving milk and making butter, but 
she stays so very poor, and we feed her more 
than others that run with her and stay in 
good condition. Last Fall she had a cough 
for two or three weeks, but that has 
stopped. She will be fresh again in May. 
Can the cows have tuberculosis and how 
can we tell? f. b. g. 
Pennsylvania. 
There is every reason to conclude that the 
first cow had tuberculosis and died of the 
disease, and that her heifer contracted 
the disease from her. Such animals are a 
menace to the herd, to those taking the 
milk and to an entire community. Have the 
heifer tested with tuberculin and also test 
your other cattle. The test is absolutely 
harmless, and the only reliable way of de¬ 
termining the presence of tuberculosis. 
Tuberculin only causes a rise in tempera¬ 
ture in animals affected with the disease. 
It is a test which every owner of cattle 
should employ whether compelled to do so 
by law or not. It pays him to test his 
cattle and indeed no owner of cattle can 
afford to let his cattle go untested. When, 
by means of the test, the disease has been 
eradicated from a herd there is no need of 
ever having another case. To keep the dis¬ 
ease out one has only to test all new bought 
beasts. a. s. a. 
Mange in Cat. 
I have a valuable two-year-old cat. He 
is lately troubled with some contagious 
disease. He is constantly scratching him¬ 
self ; the fur under his tail back of his 
hind legs is very thin. He has no fleas. Can 
you diagnose it, and tell cause and cure? 
Massachusetts. m, w. h. 
Wash parts clean and when dry rub in 
sulphur ointment and repeat the application 
each other day. Reduce rich feed and make 
the cat take more exercise. Keep bowels 
active. a. s. a. 
March 9, 
Get This Booki 
BEFORE You 
Put Up Any lm ‘*’ 
I ■ A Read whn.t Ft- I 
W B I II perlment Stations say. Read how'- 
B Lansing Silos are made. Then you’ll\ 
■ WOt W know why careful farmers choose] 
LANSING SILOS 
, Incensed under Harder Patent No. 627, 73® 
Soft Cork Pine and choice of 7 other good 
woods. Steel Hoops and Draw Lugs, Continuous. 
Doorway, with Ladder Front. Write for book now. 
Severance Tank & Silo Co. 
Dept. 320, Lansing, Mich. 
00 
FROM OpuP 
depending on the! 
size. We make an„ 
size just as ehear’ 
A 8 X 16—Us in. Cypress Silo $ 66.00 p 
10X20—2 “ “ “ 116.00 
10X22-2 “ “ “ 126.00 
12X20-2 “ “ “ 134.00 
12 X 24—2 *• “ “ 159.00 
What you get in addition to the above is: 
1st —Our ‘'1912" continuous door opening .with gal¬ 
vanized hardware and combination ladder; 2nd —Two 
galvanized cables; 3rd —Two new stylo anchor rods; 
4th— Interior coated with "Shelco” gloss; 5th —Out¬ 
side painted with oxide red paint. 
This is the biggest valno ever offered—buy now to be 
shipped when wanted. The difference between buying 
the Arundel" Silo by mail and buying a Silo from an 
agent is to make a saving of from 20 to 40%. If this 
saving is not made in the price you surely will save it 
in the quality. 
Buy the “Arundel'’ Silo, examine It and If 
It Is not as represented—don’t take It, 
That Is our proposition— can yon beat it? 
We take the risk, and pay the freight back. Which will 
you buy—think it over. Deal with the maker direct. 
Write for Silo Booklet “T)D” 
THE BALTIMORE COMPANY, Baltimore, IVId. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
aAPERFECTSILO 
AFLASi® 
fclgfu 
Weather-proof, frost-p roof, a i r-p roof, 
water-proof. Can’t dry out or swell out. No 
hoops to tighten or loosen. Storms can’t 
wrench it out of shape. 
The Silo With Three Walls 
Cralne Patent Triple Wall Silo 
First, staves 2 inches thick; in the middle, a 
heavy layer of air-tight, odorless, water 
and acid proof Giant Insulating Sheathing; 
outside, a Continuous Spiral Wooden Hoop 
from bottom to top. No metal in contact 
with silage. Doors air-proof and fitted 
with Duttweiler patented fork cleaners. 
Spiral wood hoop is ship-locked together. 
F.ach joint covered with metal. 
We build silos of White Hemlock, Spruce, 
White Pine and Cypress. Write for catalog. 
W. L. SCOTT LUMBER CO. 
63 Main St., Norwich, N. Y. 
mROSS SILO 
The value of ensilage for dairy or 
cattle feeding is known to all. To get 
results care must be taken in selecting 
a silo. The BOSS SILO is absolutely 
guaranteed to produce the right kind 
of ensilage. Why? Because it 
IS THOROUGHLY MANUFACTURED 
and has features that are important 
and found on the Ross Silo only. 
Profit by our experience and build a 
BOSS SILO. Catalog explaine all. 
Agents Wanlod 
TheE. W. Iloss Co.(Est. 1850) 
Box 13 SPRINGFIELD, OHIO 
* v 
f StUr'-'jvHSSlI 
PORTLAND 
^ THE k .' 
UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 
c«»c*oo - «TTsee»a . 
PORTLAND 
CEMENT 
a 
S I LOS 
A Booklcf of JPrectical 
Information Prepared es¬ 
pecially tor the Farmer 
and Rural Contractor. 
“CONCRETE SILOS” 
A Book Every Farmer Should 
Have Who Has Cattle to Feed 
(Sent Free on Request ) 
It contains nearly ninety 
pages of practical information 
about silage as a fodder, its cost, 
kinds, making, curing, feeding, 
and effect upon cattle, and about 
concrete silos, how they are made, 
how large they should be, where 
they should be located, how filled, 
with diagrams and directions for 
every step in the work of erect¬ 
ing them. 
Almost any handy man can build a good silo of concrete, with 
the help of this booklet, and for no more money than a brick or 
wood silo would cost. A concrete silo, properly built, lasts for¬ 
ever, is fireproof and rat-proof, and costs practically nothing for 
^ Send for “Concrete Silos”—Address 
the nearest office of the company. 
UNIVERSAL P cement D| COMPANY 
CHICAGO PITTSBURGH MINNEAPOLIS 
72 West Adams St. Frick Building Security Bank Building 
Annual Output 48,000,000 Sacks 
