407 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
THE HENYARD 
How a Rat Carries an Egg 
I read with interest your article on 
how a rat carries an egg on page 272. It 
has been my good fortune to witness such 
a stunt, and this is how they do it: A 
rat, coming across an egg, will sit down 
on his hind quarters like a squirrel and 
take the egg between his forepaws. lie 
tucks it under his skin and by a slightly 
downward pressure the egg stays in place. 
(You have probably noticed the amount 
of loose skin that a rat has on his throat. 
This enables him to keep the egg in 
place). Rats are able to move quite 
rapidly in this manner. If, however, any¬ 
thing frightens them, they will immedi¬ 
ately drop the egg and run for cover. 
New York. Ralph dunckel. 
When a boy, I saw rats do this trick. 
One rat was inside of a box (hen’s nest) 
and it grasped the egg with .'orefeet, 
holding it with its chin or between its 
forelegs and throat. Then it stood up 
and rolled the egg over to another rat 
outside of the box, who let it down gently 
to the floor, when they, together, rolled 
or pushed the egg across the floor and 
up into an old basket (their nest). This 
they did until they had six eggs in their 
nest, from which I took them, and de¬ 
stroyed their nest. It was great sport to 
watch them handle the eggs so cleverly. 
I have also seen them pull things out of 
crocks by reaehing down and drawing 
themselves back, holding their stolen 
goods as described above. 
Pennsylvania. i. s. wanamaker. 
I am pleased to be able to sav I have 
seen it done; yes, I have watched rats 
stealing the eggs. I cannot give the exact 
date, but it was about 10 years ago. I 
had placed a basket of eggs in the cellar 
to use along as needed, and was at a loss 
to know what made them disappear so 
fast. I knew I was not using them at 
the rate they were going. Late one eve¬ 
ning, when only a dozen or so were left 
in the basket, I heard rats squealing in 
the cellar. I had no thought of the rats 
taking eggs, but was curious to know 
wliat they could be up to to make such a 
disturbance. Our cellar is electric lighted, 
and one can see into it somewhat without 
going onto the stairs if the door is open. 
I therefore switched on the light and 
stood back to see if I could find what 
the rats were up to. It happened that 
the basket of eggs was in my line of 
vision- and as the rats were not afraid 
of the light and not afraid of me (I 
being too far away from them) I saw a 
most amazing thing. 
The basket was not very deep; one rat 
would reach down, put its forefeet and 
legs around an egg, roll it up to the side 
of the basket till it balanced over the 
top; when he pulled the egg over he 
would fall on his back with the egg firmly 
clasped with all four legs. Soon as he 
was in this position another rat would 
grab the fallen rat’s tail in his mouth and 
jerk him backward just like a dog pulling 
on a root. They moved at pretty good speed 
on smooth cement, but when they struck 
the rough dirt near their hole progress 
was rather slow, but they got there in a 
short time and disappeared down the hole. 
I was so surprised that I could hardly 
believe what I had seen, so I kept still. 
In a moment or so they were back again 
after another. I watched them carry 
off three of the eggs, when someone came 
into the house and slammed a door, and 
the show was over. There were three or 
four rats in the party, but there was 
only one carrying an egg. and only one 
pulling on his tail at once; they may 
have taken turns at it with different eggs, 
I don’t know. Only two went into the 
hole with the egg; they came right out. 
and the others waited for them. The 
rats accompanied their work with a tre¬ 
mendous lot of squealing, but whether 
this was in merriment or from pain of 
being pulled along by the tail I do not 
know, but I do know that I saw the trick 
done- MRS. A. I. LOOP. 
Pennsylvania. 
Lame Pullets; Weevils 
1. I have a flock of pullets and several 
of them have become lame. They would 
linger along for two or three weeks, eat 
but little and after awhile die. What is 
the matter? They have corn, wheat, oats 
or barley and a mash. 2. You have men¬ 
tioned in the paper several times a cure 
for the weevil in beans. I would like 
to know how much of the material is re¬ 
quired for one quart of beans or more. 
Massachusetts. A. L. p. 
1. You do not give enough particulars 
to enable one to form any opinion as to 
the cause of death of these pullets. Ap¬ 
parent lameness is often merely evidence 
of growing weakness from some disease, 
the fowl finally becoming unable to walk 
or stand. 
2. Weevils in beaus may be destroyed 
by the use of carbon bisulphide. The 
amount needed depends upon the size of 
the vessel or bin in which the beans are 
to be treated. One pound of the carbon 
bisulphide will generate sufficient gas to 
fill a space of I .(KM) cubic feet, or a bin 
10 feet square and the same number of 
feet in height. One quart of beans in a 
tight can would require but a spoonful 
or two of the liqiud. To treat the beaus, 
put them into a tight container that can 
be covered. Pour out a little of the car¬ 
bon bisulphide, the amount depending 
upon the size of the container, into an 
open saucer, or other dish, placed upon 
the top of the beans, and cover tightly. 
The carbon bisulphide will evaporate 
quickly and the fumes, being heavier than 
air, will sink through the mass of beans 
destroying the weevils, after which the 
beans may be removed from the bin or 
other container and thoroughly aired. 
M. B. D. 
Treatment for Hen Lice 
What method at present has been found 
to be most efficacious and practical, and 
is in use on large commercial plants, for 
the control of body lice on fowls? I do 
not refer to the red mite, but the big, 
flesh-colored body louse. It has been our 
custom to use sand on our floors under the 
straw during the Winter heretofore, but 
this Winter have not, and though having 
made examination for same in other years, 
have discovered scarcely a single pest on 
any bird handled. This Winter it has 
come to our attention that practically all 
the one, two and three-year old breeding 
hens, and males, too, are pretty well pep¬ 
pered ; do not notice any except in the 
vicinity of the vent. It has rather puz¬ 
zled us to know why or what has been 
responsible for their multiplied appear¬ 
ance at the present. There are no dust 
baths in their houses, and never has been 
other years. On this point, do the best 
poultry men nowadays favor the dust 
bath, as was the case formerly. I rather 
believe they do not. I have read in The 
R. N.-1 T . and elsewhere about the blue or 
mercurial ointment treatment, to be mixed 
with vaseline, and to be rubbed just be¬ 
neath the vent about the size of a dime. 
I forget the proportion of vaseline, so will 
you repeat it? If this is the best remedy, 
would the application have any unfavor¬ 
able effect upon the eggs to be used for 
hatching; that is, if applied one to three 
weeks prior to saving the eggs? I have 
in the long past on other poultry plants 
used the lice powder dusting method, but 
believe this rather antiquated. Treating 
Leghorns, because of their flightier and 
nervous nature, is more of a problem than 
the large breeds. In applying this oint¬ 
ment, do you know of any better way 
than to go in the house at night and lak« 
each one from the roost for treatment? 
The birds are not neglected in any way, 
are healthy and in good flesh; in fact, 
fatter than they usually are at this sea¬ 
son, though it is our belief that a Leghorn 
has got to be about in this condition to be 
in laying shape. They are through with 
the molt, have run outdoors most of the 
Winter. lay-bred leghorn farm. 
New York. 
This matter is well discussed in Bulle¬ 
tin S6 of the Connecticut Experiment Sta¬ 
tion, Storrs, Conn. For the body lice 
Prof. Lamson advises blue ointment. This 
is a mixture of two-thirds of mercurial 
ointment and one-third vaseline. A piece 
of this ointment about the size of a large 
pea, is smeared on the body of the chick¬ 
en. The best place for application on 
older stock is just below the vent. The 
ointment smeared at this place has Droved 
very successful. It seems remarkable 
that an application just at this point 
should so fully protect the hen, yet re 
peated experiments show that when the 
ointment is applied iu this way the hen 
is kept free from these lice for several 
months. Prof. Lamson says he has never 
had any serious injury from the applica¬ 
tion of this ointment. Apparentlv the 
best plan for using the ointment is to 
catch the birds at night after they have 
gone to roost, and carefully rub the oint¬ 
ment just below the vent. In some cases 
small quantities of the ointment are 
rubbed under the wings, and on the head, 
but the vent application seems to be most 
effective. For killing the mites which 
infest the hens at night, the best remedy 
is to smear or paint the under side of the 
roost with some hard fat like beef or mut¬ 
ton tallow. Several readers report dis¬ 
aster when using mercurial ointment on 
hens that are brooding chicks. The mer¬ 
cury seems to injure the little ones. Wo 
would not use it on hens that are hatch¬ 
ing eggs, but rather clean them up before 
settiug them. The dust bath is still used 
by most poultrymen, but it gives only 
temporary relief from lice. 
Coming Live Stock Sales 
March’ 7—W. C. McGavock, Duroe- 
Jerseys, Mt. Pulaski, Ill. 
March 11—Iowa Shorthorn Breeders’ : 
Association. Des Moines, Iowa. 
March 12—New England Berkshire 
Club, bred sows, Brattleboro, Vt. 
March 12—Southern Iowa Breeders’ 
Association, Percherons, Oskaloosa, Iowa. 
March 13-14 — Nebraska Shorthorn 
Breeders’ Association, Shorthorns, Grand 
Island. Neb. 
April 1-12—HoLsteins, Purebred Live 
Stock Sales Co., Brattleboro, Vt. 
April 9—Central Illinois Shorthorn 
Breeders’ Association, Paris, Ill. 
April 17—John II. Fitch, Angus, Lake 
City, Iowa. 
There was a shriek and a splash, fol¬ 
lowed by another splash immediately aft¬ 
erwards. as a would-be rescuer swam to 
where a lady had disappeared under the 
water. He caught her as she struggled 
to the surface and sought to calm her. 
“Don’t struggle, madam,” he said ; “we are 
perfectly safe. The lake is quite calm 
and as clear as a mirror, and-” “Well, 
let go my arms, then,” said the new com¬ 
forted lady, “and let me look into it. I 
think my hair is coming down.”—Mel¬ 
bourne Leader. 
There’s No Profit 
In Dead Chicks 
Unless your chicks grow to broiler size, or 
reach maturity and lay eggs, the time, labor 
and money you spend on them is wasted. 
Each Chick That Dies Means at Least $1.00 
Out of Your Pocket. 
All poultry, and especially young chicks, is subject to many diseases, some 
of which are highly infectious, and resist all efforts of treatment. It is 
much easier to prevent disease than it is to cure it, and in this connection 
there is nothing that means so much to the welfare of your flock as clean, 
sanitary living quarters. 
The presence of lice and mites, even if not in sufficient numbers to actu¬ 
ally kill your chicks—which very often is the case—means reduced egg 
production, retarded growth, and a weakened condition of the fowls, due 
to the constant loss of blood, that makes them most susceptible to disease. 
For disinfecting your incubators before putting in the eggs, for your 
brooders before turning in the young chicks, and for putting all of your 
poultry buildings into sanitary shape, there is nothing that is better than 
a snow-white paint in powder form that is combined with a disinfectant 
many times stronger than carbolic acid. Carbola is ready to use as soon 
as mixed with water—no waiting or straining—and it can be applied with 
either a brush or a spray pump to wood, brick, stone or cement surfaces, 
or over whitewash. One gallon covers about two hundred square feet, and 
it will not blister, flake or peel off, clog the sprayer, or spoil by standing. 
Carbola is neither poisonous nor caustic. It kills lice, mites, fly eggs, etc., 
and helps prevent the germs of contagious diseases that affect poultry and 
livestock -roup, white diarrhea, cholera, glanders—from getting a start 
and spreading through your flock or herd. The dry powder is unexcelled 
as a lice powder' 
... . Use It Instead of Whitewash 
®nd disinfectants in your poultry houses, stables, hog pens, cellars, out¬ 
buildings, etc. Make them lighter, sweet-smelling and sanitarv. Carbola is 
used and indorsed by thousands in all parts of the United States. 
10 lbs. (10 gals,) $1 and postage. 20 lbs. (20 gals.) $2 delivered. 
50 lbs. (50 gals.) $4 delivered. 
I rial package and interesting booklet for 25c. postpaid. 
Your hard-ware seed, faint or dru? dealer has Carbola or ean ret it. If not. 
or der direct shipment by parcel post or express the day order is received. 
7 East 42nd Street 
CARBOLA CHEMICAL CO., Inc. 
Dept. R 
New York 
How Many 
Eggs Will 
Pay for 
One Package? 
'J' HIS is the big reason for your 
trying one package of Sleekene 
right now. Any increase at all in 
your egg production means so 
much more money in your pocket. 
So many times more than the cost 
of this tonic! 
SLEEKENE 
Mix It With the Mash ! 
In wet mash—one tablespoon 
full for every twenty hens, two or 
three times a week. In dry mash 
—a half package to a whole bushel 
of the feed. 
If your dealer hasn’t Sleekene, 
send his name 
with 50 cents in 
stamps and a full 
sized package 
will be sent you 
postpaid. 
Made only by 
G.C. Hanford Mfg.Co. 
Syracuse, N.Y. 
LINCOLN LEGHORNS 
Big Husky Single Comb White Leghorn Cockerels 
from hens with records 200 eggs and up, $5 and 57.50 
each. Pedigree White Wyandotte and White Leg¬ 
horn hatching eggs. Write for mating list. 
Merrythought Farm, . Columbia, Conn. 
S. C. White Leghorn and Ancona 
Hatching Eggs. $10 per 100; Cockerels. $5 to $15; 
Yearlings, $2; Pullets, $2.50 
JAMESON & FIELD, Sooth Wales, N.Y. 
Parks Strain Barred Rocks 
Hatching- Eggs, $2.50 per 15; $10 per 100. 
D. EVERETT JONES, Hillsdale, N. Y. 
,, nuvna raised birds’ 
Heavy laying, trap-nested, Parks' strain, 31 25 per 
settiug. G. A. Williams, Box 494, W arwick, N.Y, 
CHAS. GREENLEAF, OF NEWBURG 
reports: 10 of your April pullets laid 529 eggs from 
Nov. 1st to Feb. 13th. Best pen, Storrs, had 521. For 
years at Storrs our White Wyandottes won 1st on show 
points. j t pays to b U y our American Strain. 
R. W. STEVENS, Stillwater, N. Y. 
COCKERELS.'.It ' MESS?™ 
Ihese cockerels will please anyone wishing nice 
stock. 15 Cockerels for $3.00 and 30 Hen and “>0 
Pullets for the same—that for $3.00 are the Thomp¬ 
son Strain—the Ringlets are $5.00 e.-ich. 
CLINTON K. HOUSEL, RINGOES, N. J. 
For Sale-White Guineas a $ p ? r 
H. SCHULTZ, Jr„ Ransomville, N. Y. 
, c JHe Ik i miiuu l i LU laying strains. Einrs, 
la— $l.i o; 50- $o, prepaid. MAMIE SICELOFF, Ramsey, X. J # 
For Sale—White Wyandotte Cockerels S 
Nov. and Dec. layers. HEK1UN F.SOUIIEB, Topis Itit-r. >. J. 
Rose and Single Comb Reds 
Viberts Trapnested Stock. 
Hatching Eggs. S2.50 per 15 ; $10 per 100. 
D. EVERETT JONES, HILLSDALE, N.Y. 
Winners Storrs Contest *13-’14 
Leading Leghorn Pen ’lS-’lG 
Hatching Eggs and Chicks from carefully selected 
breeding flocks. FRANCIS F LINCOLN, Mt. Carmel, Conn 
Chicks-White Leghorns-Eggs 
From fully matured breeders of the best laying 
strains, bred for size, vigor and heavy-laying quali¬ 
ties. Pedigreed males used. Prices reasonable; safe 
delivery guaranteed. Send for circular. 
HARRY F. PALMER, . MIDOLEPORT, NEW YORK 
Eggs 
and 
Chicks 
““,'*.7 S.C.W. Leghorns 
and R. C. R. I. Reds at Moderate Prices 
Our Leghorns are bred for egg production 
and deliver the goods. Safe delivery and 
satisfaction guaranteed. Cir. free. Write 
today. C. M. Loagcnecker, Bax 50. Elizsbetlitown. Pa. 
S. C. WHITE LEGHORNS 
Baby chicks $15 per 100. Eggs. $7.50 per IOC. April 
and May delivery. One-half Penn. Poultry Farm 
strain. Ten years experience. Brookside Foul, 
try Farm, E. C BROWN. Prsp., R.0.2, Stockton, N. J. 
S. C. R. I. R. e ds ^cockerels 
from trap-nested stock, S3 to $ 5 . C. L. MASON,Genoa, N.Y 
Buff Wyandottes fSS h r H t& 
Mrs. Worthington Holcomb. New Hartford. Conn. 
Chicks. J 20 per 100. A. G. SOOTHELlMD-eeu flf. mkV.'y; 
SILVER CAMPINES 
Laying bens, S2 50 Each. 
$2 for 15, $5 for 50, $8—100. 
The McPherson Farm, 
Best of stock. Eggs, 
Millington, N. J. 
vui« | uilet.**. Also White Leghorn Pullets, Cock- 
hL RKITON FARM, Darlington, Maryland 
erels. 
PRODUCTIVE POULTRY HUSBANDRY, 
by Harry R. Lewi*; $2. A popular Poultry 
work. For sal* by Rural New-Yorker 
