The  RURAL  NEW. YORKER 
1079 
$ 
The  Henyard 
Comb  of  Cochin  Fowls 
We  are  supposed  to  have  purebred 
Cochin  chickens,  and  sell  them  for  that, 
but  we  are  told  that  they  are  not  pure¬ 
bred  because  the  rooster  has  five  points, 
on  his  comb.  We  are  told  that  they 
should  have  four  or  six.  How  many 
points  should  a  purebred  rooster  have? 
Ohio.  MRS.  A. 
The  Cochin  standard  in  regard  to 
points  of  the  comib  calls  for  “serrations 
moderately  deep,  dividing  comb  into  five 
regular  points,  the  middle  one  highest.”  I 
have  never  heard  of  any  breed  that  did 
not  have  a  definite  standard  in  this  re¬ 
spect.  To  say  that  there  should  be  either 
four  or  six  seems  to  me  only  a  trifle  less 
absurd  than  to  hold  that  there  should  be 
either  three  or  seven.  While  the  point 
may  not  be  terribly  vital,  I  feel  that  no¬ 
tions  of  people  who  “talk  through  their 
hats” — and  there  seem  to  be  many  in 
agricultural  fields — should  be  sat  upon 
and  corrected  before  they  mislead  earnest 
and  well-intentioned  people  like  Mrs.  A. 
and  gain  headway  among  those  admitted¬ 
ly  unfamiliar  with  the  subject.  I  think 
that  uniformity  of  comb  is  perhaps  more 
easily  obtained  in  the  Mediterranean 
breeds  than  in  the  Asiatics,  but  that  is 
no  reason  for  trying  to  standardize  im¬ 
perfections  and  to  depreciate  efficient 
'breeing.  Stanley  l.  adler. 
New  Jersey. 
Drinking  Fountain  for  Poultry 
On  page  870  I  saw  an  illustration  of 
a  barrel  set  on  a  stand  with  water  drip¬ 
ping  from  a  faucet  into  a  shallow  dish 
•for  watering  poultry  on  range.  This 
works  very  well  when  they  drink  regu- 
Nail  to  hold  board  on  keg 
but  which  allows  it  to  swing 
larly,  or  about  as  long  as  we  watch,  but 
as  soon  as  we  turn  our  back  the  pan  is 
dry  or  running  over. 
Here  is  my  plan :  I  use  a  10-gallon 
keg  with  a  hole  about  1%  hi.  in  diam¬ 
eter  in  one  head  and  a  hole  in  one  of 
the  staves  at  the  opposite  end  for  a 
faucet  With  a  downward  projection  which 
projects  into  a  shallow  dish  when  the  keg 
is  set  on  end.  Into  the  1%-in.  hole  I  fit  a 
wooden  plug.  This  hole  is  used  for  fill¬ 
ing.  Over  the  top  of  the  keg  I  lay  a 
wide  board  to  keep  any  filth  from  getting 
on  the  keg,  and  eventually  into  it.  It 
works  on  the  same  principle  as  the  differ¬ 
ent  makes  of  fountains  on  the  market,  be¬ 
cause  as  soon  as  the  water  reaches  the 
opening  in  the  faucet  it  stops  running 
until  the  chickens  lower  the  level  of  the 
water  in  the  dish  by  drinking,  w.  H.  R. 
Picking  Ducks 
Will  you  tell  me  how  to  pick  squab 
ducks?  w.  S.  J. 
Norristown,  Pa. 
I  find  the  easiest  way  to  pick  ducks  is 
to  scald  in  hot  water,  pulling  the  duck 
through  a  tub  or  boiler  of  water  down¬ 
ward  so  that  the  water  can  penetrate  un¬ 
der  the  feathers,  which  will  be  ruffled  up. 
Then  roll  in  a  blanket  or  gunnysack  and 
leave  for  about  20  minutes,  or  long 
enough  so  the  duck  is  thoroughly  steamed. 
Uncover  part  of  the  body  at  a  time  and 
pick  quickly  so  it  will  not  become  cold. 
The  wing  and  tail  feathers  are  picked  and 
ranged  to  steam  six  or  eight  at  a  time. 
Two  sets  of  pickers  usually  pluck  the 
ducks ;  one  set,  called  the  roughers,  re¬ 
moving  the  bulk  of  the  feathers,  while  the 
other  set  of  pickers,  called  the  pinners, 
removes  the  down  and  some  of  the  small¬ 
er  feathers.  After  the  ducks  are  picked 
they  are  usually  washed  and  put  in  ice 
water  for  an  hour  or  two  to  cool  and 
plump.  Each  layer  of  ducks  is  packed 
flat  in  ice,  usually  with  the  keels,  or 
breasts,  down,  in  barrels,  or  in  boxes 
holding  one  dozen  each.  marie  betts. 
•  Sour  Crop 
What  can  be  done  for  sour  crop  in 
young  chickens?  I  have  some  with  sour 
crops,  and  when  I  catch  them  and  hold 
them  head  down  the  sour  water  runs  out 
of  the  mouth.  f.  r. 
Dunkirk,  N.  Y. 
Sour  crop,  or  catarrh  of  the  crop,  usu¬ 
ally  accompanies  some  other  disease  of 
the  digestive  organs  or  is  caused  by  eat¬ 
ing  spoiled  food  or  poisonous  material  of 
some  kind.  If  it  appears  generally  in  the 
flock,  it  is  likely  that  the  fowls  have  ob¬ 
tained  access  to  putrid  drinking  water  or 
spoiled  food,  or  even  some  poison,  per¬ 
haps  salt.  These  things  should  be  looked 
after,  of  course,  .and  any  affected  birds 
may  be  treated  by  holding  them  head 
downward  and  emptying  the  crop  by  gen¬ 
tle  pressure,  giving  them  a  little  soda  in 
water,  as  you  have  done,  and  then  by 
feeding  lightly  upon  soft  food  until  they 
recover.  m.  b.  d. 
Ailing  Chicks 
I  have  some  chicks  about  seven  weeks 
old,  and  am  losing  quite  a  few  every  day. 
They  seem  to  be  dizzy  and  stagger  around 
or  they  seem  to  be  very  weak  and  look 
all  faded  out.  Their  feathers  seem  to 
look  bushy  around  the  head,  and  they 
only  live  a  short  time,  sometimes  only  a 
few  hours.  What  is  the  remedy? 
West  Duxbury,  Mass.  mrs.  h.  s. 
Look  these  chicks  over  carefully  for 
lice,  particularly  if  they  are  running  with 
hens.  If  lice  are  found,  grease  their 
heads  with  lard  or  vaseline  and  put  a  lit¬ 
tle  under  each  wing.  Treat  the  mother 
hen  by  smearing  a  bit  of  blue  ointment 
about  the  size  of  a  kernel  of  corn  over 
the  skin  beneath  the  vent.  There  may, 
of  course,  be  other  causes  of  the  deaths 
in  this  flock,  but  your  description  sug¬ 
gests  weakening  from  the  ravages  of  lice. 
Don’t  assume  that  there  are  not  any  ; 
look  for  them.  m.  b.  d. 
Death  of  Chicks 
Recently  I  noticed  a  drooping  chicken, 
about  2  lbs.  in  weight,  that  I  caught  and 
gave  liver  pills.  Around  noon  it  died. 
Toward  evening  found  four  more  dead, 
and  another  dying.  My  chickens  have 
free  range,  and  the  ones  that  have  died 
are  all  1%  and  2  lbs.  in  weight,  and  are 
the  ones  that  cross  the  road  and  go  into 
another  field  over  there.  I  have  no  neigh¬ 
bors  within  a  square  or  more,  and  no 
chickens  ever  go  there,  as  I  own  11 G 
acres,  and  the  road  is  no  public  road  ;  it 
belongs  to  the  property.  I  have  lost  three 
good  watch  dogs  by  poisoning.  I  use  no 
rat  poison  of  any  kind,  depend  on  cats 
and  traps,  and  it  cannot  be  anything  I 
feed,  for  they  would  all  go,  as  all  are  fed 
together,  and  the  same  feed.  Could  you, 
from  the  above  description,  give  me  any 
idea  what  is  wrong?  h.  f.  m. 
New  Jersey. 
The  contents  of  a  chicken’s  gizzard 
might  show  phosphoresence  if  it  had 
swallowed  a  considerable  quantity  of 
phosphorus  in  rat  or  other  poison.  Add¬ 
ing  a  small  amount  of  sulphuric  acid  and 
warming  the  liquid  contents  of  that  or¬ 
gan  would  aid  in  bringing  out  the  char¬ 
acteristic  appearance  of  phosphorus,  ,f 
that  substance  is  present.  As  phosphorus 
is  the  chief  constituent  of  rat  poisons,  it 
would  be  well  to  search  the  premises  for 
an  open  box  of  that  stuff  when  such  poi¬ 
soning  is'  suspected.  The  sudden  deaths 
of  chicks  that  had  previously  shown  no 
Best  for  Dairy  and  Poultry! 
Carbola  is  a  white  paint  and  powerful  disinfectant  combined 
in  powder  form.  It  has  been  used  for  years  by  more  than  100,000 
dairy  and  poultry  farmers  and  by  agricultural  colleges  and  experi¬ 
ment  stations.  We  have  a  big  file  of  letters  from  farmers  and  store¬ 
keepers  praising  it. 
So  Easy  to  Use —  Won’t  Peel  or  Flake 
Simply  stir  the  powder  in  a  pail  of  water  and  it  is  ready  for  brush  or  sprayer — 
no  waiting  or  straining.  Does  not  clog  sprayer.  Won’t  peel  or  flake.  The  powerful 
disinfectant  does  not  evaporate  but  keeps  its  strength  on  the  walls.  Carbola 
will  not  spoil  even  in  water  and  may  be  kept  standing  in  pail  to  be  used  as 
wanted.  One  pound  covers  about  100  square  feet. 
Carbola  is  neither  poisonous  nor  caustic — harmless  to  the  smallest  chick  or 
stock  that  licks  a  painted  surface.  It  gives  walls  and  ceilings  a  smooth,  white 
finish,  increases  the  light,  improves  the  appearance,  and  helps  make  buildings 
clean,  sweet-smelling  and  free  from  mites  and  contagious  disease  germs.  There 
is  nothing  better  than  Carbola  for  dairies,  poultry  houses,  cellars,  dog  kennels, 
rabbit  hutches,  garages,  tree  trunks,  etc.  Give  it  a  trail — you  will  never  regret  it. 
AS  A  LOUSE  POWDER  for  use  on  cattle,  poultry,  horses,  hogs,  dogs,  etc.,  the  dry  pow¬ 
der  will  be  found  most  satisfactory.  The  dry  powder  is  applied  like  any  other  louse  powder,  and 
is  very  effective — a  first-class  louse  powder  at  10c  a  pound. 
Your  hardware ,  Feed,  teed,  poultry  supply  or  drug  dealer  has  Carbola  or  can  get  it. 
If  not,  order  direct — prompt  shipment  by  parcel  post  or  express. 
5  lb*.  75c  and  10c  postage  10  Ibt.  $1.25  and  15c  postage  20  lbs.  $2.50  delivered 
50  lbs.  $5.00  delivered  200  lbs.  $18.00  delivered 
25%  extra  to  Texas,  Rocky  Mountains  and  West 
CARBOLA  CHEMICAL  CO.  Inc.,  304  Ely  Avenue,  Long  Island  City,  New  York 
INDOW 
holesale 
SHADEQ 
Price^^ 
DIRECT  FROM  OUR  FACTORY 
TO  YOUR  HOME.  CARTAGE 
PREPAID.  SATISFACTION 
GUARANTEED  OR  MONEY 
REFUNDED. 
Sunfast  Holland,  natural 
linen  color;  sides  hemmed. 
Mounted  on  guar¬ 
anteed  Spring 
Roller.  Retail 
value,  $2.00. 
For . 
OUR  CATALOGUE  CONSISTS  OF  ALL  GRADES 
OF  SHADING.  TOGETHER  WITH  INSTRUCTIONS 
HOW  TO  MEASURE  AND  ORDER  SHADES,  FREE 
ON  REQUEST. 
Standard  Window  Shade  Co. 
428  Gold  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 
~  POULTRY  “  | 
PULL 
and  Breeding  Hens 
"wiuiM/EL 
TR^OE  MAhK 
English-american 
I  WHITE 
EGHORNS 
Fr««  ra ass  raised.  Big  Birds;  Big  White  Kicks.  IjocmI  value. 
Booklet  and  pncett  on  request. 
LAUREL  LOCKS  FARMS,  R.  D.  «  Pottslown,  Pa. 
Pullets  for  Sale 
R.  I.  Reds  and  White  Leghorns.  Bred  from  stock  of 
proven  value,  ail  on  free  range. 
March  5th  hatch . at  $2.50  each  1  ...  _  _ 
March  25th  hatch . at  2.25  each  >A  ‘  V.  ,* 
April  16th  hatch . at  2.00  each)  Brls,°  • 
A  few  selected  hens  for  breeders  at  $2.50  each.  Order 
from  this  adv.;  if  not  pleased  return  and  money  will  be 
refunded — you  are  the  one  to  be  satisfied. 
T.  R. THOMAS  “The  Maples”  Bristol,  Vermont 
CHICKS  8c  upC.O.D. 
Kocks,  Reds,  Leghorns  and  mixed.  100% 
delivery  guaranteed.  18th  season. 
Pamphlet.  Box  73. 
C.  M.  LAUVER  McAIisterville,  Pa. 
S.  C.  White  Leghorn  Pullets 
Almost  ready  to  lay.  Hatched  1st  half  of 
March.  Free  range  stock.  All  raised  from 
high  yield  breeders,  $1.75.  Also  500  year¬ 
lings.  Fine  type  of  bird.  Splendid  breed¬ 
ing  stock.  A  special  price  on  the  entire  lot. 
BIRCH  HILL  FARM 
Tel:  Katonah  222  KATONAH.  N.  Y. 
(iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimii 
Is  there  a  single  book  in  the  public 
library  in  your  town  which  gives  an  ac¬ 
curate  picture  of  farm  life  or  an  interest¬ 
ing  story  of  real  farm  people? 
Many  city  people  form  their  opinion  of 
farmers  and  farm  life  from  the  books  they 
read.  Therefore,  there  ought  to  be  at 
least  one  good  book  picturing  real  farm 
life,  with  its  mixture  of  bright  and  dark 
sides,  in  every  town  or  grange  library. 
“Hope  Farm  Notes”  is  a  well-printea 
224-page  book,  containing  25  interesting 
stories  of  farm  life  and  country  people. 
Many  consider  it  the  best  book  of  country 
life  which  has  ever  been  published. 
.,  4SK  ^or  this  book  at  your  library,  and 
if  it  isn’t  there  tell  them  they  ought  to 
have  it.  You  will  enjoy  the  book  your¬ 
self,  and  it  will  give  those  not  familiar 
with  farm  life  a  better  understanding  of 
real  country  people. 
Many  people  are  making  a  present  of 
this  book  to  city  friends  or  to  their  town, 
grange  or  school  library,  and  it  is  always 
considered  a  welcome  gift. 
The  price  is  only  $1.50,  postpaid.  Just 
fill  out  the  coupon  below  and  mail  with 
a  check  or  money  order. 
thrown  out  before  the  duck  is  steamed. 
The  soft  feathers  are  of  considerable 
value,  so  should  be  cared  for  after  pick¬ 
ing. 
A  good  method  for  removing  the  down 
is  to  sprinkle  powdered  rosin  over  the 
duck’s  body  and  dip  the  bird  into  hot 
water,  which  melts  the  rosin,  so  that  the 
down  and  rosin  can  be  rubbed  off  easily 
with  the  hand,  leaving  the  body  clean. 
If  one  wishes  to  do  the  work  on  a 
large  fcale,  a  large  steamer  can  be  ar¬ 
evidence  of  sickness  is  very  suggestive 
of  poisoning  from  some,  source,  but  I 
should  search  elsewhere  pretty  thorough¬ 
ly  before  suspecting  neighbors  of  inten¬ 
tionally  poisoning  a  flock  that  was  doing 
them  no  damage.  It  is  possible,  however, 
as  you  suggest,  that  someone  is  after  your 
watch  dog.  m.  b.  d. 
First  Doctor  :  “Did  you  ever  make  a 
serious  mistake  in  treating  a  patient?” 
Second  Doctor:  “Only  once.  I  cured  a 
millionaire  in  three  visits!” — Judge. 
H.  Tompkins  and  Payne  Bros.  Strain 
ROSE  AND  SINGLE  COMB  REDS 
Big,  husky,  farm-raised  Cockerels  and  Pullets  at  25%  o 
if  taken  before  November  1st.  Bred  for  vigor,  large  si» 
dark  red  color  mid  heavy  laying.  Write  for  free  20-pac 
Catalog  It  a  I. Pll  KMOREItllOOKER,  R.  D.  SB,  Pin-  Plato,  N.’ 
s.  C.  W.  Leghorn,  *8  per  1< 
S.  C.  Buff  Leghorn,  *10  per  It 
C  relive  A  am  i  >  n  K°?ks  Reds.HO  peril 
6  CENTS  AND  UP  Order  Direct.  Circular  Frei 
CLOYD  NIEM0ND  McAIisterville.  Pa.  P.  0.  Baa 
CHICKS 
WANTKD-500  WHITE  LEGHORN  PI 
LETS.  Must  come  from  a  good  laying  str 
Tell  us  what  you  have;  give  prices.  Lakevi 
Farm,  Chalk  Hill,  Pa. 
RURAL  NEW-YORKER, 
333  West  30th  St.,  New  York. 
Gentlemen.— Enclosed  find  81.50,  for  which 
mall  me  a  cloth-bound  copy  of  Hope  Farm  Notea. 
Name 
Street  or  E.  F.  D 
I  ostoffloe 
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