The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
1579 
Live  Bait  in  a  Tank 
I  have  a  milk  cooling  vat  of  cement  in 
one  corner  of  a  well-lighted  cellar ;  city 
wafer  connections,  outlet  pipe  nearly 
flush  with  top ;  size,  inside  dimensions, 
48x24x12  ft.  6  in.  Can  I  keep  live  bait 
in  this  vat  for  fishing,  and  what  would 
be  the  maximum  number?  Could  I  sell 
this  bait,  and  how  much  would  it  be 
worth?  Would  constant  dripping  keep 
the  water  clear  enough,  and  what  kind  of 
feeding?  Would  goldfish  breed  in  the  vat 
under  these  conditions?  w.  D.  w. 
Norwich,  N.  Y. 
You  could  keep  live  bait  in  the  tank 
you  describe,  but  I  cannot  tell  how  many. 
That  would  depend  on  the  size  of  the  fish, 
the  temperature  of  the  water  and  the 
length  of  time  they  are  to  be  held.  More 
fish  can  be  kept  in  cold  water  than  in 
warm.  More  fish  can  be  held  a  short 
time  in  a  storage  tank  than  can  be  kept 
in  a  place  where  they  are  expected  ro 
breed. 
The  matter  of  selling  bait  fish  is  under 
the  control  of  the  Conservation  Commis¬ 
sion,  and  I  do  not  know  w’hat  the  rules ' 
are.  It  will  be  best  to  consult  the  local 
game  warden  about  that.  Bait  minnows 
in  this  region  sell  for  15  to  25  cents  a 
dozen ;  more  at  some  times.  The  price 
varies  according  to  the  size  of  the  fish 
and  the  demand  for  bait.  I  have  seen 
rather  small  bait  sell  for  10  to  15  cents 
each  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
The  best  way  to  keep  live  fish  for  bait 
is  in  live  boxes  in  the  stream  where  they 
are  found  naturally.  If  such  a  place  is 
not  available,  a  tank  such  as  you  suggest 
can  be  used.  Friends  of  considerable  ex¬ 
perience  tell  me  that  it  is  better  to  turn 
off  the  water  supply  most  of  the  time,  or 
else  arrange  it  so  that  the  fish  cannot 
get  to  the  place  where  the  cold  water 
comes  in,  as  it  is  likely  to  kill  them 
quickly  in  warm  weather. 
Coldfish  could  be  raised  in  such  a  tank, 
but  it  would  be  necessary  to  keep  the  cold 
water  supply  turned  off  most  of  the  time, 
or  else  arrange  baffle  boards  so  that  the 
water  would  be  well  mixed  before  reach¬ 
ing  the  fish.  ALFRED  C.  WrEED. 
to  fence  against.  As  for  sport,  they  are 
a  night-traveling  animal,  and  can  be  seen 
only  on  moonlight  nights,  and  make  very 
poor  sport.  The  sportsman  would  better 
take  a  shot  at  a  hoot  owl  when  it  flies 
over  him  on  a  dark  night  and  hollers 
"Who,  who,”  provided  he  is  not  too 
scared.  piiil  orth. 
Utah. 
How  to  Set  a  Deadfall 
'Would  you  give  me  information  how  to 
set  a  deadfall?  I  have  waited  for  this 
question  to  come  up,  but  decided  to  ask 
myself.  M.  s. 
Monroe,  N.  Y. 
It  is  well  to  remind  you  at  the  start 
that  the  setting  of  a  deadfall  is  a  thing 
than  can  hardly  be  learned  by  correspond¬ 
ence.  The  easiest  way  to  learn  is  to  have 
some  old  trapper  show  how  it  is  done. 
The  next  best  way  is  to  get  the  best  in¬ 
structions  possible  and  then  keep  trying 
until  the  right  way  is  found. 
There  are  three  parts  to  a  deadfall 
trap.  (1)  The  log,  stone  or  other  weight 
that  kills  or  holds  the  animal;  (2)  the 
trisrver  that  releases  the  weight,  (3)  the 
guide  that  places  the  animal  under  the 
weight  when  the  trigger  is  released. 
The  weight  may  be  a  stone  or  a  log,  or 
it  may  be  a  slender  stick  weighted  so  that 
it  will  do  the  work.  Its  size  and  position 
must  be  adapted  to  the  animal  that  is  to 
be  caught.  Often  the  weight  is  arranged 
so  that  it  will  fall  on  a  stick  or  log  and 
catch  the  animal  between  the  two. 
There  are  a  great  many  ways  of  ar¬ 
ranging  the  trigger.  A  T-shaped  twig  is 
sometimes  used.  The  top  of  the  T  stands 
between  the  weight  and  the  under  log  or 
a  round  stone,  or  something  else,  so  that 
a  little  movement  will  cause  it  to  slip  out. 
There  are  two  styles  of  “figure  four” 
triggers.  In  one  style  the  slanting  piece 
fits  into  notches  in  the  trigger  and  the 
upright.  Then  a  string  passes  up  from 
the  slanting  piece,  over  a  branch  of  a 
convenient  tree  and  down  to  the  weight. 
In  the  other  style  the  end  of  the  slanting 
piece  fits  in  a  notch  in  the  trigger  and  the 
ton  of  the  upright  sets  in  a  notch  of  the 
slanting  piece.  Then  the  weight  rests  on 
the  free  end  of  the  slanting  piece.  In 
any  case  it  is  important  to  have  the  trig¬ 
ger  work  very  easily  so  that  a  slight 
touch  will  spring  it. 
It  is  very  important  to  have  a  path 
arranged  to  lead  the  animal  to  the  exact 
spot  where  it  will  be  caught  when  the 
trap  is  sprung.  In  some  cases  a  natural 
opening  in  the  bushes  may  be  used.  In 
other  cases  sticks,  brush,  ‘bark,  old  fence 
boards  or  other  material  must  be  used.  It 
is  important  to  have  the  place  look  nat¬ 
ural.  There  must  be  no  appearance  of 
an  attempt  to  force  the  animal  to  a  cer¬ 
tain  place.  This  means  that  the  trapper 
must  have  a  very  good  knowledge  of  the 
habits  of  the  creature  he  wants  to  catch. 
The  deadfall  requires  so  much  construc¬ 
tion  that  it  is  much  harder  to  restore 
everything  to  a  natural  appearance  than 
where  a  steel  trap  is  used. 
ALFRED  C.  WEED. 
Stuffed  Birds  as  Scarecrows 
I  have  read  the  articles  about  the 
robins  in  the  strawberry  patch.  There 
was  a  taxidermist  in  our  family ;  we  had 
several  large  birds  mounted.  One  day  we 
Put  an  owl  out  on  a  pedestal  in  center  of 
the  bed.  The  birds  made  so  much  noise 
they  waked  the  baby  from  its  nap.  Some¬ 
times  we  put  out  a  hawk  in  cherry  tree. 
The  birds,  did  not  meddle  with  the  fruit, 
but  held  indignation  meetings  in  nearby 
trees.  m.  l.  d. 
R.  N.-Y. — That’s  a  new  idea.  We  have 
seen  stuffed  cats  used  in  this  way.  They 
were  quite  effective. 
When  Should  Leghorns  Start  Laying 
I  have  May  15  pullets;  about  half  are 
producing.  The  rest  are  showing,  some 
two  fingers  width  between  pelvis,  and 
others  only  one.  I  believe  it  will  not  pay 
to  keep  those  that  are  not  “in”  at  seven 
month  (Leghorns).  I  am  trap-nesting, 
so  keep  strict  tab  on  each  pullet.  What 
do  you  think  about  the  time  Leghorns 
should  be  “in”  to  be  profitable?  Seventy 
pullets  are  producing  65  per  cent  with¬ 
out  lights.  Do  you  think  this  too  high, 
too  much  forcing?  I  am  feeding  50  lbs. 
meat  scraps  to  every  250  lbs.  mash,  1  to 
5,  Cornell  ration.  r.  b. 
Princeton,  N.  J. 
Leghorn  pullets  should  begin  laying  at 
between  five  and  six  months  of  age.  This 
does  not  mean  that  each  pullet  in  a  flock 
of  that  age  should  begin  laying  on  the 
same  day,  or  in  the  same  week.  A  few 
eggs  will  first  be  laid  by  the  most  fully 
developed,  and  production  will  gradually 
increase  as  others  reach  full  maturity. 
I  should  not  cull  a  pullet  according  to 
the  time  of  beginning  laying,  but  rather 
according  to  type  and  development.  Many 
pullets  are  placed  in. Winter  quarters  that 
are  manifestly  inferior  and  can  never  be 
profitable  as  layers ;  these  might  better 
go  to  market  before  they  consume  any 
more  expensive  grain.  Most  poultry 
keepers  are  tender-hearted,  however, 
when  it  comes  to  culling  the  pullets  in 
the  Fall.  They  have  been  raised  at  con¬ 
siderable  expense  and  it  is  hard  not  to 
give  them  a  chance  to  develop  later,  even 
when  good  judgment  tells  one  that  they 
are  constitutionally  inferior  and  ought 
not  to  go  into  the  Winter  quarters.  One 
fifth  part  beef  scrap  is  not  too  much  in 
the  laying  mash  of  hens  and  pullets, 
though  this  amount  may  be  cut  down  if 
milk  in  some  form  is  fed.  The  distance 
between  the  bones  at  the  pelvic  arch  is 
only  one  indication  of  whether  or  not  a 
bird  is  laying.  It  should  not  be  made  a 
criterion  as  to  the  value  of  the  bird.  Size, 
evidences  of  vitality  and  vigor  and  the 
several  body  characters  that  make  up 
1  type”  should  all  be  taken  into  considera¬ 
tion.  These  are  best  learned  by  observa¬ 
tion  under  a  competent  instructor. 
M.  B.  D. 
Warming  Water  with  Electric  Light 
Is  it  possible  to  keep  water  warm  in 
the  chicken  coop  in  Winter  by  inserting 
an  electric  light  bulb  in  the  water?  If  so, 
what  power  light  bulb  would  have  to 
be  used  in  order  to  keep  a  4-gal.  pan  (ice¬ 
box  pan)  of  water  from  freezing?  Is 
there  any  special  form  of  bulb  to  use,  or 
just  an  ordinary  one?  Would  there  be 
any  possibility  of  a  short  circuit  being 
formed,  due  to  the  water  and  pan? 
Newington  Jet.,  Conn.  c.  c.  k. 
Yes,  electric  light  bulbs  are  used  for 
this  purpose.  A  25-c.p.  carbon  filament 
bulb. would  probably  keep  the  water  from 
freezing  in  a  4-gal.  vessel  of  water,  though 
this  would  necessarily  depend  upon  the 
external  temperature  to  some  extent.  In¬ 
sert  the  stem  of  the  bulb  into,  or  through 
a  block  of  light  wood  that  will  float  upon 
the  surface  of  the  water  in  the  vessel, 
permitting  the  greater  part  of  the  bulb 
to  be  immersed. 
Yes,  there  is,  of  course,  the  possibility 
ot  a  short  circuit,  and  it  would  probably 
be  better  to  have  this  bulb  on  a  circuit  by 
itself,  rather  than  one  which  supplies 
buildings  with  light.  A  “waterproof” 
socket  should  also  be  used.  I  do  not  see 
how  a  short  circuit,  caused  by  the  pene- 
tration  of  water  to  the  wires  in  the  sock¬ 
et,  could  do  any  other  damage  than  to 
blow  a  fuse,  or  bow  a  circuit  through  the 
water  and  container  to  the  ground  could 
do  any  harm.  M.  B  D 
laying.  .  Now  I  want  to  start  the  new 
year  with  20,  16  young  ones  and  the 
four  old  ones.  I  like  ducks  and  think 
a  lot  of  them.  But  the  whole  trouble  is  I 
cannot  find  a  market  for  my  eggs  around 
near.  I  have  tried  the  local  bakeries 
and  stores,  but  no  one  wants  the  eggs 
when  they  can  get  hen  eggs.  Bakery 
people  say  they  will  not  beat  up  like 
hen  eggs,  and  therefore  cannot  use  them 
for  baking  cakes. 
Can  some  of  your  readers  tell  me  what 
to.  do  with  the  eggs;  how  they  can  be 
shipped  and  where  to?  I  should  like  to 
raise  a  real  flock  next  year  as  they  are 
a  lot  easier  raised  and  cared  for  than 
chickens,  and  outlay  any  of  the  hen 
flocks  I  know  of  around  here,  even  my 
own.  j.  a.  R. 
New  York. 
R.  N.-Yr. — A  question  of  this  sort  can 
only  be  satisfactorily  answered  by  a  full 
discussion  and  personal  records.  If  any 
of  our  readers  are  “in  the  same  fix”  will 
they  tell  us  how  they  fixed  it  up. 
Double  Judging  of  Poultry 
The  average  small  poultry  show  usual¬ 
ly  arouses  little  more  than  local  interest, 
one  show  being  like  another,  but  there  is 
occasionally  an  exception.  The  ninth 
annual  show,  just  held  at  Bedford  Hills, 
N.  Y.,  by  the  Westchester  County  Poul¬ 
try  Association,  is  a  case  in  point.  At 
previous  shows  it  has  been  customary  to 
divide  the  classes  into  “exhibition”  and 
“utility,”  and  in  consequence  many  argu¬ 
ments  have  arisen  between  the  “exhibi¬ 
tion”  and  “utility”  men  as  to  the  excel¬ 
lence  of  their  favorite  birds  in  the  other’s 
classes.  This  year  a  new  plan  was  fol¬ 
lowed.  No  division  of  classes  was  made, 
but  all  classes  of  egg  producers  were 
judged  twice,  once  for  standard  points 
and  once  for  “production.”  Geo.  W. 
Weed  of  East  Lee,  Mass.,  John  II.  Weed 
of  Vineland,  N.  J..  and  Geo.  W.  Terwil- 
liger  of  Millwood,  N.  Y„  judged  the 
classes  for  the  standard,  and  after  all 
marks  had  been  removed  from  the  cage 
cards,  Walter  G.  Krum  of  Cornell  Uni¬ 
versity  judged  them  again  for  “produc¬ 
tion.”  Separate  prizes  were  awarded  for 
each  style  of  judging.  The  results  were 
most  interesting.  In  46  classes,  in  which 
there  was  competition,  over  70  per  cent 
of  the  winners  scored  under  both  styles. 
Twenty-two  birds  took  double  firsts,  and 
19  birds  double  seconds.  The  best  male 
in  the  show,  a  R.  I.  Red  cock,  was  ap¬ 
proved.  by  both  judges.  The  best  female, 
a  White  Wyandotte  pullet,  was  unani¬ 
mously  selected  by  all  judges.  The  best 
pen,  young  Orpingtons,  were  likewise  of 
fine  quality,  both  for  exhibition  and  for 
production. 
A  R.  I.  Red  pullet  scored  a  double  first 
in  a  class  of  nine,  an  Orpington  cockerel 
did  the  same.  Many  other  examples  of 
excellence  in  f»th  systems  could  be  quot¬ 
ed,  but  enough  has  been  given  to  show 
that  a  really  good  bird  can,  and  should 
be  able  to  excel  both  in  type  and  color,  as 
well  as  utility  points.  What  we  need  is 
not  so  much  a  new  standard  as  a  revision 
in  our  judging  system,  which  will  give 
due  weight  to  production  as  well  as  type 
and  color.  A  bird  which  possesses  all 
three  of  these  characteristics  is  without 
doubt  a  better  bird  to  breed  from  than 
one  deficient  in  any  one  of  them.  The 
small  poultry  show  can  do  much  for  the 
improvement  of  poultry  in  its  neighbor¬ 
hood  by  .  introducing  just  such  innova¬ 
tions  in  judging,  in  educational  exhibits, 
m  lectures,  movies  and  other  features, 
which  the  large  show,  as  a  rule,  neglects,’ 
and  which  are  of  great  value  to  the  farm¬ 
er,  the  fancier  and  the  commercial  poul- 
tryman.  Charles  h.  chafman. 
New  York. 
Laying  Ration 
Can  you  tell  me  the  right  amount,  by 
weight,  of  corn,  oats  and  wheat,  to  mix 
for  scratch  food  for  hens,  and  how  much 
to  feed  for  a  day’s  feed  to  a  hen  that  has 
mash  in  front  of  her  all  the  time,  to  pro¬ 
duce  eggs?  The  breed  is  White  Leghorn. 
Gainesville,  Va.  d.  j  a 
The  Snowshoe  Rabbit 
I  have  had  15  years’  experience  with 
the  “snowshoe”  rabbit  and  must  say  they 
are  more  destructive  to  an  apple  orchard 
than  a  herd  of  sheep.  They  will  eat  all 
twigs  from  the  size  of  a  lead  pencil  down, 
and  then  gnaw  the  bark  off  the  trunk,  un¬ 
less  the  trunk  is  of  an  old  tree  and  has 
become  too  “corky.”  They  can  travel  on 
the  lightest  snow,  an.d  will  stand  up  on 
rheir  hind  legs  and  reach  two  or  more  feet 
into  the  tree,  and  they  are  very  difficult 
Can  You  Sell  Duck  Eggs 
I  would  very  much  like  to  know  if 
there  are  any  of  your  readers  in  the  same 
fix  I  am.  I  have  a  small  flock  of  Indian 
Runner  ducks  and  they  are  good  layers 
too.  I  had  nine  to  start  with  last  Jan¬ 
uary  and  got  my  first  egg  th°  17th  of  that 
month,  had  one  duck  sit  May  25.  and 
began  to  lay  again  August  5.  One  died, 
I  traded  one  for  a  drake  and  sold  three, 
leaving  me  four  to  date.  To  date  I 
have  got  1,209  eggs  from  them  and  still 
You  don’t  have  to  mix  scratch  feed  by 
weight.  I  should  make  it  half  or  more 
corn  or  wheat,  and  the  balance  of  such 
other  grains  as  barley,  oats,  buckwheat, 
as  I  had  to  use.  Hens  will  not  usually 
eat  oats  readily,  unless  boiled,  steamed  or 
sprouted,  but,  if  they  will  eat  them  in  the 
scratch  feed,  add  what  they  will  eat 
without  waste.  If  you  wish  to  use  cracked 
corn  and  wheat  alone,  a  half-and-half 
mixture  will  be  good.  To  this  you  might 
add  a  few  oats,  if  you  can  add  oafs  to  a 
half-and-half  mixture.  The  commonly 
used  grains,  wheat,  oats,  corn  and  barley, 
have  about  the  same  composition  from  a 
food  standpoint,  though  corn  is  probably 
a  little  superior  to  any  other  single  grain 
in  the  poultry  ration.  Wheat  is  now  cheap 
enough  to  be  used  more  largely  than  for¬ 
merly  in  the  scratch  grain,  and  it  may 
be  used  to  any  desired  extent. 
In  early  Winter,  Leghorn  hens  will  eat 
approximately  eight  quarts  of  whole  grain 
daily  to  each  300  fowls,  if  they  have  dry 
mash  constantly  before  them.  From  one- 
fourth  to  one-third  of  the  day’s  grain 
ration  should  be  given  in  the  morning,  in 
litter,  and  the  balance  before  the  birds  go 
to  roost  at  night.  Give  at  the  latter  time 
all  that  the  fowls  will  eat,  regardless  of 
quantity,  however.  The  object  in  scant 
feeding  in  the  morning  is  to  keep  the  birds 
busy,  scratching  for  grain  and  to  induce 
heavier  consumption  of  dry  mash. 
M.  B.  D. 
The  Feed 
that  Makes 
Hens  kay 
250  Eggs  Per  Hen 
in  9  Months 
8,763  eggs  produced  by 
thirty-five  Ancona  hens 
in  nine  months  (273  days) 
This  is  an  average  of  250 
eggs  for  each  hen  in  the  flock. 
These  hens  comprise  the  entire 
flock  owned  by  Mr.  Day  R. 
Cook  of  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  and 
are  not  specially  selected  birds. 
EGATINE  fed  as  directed 
accomplished  these  wonderful 
results  and  is  capable  of  doing 
as  well  for  you. 
But  don’t  take  our  word  for 
this,  you  can  prove  it  for  your¬ 
self  by  feeding  EGATINE  to 
your  own  hens. 
If  your  dealer  doesn’t  have 
EGATINE  advise  us  and  we 
will  see  that  you  are  supplied. 
Tioga  Mill  &  Elevator  Co. 
Box  D,  Waverly,  N.  Y. 
Healthier  ChicKjeny 
More  E^sjs  \ More  Money 
With  a  dry,  comfortable,  vermin-free 
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Hollow  Tile  you  have  a  healthier  shel¬ 
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the  tile  will  form  a  blanket  of  air  that 
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