The Placer herald., 1873-06-07
II To- USE AND FA RIM.
HINTS ABOUT CHOOSING POULTRY.

~ 10 SPoIiCQ thCiCSJ' AOubS
chickens are called broiIers-the hens until
they are about ten months, or until they be-
gin to lay; the roosters until they are six or
eight months old according to breed.
As soon AS hen has laid. the opening
under the rump is redder aud mere open
than before. The fat of the best chickens
has a pale yellow sh hue, the flesh is white,
and the feet are smooth and soft. The cock
is known by its smooth and short spurs. A
stiff rump is sign of freshness. When
not fresh the part Immediately under the
rump has dark blush appearance.
Another way Of ascertaining if chicken
is young is by pressing the rear end of the
breast-hone inward; if it bends easily, the
'chickes is yourg The legs and feet of old
ehChcrs are rough to the touch.
Every edible bird, domestic or wild, when
young, has the lower part Of the legs, the
feet, and even the under part Of the feet,
soft, which parts are invariably rough to the
touch when the bird is old.
Capons are easily known by the long
feathers on their necks, that are left on as
kind of certificate of identity. They are
much more plump and fat than very large
and thick The comb, which is cut when
the bird is altered, turns pale and looks
faded. The head is smaller than that of
other fowls, but their spurs are shorter and
rather soft, and their claws long.
Birds called slips are often sold to the un-
initiated for capons. Although the good
fowls, still they are very inferior to capons.
Inferior poultry, when frozen, is shiny to
the touch, and more SO when partly frozen.
National Agricultu'iSt.
WHAT is THOROUGHBRED ANrMAL.?-
A subscriber, Springfield, Mass, asks this
question. A thoroughbred animal, accord
ing to the common acceptation of the term,
is one that is the result of careful breeding,
in the first place, to establish distinctive
aud permanent type, inter- breeding to retain
it. Thus, Short-Horn cows must be bred
to Short-Horn bulls, and the pedigree of
each must be run back continuously in some
Of the families of Short Horns: so of Ayr
shires, Jerseys, Detons, Herefords, &c.
But if a Jersey COW is bred to an Ayrshire
bull, although both bull and cow may be
thoroughbred, the offspring of such union
will not be thoroughbred, but cross bred.
The breeding must be continuously in line,
in order that the type may be preserved.
In the case of horses, horsemen call no
horse thoroughbred whose pedigree cannot
be established in direct line to the English
raee-borse. But really, any fixed type of
horses, pure-bred, continuously, until the
type is so established that there is no failure
to reproduce it by inter- breeding, is as much
thoroughbred as the English and race-horse,
though not so called But to other fixed
breeds of horses than those descending from
the English race-horse, the term pure-bred
is usually applied; also to sheep, swine and
REMEDY FOR CHOKING. A correspondent
writing from Mission San Gabriel, in refer
ring to method which we lately published,
for removing an obstruction from child s
nose, by blowing through the mouth, sends
the following experience in removing OBJ
structions from the throat: Last fall child
in that neighborhood got peach-stone into
her throat, and was fast choking to death
when her mother took her up by the heels.
held her head downwards, and almost in-
stantly the obstruction dropped out upon the
floor.
ANOTHER CAsE.-But few days pre-
vious to the date of the above mentioned
note, lady came rushing into the post-of,
fee, at Ell Monte, with her child in her
arms, and choking With piece of meat in
her throat. The wife of the Postmaster,
recollecting the case of the peach stone, i'm
medately canght the child by the heels,
gave it pretty severe shake, when out came
the meat. to the great relief of the agonized
mother, and the saving of the chd's life
Our correspondent very properly thinks such
incidents are worthy Of record in the Health
Department of the Press.
IRREGULAR MATCHING "A correspondent
Of the Poultry Chronicle having been un
successful in and with h's eggs, the chick
ems hatching irregularly and dying soon after
breaking shell, the editor says in answer to
complaints:
1--WE fancy the fault lies with your neglect
OF very common rule, that Of damping
your eggs. We are great sticklers for ma
ture. A hen pheasant, partridge, or grouse,
or common hen that steals her nest, leaves
the eggs at break of day prompted by pa-
ture, and goes to the grass in search Of food.
1t is at that time wet as a river. She re-
turns to her nest reeking, and sits on her
eggs. Hence the uniform success. Fol-
lowing our great exemplar, we always for
seven or eight days before Matching damp
our eggs with water. Failing that, the
membrane that lines the inside or the shell
becomes too tough for the chickens to pene-
trate, and they either die in the shell or
come out one or two at time, as they sue
ceed in breaking from their prison house. "
ARTIFICIAL CoRAL.-This may be en-
ployed for various kinds of ornamentation.
1t is made as follows: To two drachms of
vermijon add one ounce of resin, and melt
them together. Have ready the branches
or twigs peeled and dried, and paint them
over with this mixture while hot. The
twigs being covered, hold them over gen.
tie fire; turn them round till they are per-
fectly smooth. White coral may also be
81, l.. Il