Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-05-10
To Capture Hawks and Owls.

To Capture Hawks and Owls
A farmer writes to the Ohio Fa,mae,
that he has succeeded in taking about
twenty hen-hawks in steel trap by set
ting the trap on the upper end of a
square pole some twenty feet high, with
the butt end firmly planted in the
ground. E. Gaylord, writes in relation
to capturing owls: When suspect the
owls are about to commence their mis-
chief, / get stick suitable for the
place, and fasten small steel trap on
the top, and set it up. If an owl
comes anywhere near, he will be very
sure to settle down in the trap with as
calm and graceful an air as an owl can
put on. This is q trait in the owl quite
peculiar to himself. He seldom pounces
on his victim the first thing, like other
birds of prey, but first comes slowly
along and settles down on some conspic-
uous site near the victims, and takes a
very calm and cool survey of all the
surroundings. AS soon as all things
appear to him to be favorable. he qui-
city lets himself down among the
fowls, hoping to induce some of their
number to fly off or drop down from
the roost, when he, quick as thought
embraces the opportunity to swoop
down and carry off the fowl / used
to fasten the trap with staple on the
top of the stick, but / find this gives
them much better chance to tear
themselves out Of the trap. Now fas-
ten it slightly on top, and firmly to the
stick, some two feet below the trap,
with chain or cord.
The Way to Make a Rack for Sheep.
A rack for holding the fodder Of
sheep should be SO constructed that the
chaf and hay seed cannot fall into the
wool. Herewith is copied from the
Practical Farmer New York City, a de-
scription of combined fodder rack
and manger:
! The best style of rack and manger
| that we have ever seen was make Tor
our own sheep several years ago. The
rack stood on one side of the sheep
shed, SO that when feeding hay, cut corn
stalk, roots or grain, it could be done
by passing along in the narrow alley be-
tween the long rack and the side of the
shed while the sheep were all on the
other side. We first procured a small
straight tree about forty feet in length,
which was hewn straight on both sides,
namely, on the upper side and on the
side toward the sheep. Six legs were
then inserted in this piece of timber, SO
that it would stand firm like saw
horse. Next, holes were bored in the
upper side of this timber with an inch
auger three inches apart from centres,
after which Stats of hard timber one
inch square and two feet long, were in
serted in the holes, and rave
was driven on the upper ends of
upper ends of the Stats. The Stats stood
perpendicularly, so that chaff and hay
seed could not fall on the heads and
necks of sheep. On the opposite side
from the sheep an inclining bottom was
made, standing at an angle of about
forty-fve degrees. The bottom was
made sufficiently tight to prevent oats
and meal dropping through the cracks.
When hay was put into this rack sheep
could draw it between the Stats, little
at once, as they wanted feed. A tight
board manager was made on the side
where the sheep stood, the top of which
was an inch or two below the lower ends
of the Stats. This manager was made
like the letter V, having the upper edge
of an inside board nailed firmly to the
timber. When feeding grain a person
could move along the entire rack and
distribute the grain Or roots, evenly and
quickly without being disturbed by the
rush of the flock before him. Beneath
this manager strong wooden pins were
driven into the main timber, about four
feet apart, to support the manger when
sheep might be on it with their for
ward feet. A V-shaped manger is best,
because sheep and lambs cannot stand
erect In it.