The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-06-27

PARIS GREEN AND PLASTER.
Paris green is often mixed with
finely ground plaster-20 parts of
plaster to one of Paris greenland is
thus applied to potato vines when the
dew is on them. There are sifters
made by timers to apply this mix
ture. with handles about four feet
long. If short handled sifters are
used the mixture may get into ones
mouth and poison him. If it be put
into a bag made Of open muslin or
of strainer cloth it may be carried in
ones hand, and busted upon the vines
bv a shake or two at each bill, and
no injury will be sustained if you
keen your mouth shut; bat perhaps
a better way would be to attach a
handle to the bag. If time a be
saved by applying Paris green in
either of these ways, instead OF mix
ing it with water, it is an object to
farmers to try the tin sitter and bag
systems and see what the result is.
had last season apotato field adjoin-
ing my barn, and on a range award
ed to my fowls. aud close to the po-
tatoes a half a dozen hens with
chickens were cooped. In the day
time all the hens with chickens were
let out to run among the potatoes,
with about 40 old fowls. The beetles
were abundant upon the vines, snd
Paris green was applied which killed
them, but not a chicken or fowl was
injured. They did not eat the bugs,
even the young ones, which come
what surprised me. How the case
would be with turkeys, | am not in-
formed but if they eat the poisoned
Bugs, it is reasonable to suppose that
they would be poisoned. In cult
waiting potatoes on which Paris
green has been applied | should not
consider it safe TO allow the horses
to eat any of the tops. His bead
should be kept up by the check rein.
HENS ONE YEAR OLD.
The best laying hens are those one
year old-fowls that were Matched
the previous season in April and
May. Hens two and three years old
lay about % per cen less eggs than
those but one year old; consequently
the best way for all fowl breeders is
TO raise chickens every season to be
the LAYERS of the next year. Ii is
doubtful whether it be profitable TO
keep fowls without a run for them
over grass land. A small yard with
grass in il soon becomes soiled and
the grass all picked off; and then the
hens begin to lay fewer eggs, and the
result generally is that there is no
profit in fowls thus confined. 1t
seems to be the nature of barnyard
fowls to require a moderate run Of
some 20 or 80 rods from their roost-
ing house, to keep them active and
healthy by searching for insects. A
dozen hens and one cock in a quarter
acre yard would do well but if con-
fined in a yard 20 or so feet square
they would not be profitable, unless
their feed should almost entirely con-
sist of the waste of the family table.
From a bushel and a quarter to a
busbel and a half OF grain is con-
sumed in a year by every fowl, at a
cost of about one dollar, VIXEN no
waste from the table is given to them,
and good breeds, as the Brahmas,
Plymouth Rock, Leghorns and Ham,
burgs, will lay annually each about
$50 eggs, if not closely confined,
worth in most places from 81 to So.
Then a family having Is or 20 fowls,
may have poultry to kill in the win
ter worth $50 at least. by raising
chickens, and killing the surplus
roosters, and tie old stock as above
stated; and thus poultry-keeplng is
certainly profitable. The light Brah-
mas and Plymouth Rocks are much
better table fowls than the Leghorns
and Hamburgs, the latter being small
and chiefly valuable for laying.
CAPEs IN CHICKENS, &C.
We read in the Poultry papers of
great losses of chickens by gapes I;
and the same kind of reports have
been published for half q century to
nv knowledge. For 25 years j have
bred light Brahma fowls a part of
the time pure, and q part crossed on
other good breeds; and during that
whole time l have never had single
case of gapes in chickens. Now, the
question is. are the gapes, which are
caused by o worm in the chicks
windpipe, produced in some breeds OF
chickens, and not in other breeds ?
Or is it bad management in the rear
ing of chickens that produces the
worm? / lever lose any chickens
by disease, and when / read of great
numbers dying of gapes, or other
wise, l am surprised. i feed my
chickens on Indian meal till about q
month old then l commence feeding
them on cracked corn, buckwheat or
wheat screenings. They are confined
about two weeks with their mothers
to their coops, which are about two
rods apart, the chicks free to run out;
and when about two weeks old /
raise the coops upon blocks of wood
on one side, so that the hens can
come ont and return at pleasure and
at evening each hen returns to her
coop. which is then let down, and 81
wide piece of q board placed against
the stats TO protect the chickens from
vermin during the night. They get
fresh water twice a day and with
this treatment a sick chicken Is one
of the things with me that | "read
about" but never see one on my
premises.
WORKING LAND IN DBoUTHs.
During drouths crops should be
well cultivated, as the working of
the soil is always beneficial TO the
crops, no matter how severe q drouth