The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-08-29

il was spread upon the grass, The
color Of the field became at once
deeper green and a rapid growth
s;artedn This is his story, which as
regards the muck having a very
pungeut odor, like b%arnyard manure"
/ consider TO be-gas. Nor, in my
opinion, did his field ECON cat oace
a deeper green" &c, when this
muck was applied to it; and my OBJ
iect 10 quoting this mans statement
is to bring to the notice of my readers
the bOSa that we often read in the ag-
ricultural papers from men who
would sooner misrepresent a case than
tell the truth. His progress was all
right TO ncutralize the acidity OF the
muck: but to claim that il will when
spread on grass land 'late in Octo.
ber.r have the same effect that only
a heavy dressing OF w~ell-rotted barn
ward manure could produce, is sheer
CANNON. What the agricultural
press needs is more correspondents Of
extensive experience than they now
have.
WHEN TO SELL FARM PRODUCTS.
Many farmers have made sad mis-
takes 10 not selling their grain, but
ter. cheese, &c, when fair prices
were offered. Grain is always sub
iect to more or less loss when stored
waiting for a market, and butter Of
ten d~eteriorates rapidly in quality az
ter It is ready for a purchaser. Now,
the experience Of farmers generally
is. that one does better TO sell his pro
duet whenever be is offered what may
be considered a fair price, rather than
to "hold on for a higher price that
NAV and may not be offered. Far
mers should be their own judges as
to a future rise in the market, and
not trust to what editors of leading
papers say, who in nine cases out OF
ten are no better Judges ofthe future
than are level headed farmers. Then
we have a class Of Ter dealing in
farm products who make it a business
10 deceive the public as to coming
values. For instance, the holders
of large quantities cf grain bought
low will get up q canarG abont short
crops either at the West or in En-
rope Not long ago q report came
from Chicago that agents Of the
French government were in Illinois
c contracting for immense quantities OF
breadstuffs to feed the French army,
in view ofa probable civil war soon
in France (! This was undoubtedly a
humbug to raise the prices Of wheat
and corn to enable heavy holders to
sell out at an advance; and having
unloaded. these fellows Will then cir
culate reports of something to lower
the prices of grain, so that they can
Gil toe store-bouses again at low fig
ures 1.-THE war between Russia
aud Turkey shall continue till next
year, | think the prices of grain will
remain about as they are Row butif
he war should be brought to q close
before the year expires, the prices Of
grain would probably 90 down ten or
fifteen per cent.
HIGH PRICED POULTRY.
After many years experience with
fancy poultry as the high-prieed
breeds are often called, | advise far
mers not to pay high prices for any
breed, thinking that the strain bred
by 4. or B. and sold for twenty dol
lars. or more, a pair, will be more
profitable than ordinary fowls. as
there is a great deal of humbuggery
in the fancy poultry business. If a
man wants to breed pure Brahmas,
or any other breed, to sell to other
breeders, be may safely pay a good
price for @ pair of fowls, or a setting
of eggs; but as regards the profits in
selling early chickens, dressed fowls
and eggs, one Q make more mon
ev on a cross of Asiatic fowls Of
some smaller breed, as a Brahma
cock or Dorking p%ullets, than on the
pure breed Of either; and the same
rule applies to all of the very large
breeds. Suppose we are at q lair,
we see some splendid specimens of
Brahmas and Cochins, pullets weigh
ing from 10 to ID pounds, and we ask
the price. Thirty dollars a trio" a
cock and two P%uliets, may be the re-
ply! Well, / would not receive such
fowls as a gift, if 1 had to breed from
them, as these pullets, as breeders,
would be anuisance on a place, break
ing half the eggs laid, by their great
weight, and when sitting making per-
feet destruction under them. Such
great fowls do not lay over half the
eggs that smaller ones do. What
are they good for? You ask. They
are good to exhibit at fairs-to win
premiums, and to sell at high prices
to those who do not know better
than to buy them. | want no Brah-
ma nor Cochin hens on my premises
that weigh alive more than six or sew
en- pounds. Bat if | were in the
fancy poultry business, with an eye
to making money only, / should 60
in for large specimens of all breeds
and if | could produce cocks of 90 and
of is pounds, | should expect
to make a fortune out of people ig-
norant of their value as breeding
and willing to pay enormous
for them. None of the speci-
mems of fowls at fairs Of great size
will produce their Ike, az they are
by extraordinary means; and
when one buys ii pound pullets and
l6 pound roosters, and finds that their
progeny is much smaller, and per-
haps ill-sbaped and scrawny CON-
paratively speaking, be begins to see
bow il is himself.