The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-09-05

SETTING HENS.
There are no expressions in the
English language 10 the Isl Of which
people make more mistakes than IN
speaking of sitting hens, or hens that
sit or desire to sit. These errors
arise from an imperfect knowledge OF
the use of verbs to sif aud 10 SET. To
sit. O. we all know, is the act Of sit
ting. as in q chair or on a nest but
to set is the act ofplacing thing IN
some place or position, as eggs in a
nest: so we can correctly say a set
ting OF eggs. We can also say, i
have set a hen, because it required
either some act Of ours TO place her
on the nest, as putting eggs in it and
setting the hen thereon, or she went
upon it voluntarily, by which act she
set herself upon the eggs; bat as soon
as she has adjusted berselfin the nest
she becomes a sitting hen. We should,
therefore, say "a hen sits, is sitting,
or desires to Sit" and a setting of
eggs for hen | am going TO set that
wants to sit and in nc case can we
properly say a setting ben, or a hen
that wants to set, &c.
MANGEL wURZEL AND CARROTS.
From a paper read before a Dairy
mems Association | extract as fol-
lows: From the experiments that l
have made / am strongly inclined TO
the opinion that for cows the majori-
ty Of our cheese dsirymen and other
farmers included will fad TIE man.
gel wurzel the most valuable Of all
our root crops for COWS; and the car
rot the most valuable for horses. If /
am correct in this opinion as | really
think ! am, the next question that
comes up is: Which is the best way
to cultivate theml Here let me say,
once for all, that | do not believe it
possible to raise a large crop # man
gel wurzsl, parsnips Or carrots upon
poor land, or even upon good land,
unless they have at least fair cult
walton. II is possible to get q fair
crop OF turnips upon land that is on
IL moderately rich, and with only IL
different cultivation but even here
YOU will fad failure much oftener
than success F; hence let me advise all
not 10 attempt the growth of these
crops unless they are able and vii
lag to comply with the following
conditions, viz: very rich soil, and
that in good condition, plenty Of ma
nure and thorough cultivation. With
these conditions you may raise not
only large crops, bat very large and
very profitable ones. This writer is
correct in saying that carrots are
valuable for horses, and they are al
so valuable for COWS. Owing TO the
fact that mangels can be grown at
about half the expense per bushel
that il costs to produce carrots, 1t
mas be true that they, as he says, are
the best root crop to grow for COWS.
MONEY IN BEEF.
tits poor policy for farmers TO sell
COWS that fail in their milk at this
season OF the year, to others who fat
ten them, and make money by the
business. No one can fatten stock
cheaper than farmers ear They
need q good pasture exclusively for
fatteDing cattle; that is, enough
such pasture should be fenced of to
feed one, two, or as many animals as
one desires TO fatten. | see no good
reason why such stock should not, in
che absence of other good pasture, be
tarned upon moving land in the fall
when the grass is well grown, 80 as
to afford a pasture adapted to fstten-
ing cattle. do not think that any
injury would be sustained by thus
pasturing moving lands, unless the
grass should be fed off quite short, or
the sward be cut up in wet weather
be the boots Of the cattle and it is
easy 10 avoid both of these possible
injuries. As cold weather approach
es fattening animals should be fed
meal and root crops aud by Janu-
ary they may be put in good condi-
ton TO slaughter. No ecws should
be kept on a farm that give but little
milk naturally, as it is better TO fat
zen them, ahd buy good ones. 4 COW
worth Sl00is more profitable than
one worth $50 only.
DISEASES OF POULTRY.
Diseases in poultry that affect en-
tire Aocks are always caused by some
thing wrong about their premises. Il
claim this to be SO, from the fast that
in breeding fowls extensively for for
~ years | never bad but two cases of
disease; aud 10 both cases | discover.
ed the cause and remedied it imme-
diately. One was q lack of fresh air
IN their rOosting house, which pro-
duced the roup in the whole flock
and the other was allowing the fowls
30 drink stagnsnt water in the ysrd,
where there was a pile of manure,
which produced a disease that was
fatal to many fowls. The poultry
editor OF the Rural New Yorker says:
There has lately come TO nv notice
some cases OF severe fever among
which proved fatal. Num-
bers oftbe hens died very suddenly
on several farms in the neighborhood.
The birds were in good condition.
crops well filed, but not too
hard, with food when attacked. The
FIRST symptoms were mopishness and
suspension Of digestion. There
was no appearance of disrrhea or
cholera. Yet, I believe this disease
is sometimes taken for the latter on
account Of its rapidly fatal character.
The birds were very hot, drank very
frequently, a1d kept gerry still. Many !
died ia 8 few hours, some the second T;
day, and others on the third and !
day and after death their
combs turned quite black. In look ;
.ng around the premises to see ifthere I.
vas any local cause for the sickness. ,
found, in the hot sun, a pool Of ,
oul, thick, stagnAnt manur water, :
hat had settled into the fowls yard :
a pile Of manure close by, af- :
.er a heavy raia. The fowls were !
up in the yard and had fresh .
supplied daily in their drink :
ng vessel. But hens will always :
rink from any dirty puddle that hap :,