The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-05-09
FARM. GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.

TAs Honest Farmer.
Happy count the farmers life,
It's various round Of wholesoms toll
An honest path with loving wife,
And offspring native 10 the coil.
Thrice happy. surely In bis breast
Plain wisdom aud the trust in God
His path more straight from east 10 west
Than politician ever uod.
His gains no lose TO other mem
His siaiwArt blows inhiet no wound
Not busy with his tongue or pen,
He questions truthful sky and ground
Partner with seasons and the sun,
Natures o0-woTker all his skill
Obedienos, ev'n as waters run,
Winds blow, herb. beast thsir Law fulhn.
vigorous youthhood, clean and bold
manly manhood, cheerful age
His comey children proudly hold
Their pArentAge best heritage.
Unhealthy work, false mirth. ehioAne.
Gunt-neodless voc and useless strife
o cities vain insane. insane
How happy is the farmer life.
PsuIITy Paragraphs.
Feed poultry ON good sound grain.
OfFal or damaged grain is unWhOlesoms,
and il fed freely will produce disease.
Pounded oyster or clam shells are
good for laying hens. They act ms gravel
In assisting digestion, aud furnish line
for the tissues from which the shells oi
eggs are made. Break theia up small
enough for the fowls TO swallow easily.
They will eat a good deal Of this k'Ad OF
food.
A neat, simple and effective method OF
keeping high flyers at home is mentioned
by The Poultry World. Merely scissor
away about half Of the feathery part of
each wing. feather, excepting an inch at
the end. without cutting the quill or
shaft of the feather at all. This shows
but little when the wings are closed,
and so does not disfigure the fowl, but
il let's the air through sufficiently to
prevent flying.
One Of the best ways 10 destroy hen
lice is by proper use Of the whitewash
brush and fumigants When the poul-
try-house is kept IN decent order there
will be little trouble, but otherwise the
fowls will not prosper. A very good
plan is b wrap the rOost-pOles with
pieces Of old carpet, old bags, or horse
blankets. Tack these on neat and smooth
and saturate them once fortnight with
diluted carbolic acid, or coal oil This
will clean the perches and add much 10
the comfort and produchveness OF the
hens.
Save eggs from the best hens for set
ting. MANY poultry keepers do not
know which are the best layers, but this
NAV be be discovered by a little atten-
ton. Old hens Law larger eggs than
pullets. and the chicks Matched from
two.yeAr old hens, when mated with a
vigorous one-year old cock. will be
larger, more thrifty. and fledge better
than chicks from pullets' eggs. In Sc
lecting eggs % hatch, take those that
are of fair average size reject the
small or ill-shaped ones, or the very
large ones. There is no way 10 deter
mine the sex Of the chick 10y an exami-
nation Of the size, shape, or other ex-
ternal appearance Of the egg.
LISA little odd that in this country,
where every facility exists. 30 few ducks
and geese are raised. These are pro
verbally the most hardy and long lived
of all our poultry. In places where
cholera, Group, etc, sweep of the fowls
and turkeys, geese and ducks, which
are not subject 70 these diseases, should
be tried. In densely populated Great
Britain and even in Belgium where one
would suppose there was little room,
more geese are raised 20 the square
mile than in the United States. In the
interior duck and geese can be raised
as profitably as other kinds OF poultry,
and where diseases prevail, more pro-
fitably.
As the season has arrived when young
chickens make their appearance, the
following rules from the Southern
Poultry Journal will prove to be OF es-
sential importance in producing salts
factory results:
Make your nests for setting hens on
the ground if possible, if not, put fresh
earth in the nest boxes, and in very
warm weather sprinkle the eggs occa-
sionally with little tepid water, or IN
the morning let the hen run IN the wet
grass. Sprinkle sulphur thoroughly
among the litter when making the nest.
Give the hen q good chance 10 wallow
in dust or ashes; this viii keep her free
from vermin. Keeping her place dark
ened until she has fairly " settled down
to business" As the chicks hatch and
get thoroughly dry take them away and
keep in a warm place until all are ont.
The chicks need no food for the trst
forty-eight hours. When all are Matched
give the hen an hour TO roll in dust or
ashes in the sun, 10 prepare for her
change Of duties; then put her in q
roomy coop and give her the chicks,
Early in the season. while the ground is
cold, the coop should have board bot
tom. Give them bread crumbs, broken
wheat or screenings (no corn) scraps
from the table, and plenty of clean,
pure water. Give plenty OF green food =.
Don't try 10 raise too many, for place
that will accommodate one hundred
chicks will be much too small for them
when grown. Close quarters cause
vermin and disease. These instructions,
with the aid Of common sense, Will in
sure you success.
Medical Hints
TrAs FOR THE Sick RooM.-Dried
II hsatl