The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-07-25
The preference of the

land and France. The preference of the
French for eur machines is evidently due
to their greater iightness and the super
iority Of their construction. Reapers and
mowers are 10 ore fully represented in the
exposition than any other department of
American industry, Half thespace OF the
U. s, Agricultural Annex is devoted TO
them, and to show that American manu-
facturers appreciate this occasion, l will
mention the contents of one platform, for
example, the Buckeye machines, which
perhaps attract most attention. They are
sent by the house of g. Autman e Co.
from Canton, Ohio. The platform is
about thirty feet square and the most con-
spicuous machine on tits portable farm
engine, of the shape of our city FIRE en-
gines, and tits frequently taken for one.
| OF the hundreds of engines here. this one
has come the longest distance,
1t is IN constant use to give motion to a
self binding harvester. The latter always
draws crowd. The process of binding
sheayes ofstraw with wire is here seen for
the first time By, thousands Of people daily.
-Four or five other specimens of the
Buckeyes, too well known with You to need
description here, occupy the balance of the
space and ere operated by steam so that
their powers aud adaptations can be fully
understood. The agent informs me that
he has many orders to fill. not only in
France, but also from Russia. Germany,
| Belgium, and other European countries.
| Similar spaces are occupied by other
American machines such as the Wood s,
Mccormick 8, Johnston's and Champion.
Great taste has been shown in way of rail
| ings, carpets, signs, etc., and the
tout ensemble of this department is quite
satisfactory.
While in the department Of agriculture,
/ was much interested 10 an exhibit for
sattening poultry by machinery. The hens
and cocks were arranged in little stalls
about ten inches square, with their heads
towards the open front and their feet hal
tered to the floor, in way TO prevent their
turning round. The attendant passed 10
front of the stalls, seized the unhappy
bird by the nape of the neck, inserted a
tube. to which was attached long hose. in
to its mouth, pressed upon peddle with
her foot. and graduated quantity of food
was forced into the stomach of the bird.
They took their nourishment verg much as
boy would take medicine. The food is
composed of ground mixture of corn, rye
barley, milk, and water; and while it may
not accord with the American idea Of
chicken rights to make rooster eat wheth-
er he wants to or not. it cannot be denied
that this regimen makes him much more
desirable to be eaten. | have nowhere
else tasted such sweet juicy chickens a,
they have here. About the morality oil
this system there may also be some ques.
ton, and | doubt if it could obtain in
country blessed with Bergh. 1t certainly
divests chicken life of much of its romance
i They must devote their lives exclusively
to the ignoble unheroic business of getting
fat. No growing. and cackling, and mes
hiding in out of the way places in barns, lol
Matching, or scratching for the early worn
10 gardens, or on ancestral dunghills fol
| them. Indeed, these people, who it is sait
have no word for home, have done mucI
to divest the lives of chickens of hallowe(
and homelike associations. They are
Matched in steam incubators and the vel
vety little birds never knew the shelterinj
arms of the old hen, but are protected il
flannel lined drawers. However, th
French society for the protection of ami
mails has pronounced in favor of the abov
described method of tattening, while th
company that has it on exhibition have al
so paintings to represent the barbarou
practices commonly 10 vogue. One repre-
sents boy with his foot on the toes of
chicken, stretching its neck with its lief
! hand, while he administers food through
funnel held in his right hand. In the 9th
err boy has filed his own mouth with til
food ADD applying to the distended mout
of the chicken, is feeding it in the wa
that pigeons feed their young. G. A s.