Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-08-31
Farm AND ORCHARD.
VALUE OF THE HYDRAULIC RAM
TO FARMERS.
White Java FowIs-Poultry Piclxings-
Judicious Cross-Breeding of
Sheep-Farm Notes.


of raising water by the use of the hydran-
lie ram, though there are many places
where they can be proftably employed
The invention is an old one and apparently
comes near perpetual motion. The ram
itself is a pear-shape iron cylinder, placed
in the ground at a depth sufficient to pro-
tect it from the effect of frost in winter.
The spring or well which supplies the
water is situated at some point above, SO
that there will be fall of one foot for
every eight feet of perpendicular hight to
which the water is to be carried For in
stance, ii it is necessary to force water up
hill to the house, which stands forty
eight feet above the spring, the fall must be
at least six feet from the spring to the
ram. The horizontal distance has no
effect on the calculation, and it is often
| carried hundreds Of feet. and in some cases
| over a thousand. The principle on which
| the water is forced up is by compressed air.
| The water passes from the spring in pipe,
| say two inches in diameter, against
check-valye which is lifted up by the
force of the water until it reaches a GER
tain point, when portion of the water is
F.! crowded by its own weight into the ram
until the air is so compressed that it dis
| charges itself into a small pipe, say haitian
inch in diameter, which runs up the eleya-
tion to the barn, house or wherever
wanted. In well-conStructed rams the
| power has been found to be about two
| thirds of the energy Of the falling water.
Whenever small quantities of water are
needed, this way Of supplying the want
has been found to be very convenient. The
only thing that seems to stop the working
Is failure of the water supply. Night
and day, year after year. the little air en-
| glne works away, needing no rest, oil or
wind, simply water, and that in abundance.
One in Norfolk county, Massachusetts,, has
been in operation many years and is still
at work supplying the owners house and
barn with water. To one who has never
seen its workings, it is very interesting.
No visible power in sight; the little valve
rises to its proper elevation, remains there
an instant, then drops to its base of opera
tions, only to start upward again; which is
repeated continually.
WHITE JAVA FOWLS.
| There is Il singular tendency of coIored
! breeds of fowls to throw white chickens.
| The White Wyandottes and Plymouth
Rocks were originally produced from col
ored parents and it is not improbable that
all the white breeds have similarly de-
scended from colored ancestry. The Javas
have been known until recently only as a
! black breed, but the White Java is now
recognized as a distinct and well-estab-
! lished class of fowls It originated in
1877, three white chicks, two pullets and
a cockerel, appearing in a clutch Matched
| from the eggs Of Black Java fowls. These
| were in the yards of Professor w. c..
Tucker Of Erie county, n. Y, who kept
! them separate from the blacks, two fami-
lies being started, from which White Jayas
| have been bred since. By breeding back
| and forth between the two families, strict
in-breeding has been avoided, and the
stamina Of the breed preserved from de-
| terloration. They received much atten-
ton from breeders and fanciers, and as
soon as the breed proved to be thoroughly
well.established it was admitted to the
| standard.
The White Java fowls possess the same
| form and general characteristics, except
color, as the older Blacks. They are good
layers at all times, and extra good in
winter; good sitters and good mothers.
They breed true to color and form, are
Stylish blocky birds and, unlike most
other ASiatics, are graceful in motion.
The plumage is pure white, with bright
and single comb and wattles, yellow legs
and skin. When first Matched the chicks
show pinafore of dusky gray or smoky
color, which disappears with the full
| plumage. They feather ont rapidly and
attain early maturity, the pullets begin
ming to lay at the age of five months.
They are excellent for the table and seem
destined to attain a general and permanent
popularity as general-purpose breed of
fowls.
POULTRY PICKINGS.
On the farm where the only incubator
used is the old reliable hen, the flock of
chickens is usually composed of birds of
various sizes. Where they are fed to-
gether, as is generally done, the late
hatched and consequently the smaller and
weaker ones are so crowded and run over
by the larger, that they do not get their
proper share of feed, and consequently
make little if any gain 1t is hut short
job to make covered pen of lath, old
! barrel slaves or strips of board, with spaces
of sufficient width to admit the smaller
! chicks, and exclude the larger ones. Here
/ they may be fed, and will soon learn to
eat in peace and quietness. The extra
| gain made will repay the slight expense.
Farmers are rapidly learning the i'm
/ portance of improving their horses, cattle
| and other stock, either by selecting the
most des Table animals for breeders or by
crossing with pure-breed males, or both.
! The same principles should be applied in
! the poultry yard. The average farmer
wants a hen that will lay goodly num-
! Der of eggs per anuum ; that will hatch
! good brood Of chicks under adverse con-
ditions, and that furnishes a good carcass
/ for the table. If he continue to breed in
year after year his stock will run out. To
keep up the vigor and productiveness of
his flock, new blood should be selected for
breeders, preferably hens one year old;
then, as the male is half the hock-buy
full blood cockerel Tor more if the flock be
large) of some desirable breed. Now is
the time to attend to this matter The
flock needs culling now; breeders are
anxious to sell their surplus stock at this
season. Many times cockerels with some
defect of plumage or coloring can be bought
at low prices, and are just as good as
Standard" fowls for improving common
stock. This is the cheapest and best
method for those who do not care to keep
pure-b-ed fowls.
The hens should have extra care and
feed during the moulting season if they
are expected to do their best afterward.
For winter layers, the early pullets and
early moulting hens are most valuable.
Eggs are usually worth most in early win
ter, and then is the time when we want the
hens to lay.
Raising capons seems to be growing
business, and there are many inquiries in
, | relation 10 the nrncass of carnnn,izinc This