The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1890-07-10
A HEN HOBBLE.

An Invention That Will BE Of Interest
to All Amateur Gardeners.
A man named Corbett, living up in
Westchester county, reports q new in
vention which ought to interest that
vast army Of men now engaged in start
ing gardens. Mr.. Corbett's invention is
nothing less than an ingenious apparatus
intended to be attached to the common
domestic hen, which will prevent, or at
least greatly discourage, her efforts to
uproot the garden. He calls it the Cor
bett Excelsior Hen Hobble.
We trust that we need not enlarge to
any great extent on the peculiar tactics
employed by tho common hen in her
campaign against q garden. Her stealthy
tread, her careful view of the ground
first with one eye and then with the
other, the nonchalance with which she
throws back her left foot once, and in
stantly follows It with three rapid back
strokes with her right foot, her hurried
survey Of tho fold Of operations with
ono eye, followed by the capture Of a
real or imaginary worm-su this must
be familiar to the reader, especially II
he ever had garden and his neighbora
kept hens. as they did Of course. It IL
said that no fowls were ever known on
tho Elizabeth islands In tho South Pacific
until about thirty years ago, when q
missionary from Philadelphia named
McCnntook planted few garden seeds
near bis house. but that thereupon
every unfortunate heather on tho islands
sent to Australia and procured a hon
This, however, has no particular bearing
on Mr.. Corbott's invention, interesting
as It may otherwise be, and we haster
to give . short description Of 1t.
In the Excelsior hon hobble Mr.. Corbett
attaches string to the left leg Of thu
hen. This string connects with bill
clamp, which is fastened to the fowls
hoax. This bill clamp, when in it,
normal condition, allows tho hen to ope1
and shut her beak with the usual free
dom, but tho slightest pressure on the
spring causes the clamp to close and pre-
vent any further introduction Of food
into the hens interior. The hen which
Is provided with an Excelsior hobble
starts out in tho morning with light
heart. She may indulge in the low song
peculiar to hens, and even cackle. She
may, too, fill her crop with the nutri
tious gravel and such other food as she
may be able to find, but when she ap
proaches the garden with the intention
Of scratching up the surface Of the eartf
she becomes aware that her freedom II
being tempered with.
At the first rearward stroke Of her left
foot the string is drawn taut, the spring
Is released, and the clamp shuts dow1
with a snap and Theoretically closes he1
bill. There is not, of course, any physi
cal reason why the hen may not go Oh
scratching, but the hollowness Of exca
waiting worms and other food which she
cannot make use of speedily dawns upor
her and she retires from the field. Unable
to cackle or to masticate gravel she wan
ders about helpless till she has beer
caught by her owner and the clamp re
leased. A few trials soon show the in
telligent hen the utter absurdity Of at
tempting to do anything in the way Of
scratching when fitted with the Excelsior
hobble.
The only difficulty which Mr.. Corbett
has experienced with his invention SC
far is the imposdbility of inducing her
owners to adopt it. Mr.. Corbett Is the
only man in his neighborhood who has q
garden. There are some twenty men in
the immediate vicinity who keep hens.
Not one Of these men can be persuaded
even to give the hobble trial. Mr..
Corbett, however, sees his way clear.
Legislation Is what IL needed. With q
law requiring hen owners to reduce thei,
hens to q state Of innocuousness with his
Excelsior hen hobble, gardens will not
only bs safe but a boom will be given to
the stock In his manufacturing company.
New York Tribuns. --z.s---s==-