The Dickinson press., 1890-08-23
A HEN HoBBLE.
An Invention Thai Will &c of Interest
to All Amntcur Gardeners.

AN 1nyCnVjON lnnL VIII IsC OF 1nCero0G
to All Amateur Gardeners.
A man named Corbett, living up in
Westchester county, reports u new in
vention which ought to interest that
vast army of men now engaged III 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 Il garden. Her stealthy
tread, her careful view of the ground
first with one eye and then with the
other, the n%onchalance 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 the field of operations with
one eye, followed by the capture of a
real or imaginary worm-all this must
be familiar to the reader, especially if
he ever had u garden and his neighbors
kept hens, as they did of course. It is
said that 10 fowls were ever known on
the Elizabeth islands in the South Pacific
until about thirty years ago, when a
missionary from Philadelphia named
McClintock planted a few garden seeds
near his house, but that thereupon
every unfortunateheathen on the islands
sent to Australia and procured a hen.
This, however, has nc particular bearing
on Mr.. Corbetts invention, interesting
Us it may otherwise be, and VIC hasten
to give a short description of it.
In the Excelsior hen hobble Mr.. Corbett
attaches a string to the left leg of the
hen. This string connects with a bill
clamp, which is fastened to the fowls
beak. This bill clamp, when in its
normal condition, allows the hen to open
and shut her beak with the usual free
dom, but the 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 the morning with a light
heart. She may indulge in the low song
peculiar to hens, and even cackle. She
may, too, fill her crop with tho nutri-
tious gravel and such other food rs she
may be able to find, but when she APP
proaches the garden with the intention
of scratching up the surface of the earth
she becomes aware that her freedom Is
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 down
with a snap and Theoretically closes her
bill. There is not, of course, any physi-
cal reason why the hen may not go on
scratching, but the hollowness of exca-
waiting worms and other food which she
cannot make use Of speedily dawns upon
herand she retires from the field. Unable
to cackle or tomasticato gravel she wan-
ders about helpless till she has been
caught by her owner and tho 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 tho Excelsior
hobble.
Tho only difficulty which Mr.. Corbett
has experienced with his invention SO
far is the impossibility of inducing hen
wner to adopt it. Mr.. Corbett is the
only maj in his n%eighborhood who has a
garden. There are onl twenty men in
the immediate vicinity who keep hens.
Not one Of these men can be persuaded
even to give the hobble a trial. Mr..
Corbett, however, sees his way clear.
Legislation is what is needed. With a
law requiring hen owners to reduce their
hens to q state Of innocuousness with his
Excelsior hen hobble, gardens will not
only be safe but y boom will be given to
the stock iii Misunderstanding company.
New York Tribune.