The record-union., 1893-09-27

j. H. NolIlS, III ftHUItctcT'S y hCCt6WS
gives his ideas of a serviceable poultry
house that can be erected for S25, and will
shelter two flocks of twenty to twenty
five EACH We condense his description
for our readers:
The ideal poultry-house must cost lit
tie, keep the fowls healthy and profitable,
and save labor. 1t must stand on we'll
drained or naturally dry soil, and surface
water must at all times be kept out. Set
cedar or chestnut posts deeply and cut off
six inches above the ground. On these
put sills 2xS inches. A light frame is
built, the sides covered with boards over
which heavy tarred felt is fastened by
lath. The roof is boards covered with
two-ply prepared roofing, and is placed
just high enough to walk under comfort
ably and slopes gently. The entire length
Is 32Xl0 feet wide.
First comes an open shed six feet wide
with door In outer wall at front. Next
telt-covered board partition with door at
front, then l0Xl0 feet pen, lath partl-
tion with door, another lOXl0 feet pen and
another felt-covered partition and door, a
6-foot shed at other end of building with
door. The ends of building, inclosing
sheds, need not be felt-coyered. The
open ends of sheds face the south.
twelve-light 1912 inch sash, with the net
ting inside, must occur in each pen at
south side. Holes 6XS inches are pro-
vided to let hens into the sheds on sunny
days. Coarse wire netting covers the
open fronts of sheds In winter TO keep the
hens off the snow.
A scratching box seven feet long by
four feet two inches wide, by ten inches
deep, is set level against the inside parti-
ton and the back wall twenty inches
from the ground. Twenty inches above
this level platform seven feet long and
twenty-five inches wide, with eight-inch
clears at each end extending upward and
beveled both ways toward the end, forms
rest for a one and one-half by four inch
by seven foot movable rOOst-bar. The
other pen is furnished in the same way
against the opposite corner. Three nail
kegs, each with holes cut in sides. make
good nests. Use pine SaWduSt in nests.
Provide cut hay or staw in scratching
boxes, in which scatter grain often and
change every two weeks. Put springs
on all pen doors so they close quickly
behind you. Dispense with all venti-
lators. In hot weather faSten the doors
open trifle. Feed soft food ard oyster
shells on sills. Drive a few four-inch
wire nails through a narrow board and
tack on sill. On these stick beets and
cabbage. Put corn in hoppers and ar
range with windlass, rope and pulley to
let hens eat in evening, then elevate out
of reach of rats. The whole ground
floor is available TO hens and is easily
cleaned. -
Plymouth Rocks, Wyandotts and SINH
lar breeds will not freeze at200 below zero.
Put the timid and young fowls in pen
together. Birds of the same breed do best
together.
For house to hold seventy-five to 100
fowls we suggest one on the same plan,
hflt 10 10Nr9R oil lnK1 for fxtrn
sheds l2X12, and two pens 12xl6.
HOW TO REMOVE THE BEES.
To many farmers who keep bees it is
big job to remove surplus honey. Many
put it off till some time after the season
is over, even till fall; then the honey has
become dark and travel-stained, and its
appearance is much injured.
The surplus honey should be removed
as soon as the harvest is over The quail
ity will be just as good and the appear
ance much nicer, besides it is much more
easily removed at this time than later
After the harvest is over the bees go to
making preparation for winter ana also
against robbers, by getting everything
solidly together. All crevices are closed;
supers are glued fast to the hive, sections
are stuck together, and the work OF re-
moving and cleaning the sections is fully
doubled.
Bee-keepers have been at work for the
last year or two trying to devise way to !
rid surplus boxes of bees without much |
labor. They have at last succeeded in
periecting an arrangement called the |
''bee-escape." The principle on which all |
escapes act is the same, allowing the bees
to pass out, but not to enter again. l use
the Porter escape, which is probably the
best, or at least as good and cheap as any,
costing only twenty cents. 1t consists of
two small springs which come nearly
too haT- at OINn oil rirHcr
the bees to pass out between the springs.
As each bee passes out the springs come
together. thus keeping them out.
The first escape was brought out by
Mr.. Reese. 1t was simple cone of wire
cloth with hole at the point Just large
enough for one bee to pass through. But
1t does not answer the purpose as we'll as
the spring escape.
TO use the escape it must be placed in a
small mortise in the center Of a board. |
The board should have a bee space on |
both sides, which is made by mailing lit /
tie strips one-fourth of an inch thick |
around the edge. 1t is very simple and |
easily made, and ali one has to DO is to
place the board under the surplus box, |
leave 1t there until the bees have time to !
pass down into the hive below, which is |
generally about twenty-four hours, and |
then take off the super clear of bees.
1t is good plan 10 have an empty !
super at hand, and, after taking off the /
full one, place the empty one on the hive |
and the full one on top of it, with the eS-
cape between them. The bees will 90
down little faster. They can also 90
right to work in the empty super, and no
time will be lost, providing the harvest
is not over. l have taken several hun
dred pounds of honey with the Porter
escape, and l consider it one of the best |
inventions in modern beekeepiug. 1t
can be used on any kind of hive, even
box hives.-E. S. Mead, in Ohio Farmer
POLLED DURHAMS.
Under this head Mr.. Crane, the Presi-
dent of the American Polled Durham AS
Sociation contributes to the Breeders Gu
zette an interesting reference to this COM
paratively new breed of cattle, now in the
Words Fair exhibition:
Fifty years ago an IriShman said:
what a splendid beast the Shorthorn
Durham COW would be if she had no horns
at ALL Perhaps from this came the initial
idea of producing, from material at hand !
a new and distinct breed of cattle having
the color, size, contour and other points
characteristic of shorthorns, with the ex-
ception of the horns. The Polled Dur
hams now at the Worlds Fair came of
successfully crossing the native muley
COW with pure shorthorn bulls In the
beginning the females chosen were those
most nearly resembling the ideal animal
sought TO be produced.
1.-THE first step. as limited, was in breed !
ing common polled COWS TO registered
shorthorn bulls. OF the produce the
hornless females only were saved. These
in turn were bred to new shorthorn males,
the process being continued until the per-
centage of blood aimed at had been at
had produced calves, were disposed of
and at Nnr nlaca q least M COW nor hl1li