THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1000. mm GOOD POULTRY HOUSE. Can Bo Made Either a Very Costly or a Very Cheap Affair. As a great many farmers take the hen fever when eggs are high, I here with present a pen sketch which will be of service to some one who Is con templating the building of a poultry house in the spring. The ground plan is 12 feet by 30 feet, and is divided into parts each 12 feet by 10 feet The compartment on the right la used as a winter roosting and laying place. The center as a scratching shed In the winter and a shelter from rain and sun during the summer. The room at the left Is used dur- ins the winter as a place of exercise and In which to feed mashes and to water the fowl. This room also con tains the dust boxes and where the feed is stored. A, A, A, In the dotted squares repre sent the windows or their location in the front of the bouse. B, B, is sided up solid to the line running from B to B one and one-half feet high. The line running from C to C is the top of a four-feet high poultry netting which runs the entire length of the house. There is a drop curtain arranged In each room to come down next to this wire in stormy weather or cold nights. From C, C, to top of the house is planked up solid except the windows, as shown in A, A, A, D,D,D, the nest boxes under the dropping board N. There are two rows of nests one facing the scratching shed, the other facing the right-hand room. A trap nest may be arranged very conveni ently here. E is a drop curtain in front of the roosts in the winter department, which is to be let down at night. F is the roosting poles in the winter quar ters. G is the roosting poles in the sum mer roosting quarters. H, H, the doors of poultry netting. I the little door that leads from the scratching shed to the end room. J, cut straw scattered on the floor of the scratching shed In which to scatter wheat, rye, oats and corn. K, the dust box. L, drinking fountain. M, M, M, the floor, which should be of sand and gravel. N, the dropping board in winter roosting department. A house of these dimensions should be nine feet in front and seven feet tall in the rear. It may he made of any stuff at hand, or to suit the build er. It can be made a very costly affair, or it may be gotten up very reasona bly. STARTING A FLOCK. Should the Beginner Buy a Breeding Pen or Eggs for Hatching While attending the Maine State Poultry Exhibition, I was asked by a man who was contemplating starting a flock in the spring which was the better way to buy a breeding pen or to buy eggs for hatching. This ques tion is puzzling a good many at this time. There are points in favor of each course. To get a start either way with birds of reasonably good quality one should consider that he must Invest at least $10. He can spend this and get two sittings of eggs from prize winning stock, and if he waits until the stock Is on range he should be reasonably Bure of sixteen chicks. These chicks, with proper care and feeding, would most likely develop into birds super ior to any he might get from a ?10 trio, for the mating would doubtless be better done by an amateur. In many cases the surplus males would be of quality to sell for sufficient to pay the Initial cost of eggs. Before beginning with any breed one should make a sufficient study of his chosen breed to be able to Judge with reason able accuracy of the merits and value of his birds, so as to sell understand- lngly, For a beginning with little money to spend It would seem safer to pur chase a trio or more of good, repre sentatlve birds, and grow into the fancier step by step by selection and grading up. In this way he will bet- ter understand his business, and from a small flock, by buying other bens for brooders and prolonging his batching season, he can raise a considerable number of chicks, some of which should be superior to their sires and dams, which can be used for still fur ther Improvement the following year. Good Dry Math. A mixture of bran, shorts, and corn meal In equal parts kept In the kltch en makes the preparation of a mash for laying hens easy. While the din ner Is cooking throw all table waste, regetable and apple parings into a kettle and bofl till done, season u for the table with salt and pepper, and thicken with the mixed meals. II there are no meat scraps add a tea- spoonful of beef scraps for each ben Terr other day. NEW SHORT STORiES General Grant's Early Days. Mrs. Emma Dent Casey, writing la the Circle Magazine of her memories of General Grant, refutes some popu lar legends which have been cur rent: There Is the famous story of Cap tain Grant llting in such poverty that he had to haul his poor little fagots of wood through the city with an os team and blow on his ungloved fingers to keep them from freezing. The truth is that he and his negroes cut the wood, and he often sent one of them to the city with a load to sell to the families of a Mr. Blow and Mr. Bernard. Mr. Bernard was the broth er of my brother John's wife. During the Christmas holidays one winter the negro who generally drove the team for Captain Grant was ill, and there vvns no one to send In his place. The captain's St. Louis friends sent him word that they were out of wood. and accordingly he hitched up his team of white horses to his big wagon, loaded on the wood and hauled it to the city himself. lie probably hauled several loads in this way. I do not know how many. Any other man "WHY, GIUNT, WHAT A11C YOU 1)01X0.'" with the panic temper or spirit and the snine lack of false pride would have done the same. On one of these trips ns the captain was driving along seated on his load of wood he suddenly came face to face with General Harney and his stall. The general, resplendent In n new uni form and gold trimmings, eyed the figure of the farmer on the wagon with astonishment. Then he drew in his horse, Grant stopped his team. and the pair smiled into each other"s eyes. 'Why. Grant, what in blazes are you doing?" exclaimed Harney. The captain, sitting comfortably atop his load of wood, with his ax and whlpstoek at his side, shifted one mud- dv boot across the other and drawled: "Well, general, I am hauling wood." The thing was so obvious and Grant so naive that General Harney and his staff roared with laughter. They shook his hand and joked with him and final ly carried him off to dine with them at the Planters hotel. That is the true story of Captain "Run-down-at-the-heels" Grant peddling wood for a pittance in the streets. The Happiest. In the smoking room of the Finland, discussing a Juno wedding, Andrew Carnegie said: "And, thank goodness, it wasn't an international marriage, though the bride did have eighteen millions. "Not," appended Mr. Carnegie, "that I object to International marriages wherein the two parties are good and honorable and well matched. But so many of these marriages arc like one that a Boston cynic described to me, 'Was it a happy marriage t I asked this Bostonian, 'Oh. ouite,' said he. 'The bride was happy, her mother was overjoyed, Lord Lacland was in ecsfcsies, and his creditors, I understand, were in a state of absolutely delirious and uncontrol lablo bliss.' " A Reasonable Charge. 'A tourist In Georgia stopped over night at the Palace hotel, In a little village, and expressed a desire to taste Georgia possum," said Henry S, Weaver of Atlanta, Ga. "The whole possum, cooked In genuine Georgia strle. with taters on the side, was placed before him. " 'Two dollars extra for the possum,' said the landlord when the guest came to settle. 'It's an outrage,' said the guest "'It's 'cordln' to the way you look at it. stranger, said the landlord, 'but it took me six nights' swamp wadln' to ketch that possum, an' when kotched him I kotched the rbeuma tlsm with him.' "Washington Times, Mean People. Henry Russell, the head of the Bos ton Opera, was describing his foreign tour In search of talent "They were mean people," bo said of the singers of a certain city. "I could do no business with them. They thought only of money." Mr. Russell smiled. "They were ns bad as the man who discovered the Blank theater fire. "The first intimation tho box office had of this fire camo at tho end of the third act from a fat man -who bounded downr'tbe gallery stairs, stuck his face In at tho ticket window and shouted breathlessly: " 'Theater's afire! Gimme me money tack!'" TOO HIGH. The Way was lung and the Hungci Great But "Principles Is Principles". The New York Tribune says that an old man boarded a train at a station on the Pennsylvania Railroad, carry ing in one hand an umbrella tied up with a shoe string, and in the other an old valise that looked as if it might have been with Lee at Appomattox. He sat down near the door, deposited his property beside him, and beckon ed to a train boy who was Just then passing with a basket. "Got anything ter eat, young feller?" "Sandwiches ham, chicken and tongue." "Are they fresh?" "Certainly." "There ain't no 'certainty' about it," objected the old man. "The sandwich business is mighty ticklish In hot weather." "They're freBh," said the boy, im patiently, "only been made an hour." "I'd rather like a chicken sandwich if I knowed I wouldn't draw a wing.' "No wings, sir; all clear meat." " '.Spose you let me see one of them sandwiches." "Can't, sir; they're all wrapped up. Take one?" "How much do you ask for 'em?" "Ten cents." "I don't want a dozen; how much for one?" "Ten cents." "Great day 'n moinin'!" gasped the aid man. "Ten cents for two bites of bread an' a smell of chicken. I'm hungry enough to eat a pickaxe, but I'm game, an I tell you what, before I pay ten cents for' one little sand wich, I'll set here and roll my eyes and swoller, all the way to Boylter- mer." SIGNS OF THE TIMES. First Boarder (dismally) Well, I see we're going to have spinach again to-morrow. Second Boarder How can you tell? First Boarder Why, the hired man is out there cutting the front lawn. A Comfcrtable Seat. A certain stately, middle-aged lady has the habit of adding on to her sen tences phrases out of their natural or der, thereby not infrequently electri fying her hearers. Recently she was greatly surprised to have the follow ing simple statement of hers greeted with shouts of laughter: "When 1 ar rived at the house, there as the minister sitting on a chair and three ladies." Too True. "No one understands me!" he groan ed; "no one on earth." It is the old story wrung from many a tortured, youthful heart. The suffer er is generally mistaken, but the pain is no less poignant Yet in this in stance the man's complaint was true. Nobody on earth could understand him. For he was an announcer of trains at the Union Depot. Their Latest Game. A busy mother who was distracted by the noise in the nursery hastened to the room and said to her little daughter: "Minnie, what do you mean by shouting and screaming? Play quiet ly, like Tommy. See, he doesn't make a sound." "Of course he doesn't," said the lit tle girl. "That is our game. He is papa coming home late, and I am you." A Politician. "I'm afraid I'll never be able to teach you anything, Maggie," was the despairing utterance of a Trenton woman to a new Irish domestic. "Don't you know that you should al ways hand me notes and cards on a salver?" "Sure, mum, I knew," answered Maggie, "but I didn't know you did." Fierce, All Right. "Now." said the teacher, who had been describing the habits of bears, "what is the fiercest animal In the polar regions, Johnny?" "Why-er-er," stammered Johnny. "Come, don't you remember? The pol " "Oh, sure! The pole cat" Wanted a Puther. "What did the new neighbors come to borrow now?" "They wanted the lawn mower." "Is that nil?" "That was all they spoke about, but I think from the day they stood around they liked to have borrowed my husband to run it" An Observant Youth. Sunday-school Teacher What wad Adam's punishment for eating the for bidden fruit, Johnnie? Johnnie (confidently) He hwl to marry Eve. DAIRY ft CREAMERY SYMPTOMS OF EGOTISM. Cattle Are Most Susceptible to This Dread Disease. Ergot is a fungus that forms on the heads of grasses and grains. The ergotized seeds several times larger than the natural seeds, are hard, black and slightly curved. Rye, blue grass, oats and red-top may con tain the ergot. Ergot is most com monly developed on rich soils, In hot seasons, especially when considerable moisure is present. Cattle are most susceptible to the disease. When eaten, ergot produces a contraction and finally a closing of the blood vessels In the extremities of the body limbs, tail and ears with the result that the parts below the line of obstruction die and later drop off. Pregnant cows may abort It is not uncommon to see a steer or a cow with but one toe on a foot, or the ab sence of the entire foot The first symptom of ergotism Is a slight lamenesB In one or more limbs, later a dark line forms around the limb somewhere between the knee and the hoof. The line deepens Into a crack containing pus. This crack showB the line of separation between the dead and the living tissues of the limb. The affected animals should have a change of feed and should then be given a physic to get rid of any ergot In the intestines. Then give tannin in one-half drachm doseB twice dally for a few days to destroy the ergot not absorbed. To increase the cir culation in the extremities, chloral hy drate, in one-half ounce doses, twice daily, is often beneficial. Affected parts should be bathed with as hot water as the animal can stand; after this apply disinfectants to the skin, such as zenoleum (a teaspoonful to a quart of water). When the foot ias started to come off, nothing can be done for the animal, and It is best to put It out of misery. C. L. Barnes, D. V. M. Temperature for Churning. The proper temperature for churn ing is the lowest temperature which can be used and produce proper gran ules within a reasonable time. A rea sonable time is from thirty to forty- five minutes, and fifty minutes or an hour is not too long. The colder the temperature, the better the granules and the less fat lost. The real churn lng temperature is the temperature at which the butter breaks. This is from two to four degrees higher than the starting temperature, from the friction of the machine. If the gran ules form in less than 25 minutes, you may he certain that the temperature was higher than it should have been. If the butter comes in 15 minutes or lesii, a large amount of fat is lost In the buttermilk and the butter will be soft and greasy in texture. Ordlnar llv from 5 decrees to CO degrees is about the right temperature. This Dutch-belted Heifer Took the First Prize at the International Live Stock Show In 1909. Cause of Bloody Milk. Bloody milk may be caused by a variety of conditions. Dr. Schroeder declares that some claim that the cow, fighting flies, kicking and throwing the body to and fro, will tend to rup' ture the small blood vessels and thus cause the trouble. Others hold that the steady diet of green, succulent food and perhaps the derangement of the blood caused by certain weeds bring on thi3 trouble. The latter opinion the doctor is inclined to be' lieve, for it has been his observation that many cases can be cured by changing the pasture or changing the feed. "We have cured cases of bloody milk," he goes on to say, "by giving sulphur and saltpeter mixed half and half in the feed. Whether or not this is a sure cure I can not say, but it might be worth trying." Old Pan Process Bad. By the old pan process of raising cream in the summer time much of tho butter fat Is lost, as It falls to rise. The milk Is soured by the time little more than half the cream con tained in the milk has risen to the surface, and that which has already risen Is soured beyond the point where It makes good butter. In the summer a hand separator is needed to get all the cream. In the winter one Is needed to get the cream separ ated from the milk as quickly as pos sible that the milk may go to the calves or pigs with the animal heat still there. There is no season of the year when the hand separator is not Just the machine to have on the dairy farm. Grow Dairy Feed. To realize the best profit from dairy cows all the feed should be grown up on the farm. Walt Till Cream Is Ripe. When cream Is not ripe for churn lng you will lose much of the butter 'at INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER BIBLE STUDY CLUB. Answer One Written Question Each Week For Fifty-Two Weeks and Win a Prize. J-iy 4th, 1252. (Copyright, 1909, !y Rev. T. S. Linscott. D.D.) Paul's Second Missionary Journey. .-Antloch to Philippl. Acta xv:U t tvl:l5. Golden Text Come over into Mace donia and help us. Acts xvi:9. Verse 36 Is it generally necessary to follow up any good work which wo have commenced if we would make it a success? Verses 37-39 Would it hava been wiser if Barnabas had first consulted Paul In the matter of taking Mark? Barnabas was a relative of Mark; ire we as good judges of the fitness 5f our relatives for an office as we are 3f the fitness of others? Why? Why Is nepotism in government ap pointments, looked upon with suspi- lonT Had Paul, probably, good reason for objecting to taking John and Mark with them? (See Acts xUi:13.) If a man shows lack of courage, or tact, or faithfulness. In one position. does that disqualify him In any meas ure, from getting another, or from success when In another position? If both Paul and Barnabas had been duplicates of the man Jesus, would there have been this quarrel between them, and how would the matter like ly have been settled7 (This question must be answered by members of the lub.) When two Christians fall out, is one or both always to be blamed? Versos 40-41 Did the dispute be tween these men work out for good, as It resulted in two missionary dep utations Instead of one? By any process of reasoning can jrou conclude that God was back of this dispute, between these two godly men, so as to better work out hi purposes? Chap. yvl:l-3 Should ministers. and other Christians, be on the look out for young men who are fitted for the ministry, the same as business men are for good salesmen? What can you say for, or against Paul circumcising Tlmotheus, in view af the decision of the council at Jeru salem? (See Acts xv:l-29.) In matters of habit, or ceremony, 3r non-essentials. Is it well for us to ;lve way to the views of othors, sink ing our own preferences when we can accomplish good by so doing? For example, you may oppose wearing 'pig-tails" In this country, with wis dom, and yet to refuse to wear one In China may he great folly. Verses 4-5 What were the "decrees of the elders which were at Jerusalem," ana are inoso binding unon the church today? (See Acts xv:2S-29.) Is a church better with or without an elaborate creed? What did Jesus teach which is not Included in righteousness, and tne constant vision of God? Will a church sound "in the faith, always bo a magnet to draw others to It? Verses G-S Why did the Holy Spirit forbid them to preach in Asia and Blthynia. and would they have sinned had they done so? When we are hindered providential ly from doing certain good works, is that the Holy Spirit hindering us? Verses 9-10 How many methods does God adopt in leading us? Does God in pvery emergency give us some sure guidance as to what we ought to do? Was this vision Just as clear a call from God, as though he had spoken personally? Verses 11-12 Does God direct the course of tho Christian with absolute certainly, notwithstanding wind or sea? Verse 13 What is one of the first things an earnest Christian looks out for, when he moves into a new com munity? Are women generally in the major ity as earnest Christians? Verse 14 Are busy women gener ally more spiritual than those who have but little to do? Should all girls be taught to earn their own living? Ts It easier for God to open tne i heart of an Industrious person than I that of an idler? vai-ro 15 If a nerson is lnnospu- able, or stingy. Is that a sure sign of ungodliness? ,onn j Lesson for Sunday, Juiy huj, Paul's Second Missionary Journey The Phlllppian Jailer. Acts xvi:io-. Ancient Inscriptions. There are not fewer than 150,000 an cient inscriptions known to the schol ar. In France there Is an academy of Inscriptions, while tho French ncad emy long ago engaged JL Renan to undertake the production of a superla tive work on this subject to be Illus trated by elaborate photographic plates. The work was begun In 18S1 and Is still In progress. Longer ago, In 1SCS, Mommseu, Hubner and other famous men, acting for the Berlin academy, began a complete collection of ancient Latin Inscriptions. This also Is still under way. Tho samo academy bad already published many volumes and translations, including 10,000 of the 20,000 ancient Greek inscriptions known to the learned. Tho oldest of the Phoenician in scriptions was written 3,000 years ago, in tho reign of Hiram, king of the Sklonlans. It is the dedication of a bronze vessel belonging to the temple of Baal Lebanon. It was found at Cvnrtis and is now In the Louvre. 8ELECTING MOTHER-BEETS. Care Mutt Be Taken to Pick Out Only Perfect Types. The all-Important thing in beet growing is good seed. In selecting mother beets that is, beets from which seeds are to be grown, the great est care must be taken to pick out only perfect and typical types. They must conform to many requirements. They must not be too large, or the sugar contents will be too low. They must not be too small, since small beets are not profitable. They mustn'thave a divided tap root or large side roots, since the richest part of the beet is in the lower l jut af the root It follows that a mother beet must not be slim, with a long, slowly tapering root that grows deep ly into the ground, as such roots are sure to break in harvesting, leaving the best part below ground. The beets must grow entirely below ground, as the part that grows above, must be cut off and wasted in topping. But It is not possible to select moth, er beets entirely by the characteris tics just given. Of the two beets shown in the cut, the one on the right appears to be the better. But alas for appearance! Upon chemical analysis the one on the left is far and away above the other in desirability. The one on the left carries 24.8 per cent sugar in the beet, while the other has only 14.2 per cent. Thus the first Is better by over 10 per cent, sugar in the beet. This leads up to the next step in the selection of mother-beets for seed-production. Notes by a Working Farmer. To make a succois of farming avoid expenses. Food given to unprofitable animals Is wasted. With a variety of stock one can utilize all foods. Best breeds do not insure most profit without proper treatment. All foods for plants must be solu ble to be available. It is the little economies that count up most in the end. A high selling price does not lessen i the cost of production. Concentrated foods should always be fed with those more bulky. It needs faith in your occupation to bring about complete success. It rarely pays to feed for a merely possible increase in price. Underfeeding stunts growth and overfeeding is a waste of food and of time. There is more profit in growing an animal than in fattening one already grown. Profitable feeding consists In giving an animal all that it will eat and di gest properly. It is not the hardest labor, but tho best directed labor, that accomplishes the best results. The nearer an article is put in con dition to suit the purchaser the bet ter it is for the. seller. Good food and shelter pay well in either case, but always best when giv en to the best stock. Profit in farming depends upon three factors the cost of production, the time consumed in producing, and the price received. I Oats on Rich Ground. A Grundy County (111.) farmer asks I whether oats will do well on a field ' which was in corn last year and on ! which the fall previous a rank growth , of clover was turned under. He says i that his corn crop was not what might ' have been expected from a rich clov er sod. He also asks whether the oats are likely to lodge on this ground. If I our correspondent has read my arti cles on oats, published in this paper ! during the last three or four months, he will have observed that I recom mend sowing oats on good ground, and not relegating it to the poorest piece of ground on the farm. This soli, no doubt, in Grundy County is a sandy loam. On account of the stores of nitrogen which this field probably contains I should sow one of the early ripening varieties of oats. These early oats grow rather a short, stiff straw and will stand rich ground much better than the taller varieties. I should not sow over six pecks to the acre, drilled in. I believe that If two hundred pounds of ground rock phos phate was drilled In here ahead of the oats good results would follow. One other thing I wish to speak of here farmers In Grundy and adja cent counties are practicing thin seed ing of oats, usually five or six pecks of tho small berry varieties and not over eight pecks of the large berry sorts. They claim that they get stlffer straws, less rust and less chaffy oats. This thin seeding is usually followed where clover seed is sown with the oats. L. C. Brown.