Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-01-10
THE FARM, THE GARDEN, AND THE
HOUSEHOLD.
From the American Agriculturist. ]

lnree years ago L moved into the country, |
filled with dreams of industry, early rising, and,
above all, fowl raising. think my predecessor
was also imbued with like idea, for | found |
ample and well contrived accommodation for
the slender stock of poultry whose existence l
had contriyed to proiong in limited backyard, |
in the close built town had quilted and whose
numbers and capacity for laying now proposed |
to myself to wonderfully augment. As winter
came on, kept my hens shut up every cold
day; which / have proved to be necessary, if
you want them to lay well. The most abundant
feed will only keep vitality in their chilly bodies,
if they must stand shiverng under the cutting
winds of mid-winter True, they will often go
out of their own accord, if the door is left open,
but they do it only from habit, as instead of
hunting for food, they huddle in the most shell
tered places near their house.
The hens once warmly quartered, how can
they be fed cheaply so as to average one egg
daily, in all the 800, and still be kept fat? Pro-
found question, whereon agricultural journals
have uttered wisdom from all time! The first
winter of my experience, marvellous recipe
stared from every newspaper-lmpossible, 1t
said, to fail of the above results 1t was an in
genious conception. First you were to take
pail of boiling water, endue it with certain
quantity of bran, roast potatoes hot from the
oven; then rake out n shovcliul of hot Goals
and lastly add egg shells, birthstone, and salt
Diabocal, slightly, yet morning after morning
patiently decocted this Internal broth. 1t
would have drawn tears from an ordinary grind
stone to have beheld the haplcss fowls shifting
their legs and peering their eyes toward it,
weighing, it would appear, the choice Of going
hungry or scalding their crops with the seething
mess | imagined their steady laying solely at
tributable to my perseverance, yet the next win
ter, when abated enthusiasm led me to adopt a
simpler method, | could perceive no falling off
at all. Hence. | infer, fowls will lay on any
thing eatable, only SO they have enough of it.
! commenced my first spring with about twen-
ty-fve fowls both cocks and hens, and by fall
had increased my stock to ninety, beside having
killed dozen so during the summer. have
gone on since with proportional success, have
eggs in greater or less numbers, according to
the season, all the year round. 1t is expensive
work, have found to starve a hen; therefore
they are fed plenty of corn, wheat screenings
and whatever odds and ends are convenient,
which they will eat. occasionally including bran
mixed with warm water. They are exceedingly
fond OF fresh meat chopped fine, which also
stimulates 'he"l 10 la!'
ror persohs iNllS III 'lie COUNT! anu 'i"Nl.'s
no constant socl.'i occuPa'on' Is possible lo'
niue io"i luneler-liS 10 oecoine >er! rl'ei1S'-
ing 1t Is re"i'i amusing 10 W"'cr 'i'Glr e''uiess
mah"uIIes' uH" Stuu! lnell lnell various cnaI"o'e's:
no" green person surveying lesl'he' pi
dame paFue'S anu cohsequehti"l SaI'ahlS' Woulu
e'Ve'ie Nv u.ne' eneo S"Ne III supp anu 'i'i'''
AS We" 20 ''''" "uli@" su.ne'"'5 an" eU''''uuo
an ere were heh.al'! anne, SiH'P'I occause
ioF'h'u oi'e 'ne universal niouel. uo NOT ue-
,le'e 'h'te are many ieauirS instincts III 'he
huh'"n mito' Wnich 40 no' n"u tne'r counter
parts III .he,e nipeuS' III our own co'ec'loh
we nave lo"IN "l every snaue ol character-'"e
wedK-mini men, the wel-0aIahceu oidd!' ana
the regular N'faSo' IiIhs lhere are whou one
poSluVcly respects Tor all those quall'les Which
demand the same sentiment IN humanity. O'h-
ers we equally desplse-'shlitiess' hens, mems
who have the moral courage to SIT the allotted
three weeks, or II otherwise, 10 orlnS up fam-
NY with any success heh we respect, Is gem
orally designated "old olddy, whiie hothinS Is
too contemptlhle Tor the others Among these
latter we nave one lnVeterate oid caoNief IN
hall mourning, long known as -" laow bedOt''
while stately pullet VINO has raised number
less broodS in entire respectablllty, answers to
the call OF MRS lianhah More
From the Maine Farmer, Dec. 20.
A HINT OR TWO on SToCK BREEDING
There are two extremes which should be avoid
ed in the management of breeding stock, es-
pecially on the male side. Years ago, when we
first owned any cattle. we obtained fine Young
bull, and feeling ambitious to have him look fat
and sleek, we ted him high and had him used
in the most careful manner. He was well sup
nlied with proycnder and kent in a warm stable.
He became fat and handsome to look at, but
! we soon found that he began to lack vigor and
activity. and failed to accomplish what was de-
sired of him. We then began to reduce him,
and in time we got him too lean and weak to
do his duty. Here was an error on the other
extreme Another turn was taken in our man
agement. A fair allowance of hay and proven
der was given to him, and he was put into a
yoke and made to do good DAYS work with
an OK by his side. He was thus brought up to
good working condition, and at the same
time we had no trouble with him. He was Wig
orous and active, and sure in his performances
of every kind.
Since then, we avoid the extremes in breed
ing stock. We never keep an idle bull they
are always broke both to the single and double
yoke. In the single yoke they are made to
work alone, like horse, either in the thills or
in the traces, and kept in fair working order
They are thus kept quiet and docile, and are