West-Jersey pioneer., 1869-10-22
RAISING CHICKENS.

nave enough to do now WltnouC thlnhinS
of making more work for myself by at
tempting to raise chickens Besides, |
can get all the eggs and chickens we want
at market"
lreadily concede, my dears Mrs. All
work, that you have quite enough to DO
already; Indeed, l often think you are
overburdened | concede also that you
can get all tne eggs and chickens you
want at market, provided Mr.. Allwork
is able to supply you with enough money.
But suppose he is not, or, granting tinat
he Aiways is able to keep the market
e full, are you quite sure you dis
elaidge your whole duty toward him when
yoit buy chickens and eggs in the mar
ket? You are discriminating and ju-
dicous woman, we will grant, in the mat
ter Of the selection of chickens and eggs,
but do you uot often feel called on to
make choice quickly, SO that you may
get home, to push along your womans
work, that is never done! And then,
did you never consider that the chickens
of the market are but the skeletons OF
bantums killed to save them natural
death from starvation or disease, or the
veteran shaughais whose days of useful
ness alive are passed!
Let, then, these skeletons and veterans
be devoured BY those who will eat them,
but for your own table you should
provide daintier food
To do this, most certainly you must be
vour own producer. If Mr. Allwork al
ways keeps the market-purse full, you
need fear nothing upon the score OF ex-
pense. If he is at times "ciose-pressed"
| for money, you will have the satisfaction
of relieving him of the tax for chickens
and eggs.
Supposing your household to be not
beyond four or fve in number, you should
obtain half dozen young hens and one
rooster" You need not take much
pains for searching for oddities of race
or breed: get chickens that are disposed
to follow the rules governing the con duct
of ordinary chickens It will require, of
course, room enough in the backyard for
them to walk around. If you have no
place but the cellar for them, then don't
make the effort at all. But backyard
twenty-five by thirty feet will afford them
ample room. Of course, if they can have
more space, let them have it, but do not
think you cannot raise chickens with
barnyard covering acres OF ground
When you have obtained your stock, be-
gin to cultivate their acquaintance IN
friendly manner. Hens are grateful crea-
lures, and they seem to try harder to
perform their whole duty when they are
on good terms with their owners. New
er rush at them It is principle ac-
knowledged by all writer's upon stock
raising, that fear and fright hinder thrift.
rhe most successful chicken raiser know
is a colored woman, who has, for each
chicken arrived at the age of discretion,
name, and her chickens seem to know
their names.
With this number of ordinarily good
hens, you may expect to have during the
winter all the fresh eggs you need, and
you will scarcely believe you had fresh
eggs before. You must provide your
hens with cosey nests in a quiet, COM
Portable blace.
But their food? Here is the secret of
the economy of raising chickens. If it
cost precisely the same to buy eggs and
chickens in the market as to raise them,
| would do the latter, because Of the vast
advantage of knowing that l obtained a
good quality. But it is cheaper to raise
your own chickens. Crumbs from the
table, parings and clippings of meat and
all the various bits and pieces Of food
that usually go into the garbage-tub or,
what is worse, go to feed dog, will be
greedily devoured by the chickens.
It is safe to say that in family of the
size we have named, enough is daily
thrown away from the kitchen to feed at
least four chickens. 1t is we'll, however,
to have some corn or coarse meal, or
screening from the -four mills, as sort
of staff of life for the chickens. The
latter food, consisting of the refuse grains
of wheat, is good toinsure regular yield
of eggs.
When spring comes, the hens will
manifest a desire to set early enough
Put dozen and half good eggs under
the first hen that offers to assume the ma
ternal relation, and, my word for it, you
will find yourself so interested in the wee
creatures that come out of the shells in
three weeks, that no thought of a lack
OF time to attend to them will enter your
mind. The children viii share your in
terest, and duplicate your enthusiasm,
and Mr.. Allwork himself will find time
to prepare a place for the comfortable
housing of the little chickens. AS the
weather gets warmer, the maternal instinct
will be throughly developed, so that you
may be compelled to tie up your hens to
prevent them from all setting at once
1t is very easy to have from six hens,
nice, fat, tender young chickens for the
table by the first of July, and to keep up
the supply until winter. with such rea-
sonable generosity as to not remove
coicken-dinner from the list of luxuries.
Try 1t for Que year, and see if you do not
lind the task agreeable, and determine
to keep chickens perpetually.
And now, having, / hope, persuaded
you that you ought to raise your own
chickens, cannot forbear to tell you how
TO prepare that most delicious Of dishes,
irlcassee, according to mode not new
pat at the same time not universally
known. Put into saucepan small ta-
Diespoonful Of butter this for one chick
en,) and when melted, stir in the same
amount Of -four; when turning yelow' h;om
add the juice or water in which the en.Vn and
en- has been previously stewed; sa'' 1na au1
stir constantly until it Is uone ,m
few minutes over bright fre IS 'a ana
cient. Beat the yolk Of one egg e. 20 re-
stir in rapidly about minute peru. aance
moving it from the Gre. Ii the taa,b sa
thus served is too thick, add more e. ,auce
Dip each piece of chicken into Inc ,:ts,a over
lay it nicely on platter, pour a nsar,S Il.o.e q
it, and serve while hot,-n'1
IL.