Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-06-30
More Distinction.


.uArx TvAm Eco gir-At . recent meeting
Of u F1eentsvs Cosnirfse Of The Western New
Yosk Poultry society, ZEN were elected IN honor
.g sssDsio q The s;:sy = e s. Daa.,
ut never rains but it pours." Neither
do distinctions begin to fall upon man In
. sprinkle but very shortly they increase
to dsod. Within the space OF one short
month have been raised to the dignity
Of honorary membership Of agricultural,
Horticultural and vinicultural societies in
the States oil Iowa. Indiana, California.
Massachusetts, Maryland, and Pennsylva-
mia and now, - eliminating grandeur.
I have become an honorary member OF
the Western New York Poultry society,
and my ravenous ambition is aatisned.
Seriously, from early youth have taken
an especial interest in the subject OF pcul-
try RISING. and 90 this membership
touches ready sympathy in my. breast
Even as . schoolboy poultry was
study Wiz me, and may say, without
egotism, that IS early a. the age OF IL !
cas- acquainted with all the best and
speediest mehOds Of missing chickens,
from raising them Of r0Ost by burning
lucifcr matches under their noses, down
70 lifting them of fence on . frosty
night BY insinuating the end Of warm
board under their heels. BY the time ]
was 20 years old, I really Supposed ! had
raised more poultry than any one individ-
nal In all the section round about there.
The very chickens came to know my tai
emit BY and by. The youth of both sexes
ceased TO paw the earth Tor worms, and
old roosters that came to crow remained
70 pray" when passed by. -
have had 70 much experience In the
nising Of fowls that cannot but think
that few hints from me might be useful
TO the society. The two methods ! have
already touched upon are very simple,
and are only used in the raising Of the
commonest class Of fowls; one is for sum-
mer, the other for winter. In the one
case you start out with friend along
about II o'clock on summers night, mot
later, because In some States-especially
In California and Oreg0n-chickens al
ways rouse up just at midnight and
crow from ten to thirty minutes,
according to the ease or difficulty
they experience in getting the. public
walked up), and your friend carries with
him q sack. Arrived at the hen roost,
(your neighbours, not your OWN, you
Hight match and hold 1t under first one
and then another pullet's nose until they
are willing to 60 into that bag without
making any trouble about It. You then
return home, either taking the bag with
you or leaving it behind, according rs cir
cumstances shall dictate. N. B.-I hace
seen the time when 1t was eligible and ap-
propriate to leave the sack behind and
walk off with considerable velocity, with
out even leaving any word where to
send it.
In the case Of the other method men
toned for raising poultry, your friend
takes along covered vessel with char
coal fire in it, and you carry . long, slen-
der plank. This Is frosty night, under
stand. Arrived 1t the tree, or fence, or
other hen rOost (your own If you are an
idiot), you warm the end Of your plank
in your friends fire-vessel, and then raise
it aloft and ease it up gently against
Numbering chickens foot. II the subject
of your attentions is true bird, he will
infallibly return thanks with sleepy
cluck or two, and step out and take up
quarters on the plank, thus becoming 30
conspicuously accessory before the fact to
his own murder as to make 1t q grave
question in our minds, a. 1t was once in
the mind Of Blackstone, whether It is not
really and deliberately committing sui.
eide in the second degree. But you en-
ter into contemplation Of these legal re-
finements ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS then
When you wish TO raise . fine, large,
donkey-voiced Shanghai rooster, you do
it with Q Assoc, just as you would bull.
1t is because he must be choked, and
choked effectually, too. It is the only
good, certain way, for whenever he men
lions matter which he Is cordially in
terested In, the chances are ninety nine
In hundred that he secures somebody
else's immediate attention to it, too,
whether it be day or night.
The Black Spanish is an exceedingly
fine bird, and . costly one. Thirty'fve
dollars is the usual figure, and fifty . not
uncommon price for specimen. Even
its eggs are worth from dollar to dollar
and half apiece and yet are 30 unwhole-
some that the city physician seldom or
never orders them for the workhouse.
Still, have once or twice procured a. high
as dozen at time for nothing, in the
dark Of the moon. The best way TO raise
the Black Spanish fowl is to 60 late in the
evening, and raise coop and all. The rea-
son recommend this method Is that the
birds, being so absurdly valuable, the
owners do not permit them to roost around
promiscuously, but put them in coop as
strong as fire proof safe, and keep it in
the kitchen at night. The method speak
of is not always a bright and satisfying
success, and yet there are 30 many little
articles of uertu about kitchen that, if
you fail on the coop, you can generally
bring away something else. I brought
away nice steel trap, one night, worth
ninety cents. .nttt3
But what is the use of my pouring out
my whole intellect ON this subjects
have shown the Western New York
Poultry Society that they have taken to
their bosom party who is not spring
chicken by any means, but man who
knew all about poultry, and Is just as high
up in the most efficient methods of rails.
ing It % the President of the institution
himself / thank these gentlemen right
pleasantly and heartily for the honorary
membership they have conferred upon
me, and shall stand ct all times ready and
willing to testify my good feeling and my
official zeal by deeds - well a. by this
hastily penned advice and information.
Whenever they are ready to 90 to raising
poultry. let them cali for me just any
evening after II o'clock, and shall be on
hand promptly. MARX TWAIN.
d q To the Rocordipo Rocrafarv.