Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-06-24
Mark Twain Oh pouItr.-:ai.tn2

Mark Twain Oh pouitr.-.ai.tn2
From the Buffalo Express.
have received the following notice;
WESTERN Y. Y. PorLrRY SOCIETY, ;
| BUFFALO, June /, 1870.
MARK TWAIN, ESQ,
| Sir-At q recent meeting Of the
| Executive Committee of the Western New
York Poultry Society you were elected an
honorary member Of the society.
L. c. DGANE, Record z Sec'y.
1T never rains but it pours." Neither d.
distinctions begin to fall upon q man in a
sprinkle but very shortly they increase to -
| flood. Within the space Of one short month
have been raised to the dignity of honora.
ry membership in Agricultural, Horticui
tural and Iinicultural Societies il the States
Of Iowa, Indiana, California, Massachusetts,,
Maryland AID Pennsylvania, and now, as a
eliminating grandeur. | have become an
honorary member Of the Western New York
Poultry Society, and my rayenous ambitiou
is satisfied.
Seriously. from early youth have taken
an especial interest in the subject of poul.
try-raising, and 50 this membership touches
a ready sympathy in my breast. Even as a
school boy, poultry-rai.ing was study with
me, and | may say without egotsm that a
early as the age of seventeen was &C
Guainted with all the best and speedest
methods Of raising chickens, from raising
them off a roost By burning lucifer matches
under their noses, down to lifting them of
fence on frosty night by insuuatng the
end Of warm board under their heels. By
the time | was twenty years old, | really
suppose l had raised more poultry than any
one individual in ell the section round about
til, re. The very chickens came to know
nv talent by and bye. The youth of both
sexes ceased to paw the earth Tor worms,
and I'D roQsters that came to crow IRE.
manned 10 pray when | passed by.
l have lad 80 urch experience in the
raising OF lows t5at | cauro; bat think that
a few hints from me might be useful to The
society. The two methods Lave already
touched upon are very simple, aud are only
used in the raising Of the commones, class
Of fowls; one is Tor summer The other for
winter. III the one case you start out with
a friend along about eleven O'Clock on u
summ.r's night cot later, bee Use lii some
StatcsA& pecially in California aud Greg,
chickens always rouse up just at mid
night aud crow from zen to thirty minutes,
according to the ease or difficulty they eA-
perience in getting the public walked up,)
and vour friend catries with lin sack
Arrived at the heE-roost (your neighbor's,
not your cwn you light match and hold
it under first oue ana then another pullets
nose, until they are wiling TO go into that
bag without making any trouble about il.
You then return home, either taking the
bar with Won, or leaving it behind, accord
ing as circumstances shal! dictate. y. b.
haze seen tie time when II was eligible
ard appropritte to leave the sacSSehind
and walk off with considerable velocity,
without ever leaving any word whero 10
send 1t.
In the case of he other method mei-
toned for raising poultry, your friend takes
along covered vessel with q charcoal fire
in it, and you carry along slender plank.
This is a frosty night, understand. Arrived
at the tree, or fence, OF other hen-goost
lyour own, i. you are IN iJiot.l you warm
the end Of your plank in yonr friends fire
vessel, and then raise it a,utt and sase it up
gently against . slumberins chickens foot.
Ii the subject OF your attentions is u tr
bird, he viii iuflliihly return thanks with
sleepy cluck or two and step OF; and take
up quarters on the plank, ihns becoming so
cons pcuousy accessory before the fact to
bis own MURDER as TO make il grave ques-
ton in our minds, as II once was in the
mind of Blackstone. whether he is not really
and deliberately committing suicide in the
! = a,tta ,,,fn
contemplation Of these legal reinemens
subSequent'y-no then.
When you wish to raise fne. large
doukey-yoiced Shanghai rooster. you do i,
with lasso. Just as you would bull. 1t
is because he must be chokei, and chohed
etfectuallv, too. It is tie only good, Ger.
tain way, fer whenever he men,ions.a mat
ter which be is cordially Interested in, tie
chances are ninety-nine in hundred thu t
he secures somebody else's immediate al
ten,ion 10 il, toe, whether it be aay or
night.
The Black Spanish is an exceedingly fue
bird and costly one, Thirty>;ive dollars
is the usual figure, and fifty a not uncom-
mon price for specimen. Even its eggs
are worth from dollar 10 dollar and
half apiece, and vet are SO unwholesonae o
that the city physician seldom or never or
ders them for the work house Still | have
once or twice procured as high as doz' n
at time for nothing, in the dark Of Il 9
moon. ! he best way TO raise the Black
Spanish fowl, is to 90 late in the evening
aud raise coop and all. The reason rec
ommend this method is. that the birds be-
ing so absurdiy valuable, the owners do n t
permit them to rocs, around promiscuousl'
but put them in coop as strong as firt
proof safe. and keep it in the kitchen at
wavs n bright and satisfying success. and
yet there are so many little articles of rerta
about kitched that ii you fail on coop
YOU can generally bring away something
else. brought away a nice steel trap, one
night. worth ninety cents.
But what is the use in pouring out my
whole intellect on this suhiecr? | have
shown the Western New York Poultry Sc
cietv that they have taken TO their bosom a
party who is not Spring chicken by a J
means, but man who knows all about
poultry, and is Just as high up in the most
efficient methods of raising it as the PresI-
dent OF the institution himself, | thank
these gentlemen right pleasantly and heart.
ily for the honorary membership they have
conferred upon me, and shall stand at all
times ready and willing to testify my good
feeling n d my official zeal by deeds as
well as BY this hastily advice and informa-
ton. Whenever they are ready to 90 10
raising poultry, let them call for me Just
any evening after eleven o'clock and | shall
be on hand promptly. MARX Twain.
2. S.-To the Recording Secretary: I
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