The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-08-02
AChapter or Chleke,s.

1'JfssJs -Akcuo 10y H1OIo I6EusNty
all through the year, - the far South,
than they do In the North. The great.
est lull is In the spring january aid
February. just about the time the hepr
North commence their seasons laying.
Eggs are not very plentiful with US Ut
this writing. We never feed our heDe
much with view OF increasing their
laying qualities, as people do In other
sectiOns-it might be better II We did.
Sett,ng-I always flnd II best to ret
hens under shelter OF on the ground.
IL this last is not practicable, have a
green sod taken up thin and placed uD-
der the nest. This Is very important,
for the earth contains heat enough to
keep the eggs IN good condition while
the hen II rfI In quest of food, some
thing which boards or mere litter uD-
der the nest would not sure to do. j
make my nest of straw pounded or
bruised finely with the poll Of an ak,
usually laying 1t on n smoothly cut
stump of tree to pound 1t.
Testing Eggs.-On the evening of The
sixth day after setting the hen, 60 h.
the nest with lighted candle, and
holding the eggs up between me and
it. carefully observe their appearance
IL they look clear and red, know they
are sterile, and SO take them from the
nest; they will not have been spoiled
| by the hen sitting on them. The fer
tile egg, cont ainiDg birds, will appear
dark; that j., they will show no light
through them. 1t is a great folly to Jet
lien sit all through her term OH sterile
eggs, finally converting them into "rot-
ten eggs" when they may be 30 easily
detected by this simple process.
Assisting Ndiwe.-About week be-
fore the time for Matching, IN dry sum
mer weather, so TO tine rest when the
hen Is oil and sprinkle the eggs pretty
thoroughly with n little warm water. ]
find this is great aid to nature in the
process of Matching, as it has teDden-
cy To soften the shells. 1t applies es-
recislIy well TO all kinds of poultry.
| Roosting.-I find that young chick
ems should have clean well ventiia-
ted roosting place. 1t is beat for them
|, IT, sit on the bare GROUND. The ground
of their house should bc thoroughly
, cleaned at least once week, by scrap
ing il out to the depth Of, say two
inches, and supplying the place with
fresh louse earth. The loose earth acts
AZ an absorteng and keeps the house
pure and the chicks in a healthy cOndi
ton. land the loose earth removed
once a week from large flock of pOut
try Is worth almost ~ much as the
poultry, for it il one Of the most excel
lent fertilizers that could he applied &
,, plants. 1t should be well stirred 10
gether ard carefully housed until TIM
time for using 1t in at hand. II con
, veDient to cover il closely in boxes an(
barrels, all tlis better. We have testet
quite qariety of fertilizers this seasoD
but none " ith results better than thos.
{ shown 10y the scrapings Of our chicken'
houses.-El.
Hcding.-Very young chickens vii
/, have To 10 fed regularly until they ar,
able to run about In quest of fovd. IL
, their cave most persons In this section
use corn meal slightly wetted, but ex
Eerienced has taught me to believe tina
c corn "grits," given dry, IL best ruile,
f to their wants. l feed my young chick
| ems regularly four times each day. II
D regions further north, and lets favorc,
: for poultry growing il r. usual to fce'
e young birds regularly but spariDgly
G about every two hours Throughout tn
:. day; that IL, where persons make pOul
# try growing business. Adult poultry
4 fed twice aday-morning and evening
and corn, wheat, oats aud barley
with various garden vegetabies, finel,
e chopped, generally make up the fOotl
= In our experience we have found then
u to do AZ well rs could be desired OF
! sweet potatoes mashed and mixed v i'll
! a small portion of corn meal-atsou
one part of the latter to four or five G
!; the furmer. Irish potatoes, turDip.
carrots, pumpkins, squashes, apples a
!, peaches treated i'm tue same way vii
he found to answer every purpose
d Ed
Doctoring My chickens are neve
4 sick, consequently have 10 doctOIin
;, to do. Think sickness among fowls
e more the result of Of bad management
4 than any thing else; and that doctor
j ing does more harm than good. Re
a move the cause and the effect will re
n move itrelf. have on several Occa
4 sions, when chick en- cholera was la
4 i'm my neighbrhooi, given, mixed Il
d the food of my fowls, small proportion
1 Of powdered charcoal, oxide ofiroD, an
flour of sulphur. Never had tru
, case of cholera, Tut do not pretend {
= hold that the drugs administered shout
: have credit for it. Rather think tina
= keeping the houses clean and tbei
. fIouis well covered with fresh cart
: has been the medicine that saved m
: chickens.-Muy c. ITCst, IN the Mt
8 bic Rcgistcr.