Smyrna times., 1874-07-22
A Paper on Chickens.
A SCHOOL BOYS LETTER.

Most usually it takes two eggs for to make
chicken, because, if you will put eighteen eggs
under hen, ouly about nine OF EN- will hatch.
hen Is so careless and stubborn that most
always she won't cover her eggs all over. and
SO they get chilled; then they are everlastingly
gone up. Also, the rats will rob nest so
that it you get half Of brood, it is tol' able
crop, and you should be thankful Then, |
think 1t stands to reason this ought to prove
what | said at first. A hen which has got
young family is more croSSer than anything
else which can be compared with her under the
sun in the United States. There never was
thing which can rutfie its feathers up backwards
and rage worse than fool hen A turkey COB
bier will do it but he don't go off into red hot
passion about 1t, and make TOOL of hiSSelt and
get enemies all for nothing like hen would
A chicken in the spring tlme, which was put 10
hatch in March, if it has good luck and don t
die Ot the PIP, or gaps, or chOery- -mOrbus, or
get drowned or something, will be big enough
to sell TO the restaurant about III June. They
will fetch So u dozen, and a chicken is more
popular where 1t Is spring chicken than if it
would live long enough to get as tough Me-
thuseler. They say that spring chicken is a
luxurious thing for brOll and mixed up with
toast. That's what I've heard. Once in
great while we have spring chickens for dinner
| Then We have the preacher, or else some COM
pany, and eat at the second handed table :;
and [ Can always tell by the savory smell
a.going on 10 the kitchen that broied chicken
ought to be good enough for anybody. But if |
cant get something to eat more Substantialler
than smell, | always fall back on roast beef.
A chicken don't gather shrewdnesS like an owl
and it never picks up any wisdom. 1t is not i
talented thing like fox. Ii you can show me a
more stupider thing than hen, | wish you
would trot her out. The rooster has got what
little sense there ever was in the family. 1t is
one of the worst difficulties with chicken
that she don't know its place. She won't stay
| in the barnyard. where she belongs, anyway
you can fix it, If your mother has got flower
beds in the front yard-and it's mighty curl
Gus mother which ain t-every last chicken on
the place will get IN to scratch them il 1t takes
till next Chrsmast; and then good bye to the
| hyacntheS and crOcuses, and jerryanthens,
and all that kind Of fOOlIshness. Then is the
time that you want to have two jackets on, OF
else to forget to come home early, If it was you
that LETT the lattice. gate open. Anyhow that
my advice. Also, hen ls hard hearted and
cruel, and will kill every little desoate stray
chicken who tries to associate with ne OWL
brood; and this is good enough reason why
she is like a step-mother If y hen once gets
fair hold of little chicken, to shake it by the
nape ofits neck, it will never kick again in thi,
community more than twice. The frequenteS
bad habit which a hen has got is going off to thl
J negbors to lay also, it is too solt thing fo
the neighbors; but it is generally chronic for
hen to do it, and the only way to cure her is t,
boil her down into soup. She wont 60 L
the neigbors to lay many times after that,
don't think.