The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-11-15


/. Wait until the moon goes down before
purchasing your chickens. Pullets are ALWAYS
cheaper in the dusky hours that precede the
dawn.
2 If you buy any fancy eggs for Matching
do not buy. any that were picked last fall.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast"
but an egg stays right by the date of its birth
and is "a hours older and poorer at each sue
ceeding sunset
8 Always consult the hens convenience in
the matter of setting. Do not insist on her
breaking any other engagements or putting off
baking or ironing day for the purpose of TAX
ing charge OF IL eggs. Of unknown sex and
quality. Better, far better, that you should
give up society and set on those eggs yourself,
than entrust them to q reluctant and dissembl-
ing hen. You might break the eggs, but the
tickle hen would break TOR the verbena bed the
first thing in the morning.
g. Build your nests wide enough for COW to
turn around in. If the nest has an all-out-door,
illlmItable-waste kind of a look to it, when one
hen will feel so lonesome and lost that she will
wall and squawk with terror every time she
looks around and feels the burden of her loneli
ness upon her, all the wealth of the Incas
couldn't induce another hen to go in and keep
her company or gossip with her until bed
time. But # you make nest just big enough
for one lean hen to squeeze into without breath
Ing, the nine Biggest hens in your flock will
hgnt for that nest and all crowd into 1t at the
Same time, hatten out all the eggs, and then
with gloomy but patient countenances and
their several heads turned in nine different d.
rectIons, they will sit on the cold ashes Of
Shattered ambition and wrecked dreams for the
next four mouths.
5. Sprinkle sulphur in the nests before the
hen is allowed to enter upon the performance
OF her incubation contract. The smell Of the
sulphur Will prevent the hen from imbibing
the pernicious doctrines of Ingersoll, and will
Keep her from assuming too much, under the
impression that hen that can produce dur
nal egg, and from that evolve q living BREATH
ing, scratching chicken, could, if she would
give ner mind to Il, create universe and pee
pie its planets with races of lying, thieving,
swearing men. ~
Boost the hen off the nest once day for
exercise. loo much sentiment and reflection
and an excess Of self-commuDion i. apt to
make the hen moody and low-spirited Point
her to the dreadful effects of too long con-
tnued and unbroken exertion of the brain, as
shown in the sad fate of Sergeant Bates and
Dennis Kexrney.
z. About the time the young chicks are COM
Ing out, borrow q shotgun and tell your neigh
Dor some scoundrel is shooting cats, and last
night he killed cat that belonged to your wife
that you wouldn't have taken $50 for. This
will pavethe way for future Development A
successful henery is fatal to cat. A brood of
thrifty, contented young chicks is an infallible
evidence that you can't shut your eyes and
stick spade in the ground anywhere in that
precinct without disturbing the eternal rest of
eOme Cat tDaI mas taken parl0r6 on the ground
floor of ths windowless palace of rest
g.. Ii you have no grass plats or kitchen
garden or pc nsy beds for your chickens to range
10, cut hole low down in the fence so as to
let your chicks 10 on your neighbor, 1t will be
perfectly safs sinoe the loss of his cat If he
says anything about chickens, tell him that on
cold Foreman (the other neighbor) that if he
wanted TO raise chickens he must do as YOU
do and keep them shut up. Do not give your
chicks unbridled liberty, for sometimes a brood
OF healthy chicks go out in the morning when
the dew on the onion tops glitters in the sun
shine, and like the baseless fabric of a vision
they pass away, and like the stuff that dreams
are made OF leave not a track behind and all
the tears that your burning eyes can shed over
the legs and claws and heads you find in the
alley will Lot call them back
9. In raising fowls for the market, remem-
Der there is the greatest danger of sending
them out in an immature state. Chickens are
not healthful food; nor do they contain any of
the perfect elements Of nutrition, until thew
are fully and completely developed physically.
Keep them about you, then, while painting
time tolls after them in vain. Life is at best
but walking shadow, and your chickens
should have at least II years of home care and
training before they rest their heads for one
brief second on the chopping block, and 20 to
grace the table of the happy boarding house
For any further and more specific information
on this subject, send three cent stamp and
your address.