The National tribune., 1881-12-31

old world till towards the e4d of the seventeenth
century,. The tree bearing the name of Christ'
thorn is the Paliurus aeNS6atks, a low tree, na
tive OF the south of Europe, and north and west
of Asia Et is used as hedge plant in many
parts of Malg AS this tree s@ounds in Judea
and as sptaes are very sharp and the branches
very plisble, and easily twisted into any figure
it was supposed that the croWn Is thorns which
was placed on the head of Christ before his cru
cifxion Was composed of these btanches. Ac-
cording to Josephus, "this thorn, having sharper
prickles than any other, i'll order that Christ
anight be the more tormented, they aaade choice
.os it for a crown for him"
The Pdliurus is sometimes planted in Orna-
mental strawberries, but it is liable to suffer from
frost when the thermometer marks below zero.
EGsss IN WINTER,-"Eggst thirty cents dozen,
and going up" writes nay city correspondent.
Eggs shirty-fve cents a dozen, and scarce at
that writes my sister-in-law, who lives in a
neighboring manufacturing village. Cant get
eggs at any price" writes an aunt who lives in
another manufacturing village and most of the
farmers around here are growing because their
hens insist on taking a vacation when hen fruit
sells rapidly for two and half cents piece. But
am happy all the same, for sixty-three Plymouth
Rock pullets laid 317 eggs last week, and don't
propose to sell them for thirty cents dozen, either
Eggs will be worth forty cents dozen before
Thanksgiving, and my pocket-book fairly bankers
after that extra ten cents a dozen. Friends and
neighbors who want "just few eggs to cook
with" get them at my house for the moderate
price of twenty-five cents dozen, and they
growl awfully about my -"cheek" in asking
such an outrageous price" but that don't trouble
me. If they feel like growing, let them growl; ;
it relieves their feelings, and don't hurt me so
long as it don't affect the price of eggs. I've got
a blasted monopoly" of the egg business in this
vicinity, and / propose to put on all the price
that the trade will bear"
MoRAL.-It pays to have eggs to sell when
other peoples hens have entered into combina-
tion to force the price up.
And it now occurs to me to remark that it is
Just about as easy to have eggs to sell in winter
as in summer-if you only know how to manage
the biddies properly-and my word for it, it is
great deal more profitable. | have made the same
remark before. have habit of making it, be-
cause know it to be true and / am going to
keep on making it until other people find out
that it is true. Of course somebody will say, Il
don't believe it; my hens won't lay in winter,
and don't believe that Fanny Field or any other
woman can make hens lay in winter just as we'll
as in summer" But don't care. My hens will lay
and keep on laying whether you believe it Or not.
If you have hens of the right age, q comforta-
bic place for them to stay in, and keep them
supplied with everything that they need you
will have eggs simply because the hens can no
more help laying than they can help breathing.
Hens of the right age" don't plean hens any
where from one to three years of age, and it don't
mean half grown pullets. Hens of the right age,
if you keep the Brahmas Cochins, or Rocks, are
pullets seven or eight months old If your pull
cts were hatched out in February or March they
will be seven or eight months Of age in October,
md if they have been properly fed and cared for,
will commence laying without any forcing pro-
'ess; and if you keep up the good food and care
hey will lay right along for fully three months
If you keep the Leghorns Hamburgs, Houdans
any of the smaller breeds, the pullets for win
Ter laying should be hatched out in May, and
hey will be ready to commence business in Oc-
ober or November These breeds mature from
month to six weeks earlier than the larger
breeds, and usually commence laying that much
,arlier. / know some breeders claim that the
mall breeds, especially the Leghorns, will COM
nence laying at five months of age but where
7ou will find one Leghorn pullets that lay at five
months you will find five hundred that do not Law
Until six or seven months. 1 have known Brah-
mas and Cochins commence laying at six months,
'ut such cases are rare; usually they do not COM
nence until seven Or eight months
If you have no pullets of the proper age, of
curse you must do the best that YOU can with
7our old hens, unless you can prevail upon some
me who has fowls to sell to part with few very
arly pullets. One-year-old hens, if properly
ared for, though moulting, and furnished with
,lenty of green food, meat, lime, gravel etc, will
laying fully month earlier than they
would without extra care. Mind you, I am not
dvising any forcing process beyond that of good
are A little "egg food may occasionly be given
With good results but the tendency is to overdo
n feeding stimulants.-Prairie Farmer
THE SHoEBLACK Plaintiffs plant is fire.
uently mentioned in newspaper paragraphs. 1t
8, botanically, the Hibiscus Roso-snensis Chi
lese shrub frequently cultivated as an orna-
mental plant on account of the size, beauty, and
olors of its flowers. The flowers contain uuan-
ity of astringent juice, and when bruised they
apidly turn to a black or deep purple color
They are used by the Chinese ladies for dyeing