The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-10-14
FROM SHELLS TO SILVER.

What woman or girl living i'll the coun
try has not at some time or other felt til,
need of some way of making little read,
money which should be all her own, anc
which, as the result of her individual eff
forts, she would feel free to spend in any
way best suited to her need or taste
Doubtless she has thought over the va
rious ways open to her for adding to hel
keeping, gardening, and small fruits may
all have come in for their share Of con
sideration, but embarrassing was, in al
probability, the plan which she had al
last decided on as the best, the easiest
and the most profitable for her to under
take. She studied up the subject by
reading all the articles and books on il
that she could find, counted up that she
could easily make five or six hundred q
year from chickens and eggs together,
and then-did nothing.
TO such Nenia's experience may be OF
some benefit. Over year ago she wanted
little money for a purpose of her own,
and she decided, after much cogitating,
that chickens would be the best means
under existing circumstances by which
to obtain it. She did not aspire to any
great undertaking, but resolved to dc
what she could with the chickens already
on the place.
Chickens had received the least atten.
ton of anything on the farm. Nenia
had always kept few, enough to sup
ply Them with all the eggs they could
possibly use, and plenty of chickens fol
their own table, but she had never
thought of selling any OF either. She
was in the habit of putting down eggs,
i'll the fall and early winter killing of
the most of the chickens, leaving a few
dozen to be used during the winter, to
give them few fresh eggs, and to furn-
ISL them with spring chickens She gave
the chickens no special attention during
the winter. and seldom found more than
two or three eggs a day, and in cold
weather often not any. They had 10
house, and the chickens roasted at night
in an open shed on the north side of the
barn, or in the trees, as their own sweet
will led them. and during the day wand
cred around the premises seeking what
they could devour. They We're good,
healthy chickens, but of no special breed.
There were no black ones among them.
They were fed on corn and scraps from
the table.
Various duties claimed great part of
Nenia's attention. SO She had not time to
90 into the chicken-laisiug business to
any great extent, but she thought if she
could make little plY!it out of her
thirty-six old hens she would do it.
The first thing was to make some kind
of chicken house: so one day near the
last of October. when the man-of-ali-
work had a half days leisure, Nenia had
him build one. 1t was not Il very pal,t-
tial structure, and the cost did net ex-
coed two dollars. but it answered the
purpose for which it was required quite
as well as Il much more expensive one.
The most of the material was found on
the place in the shape of old boards and
posts. For the sake of warmth she had
it put against the south side Of the barn,
50 that it was protected from the north
winds aud had the benefit of the sun
shine The ends were made double, and
the six inches Of space between the walls
filled in with leaves and straw. The
sliding glass tops of the beds We're
put on the south 'front.' for windows, for
the glass would not be needed for the
beds until spring. when their places in
the coop would be filled with Stats. In
one end she had three barrels arranged.
They were white washed inside and out
with lime, laid down on their sides. and
half filled with straw. Three more We're
placed on top Of them, and covered us
well as filed with straw. Some boards
and an old shed door were leaned up il
front OF the barrels. Quite number of
the hens made their nests in the barrels,
or the straw on top, some preferred the
barn, and three had favorite place i'll
the old shed, which no ooaxing would
make them forsake for the more COM
Portable quarters provided for them. AS
soon as the coop was finished, Xenia be-
gan feeding the chickens in f.. She gave
them their supper there, and closed the
door until they had gone to roost, open
ing it again after dark so they could get
out as early as they pleased in the morn
ing. After few nights they went to
roost there of their own accord.
The middle of November she began
giving the chickens one warm meal each
day, and after the weather became cold
she gave them two. Everything she
could she turned into chicken feed,
in order to give them variety, and
lessen the expense for feed. They had
raised that year quantity Of kind of
turnips which have q long slender top
above the ground and below the leaves
When the turnips were gathered Nenia
had these tops stored away in the barn
together with the cabbage stalks. The
turnip and cabbage leaves were thrown
in pile, and fed up first. These were
used after the last green things had dis
from the garden; and were
greeted by the delighted biddies with
of pleasure.
A large iron kettle was kept exclusive
~ for cooking the feed. The cabbage
and turnip stocks were cooked and thick
ened with meal and scraps from the ia
Bile, then fed to the chickens when bare
ly warm. They devoured it greedily.
During the winter Nenia laid strict COM
mands on the ruling power in the kitch
EN- that all the turnip, potato, and apple
parings, pumpkin rinds and seeds, should
find place in the kettle; also that any
scraps of meat should be chopped and
added. Twice week she put one large
of ground black pepper to a
kettle of feed, stirring 1t up well, SO that
each chicken would get share, instead
OF two or three, of the entire mixture.
They were only fed twice day, each
time some of the cooked feed and enough
corn added to make up a full meal for
them; and between times they did con-
siderable picking up for themselves
around the oorn-cribs and oat-bins. They