Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-04-04

sslou'll be glad to come and stay
with me yet" said Rnsamond.
"when you find your chicken farm
don't pay"
Cpl give it a good trial first
said Dora smiling.
1t was agreed that Dora should
have such articles of the furniture
asshe needed, and the rest WAS
disposed Of at private sale among
the neighbors, thus adding a few
more dollars to tile girls small cap
ital.
AGood fur you, Dory! BIamedif
/ amt glad you've got so mnch
spunk," said Uncle Peter, who had
called to bid his niaces good-by.
And In spite of his wife's obinrga
tions he insisted on bringing his
ownwagon and stout team OF horses
to moved ora's furniture to the lit
tleitwo,rooms cottage she had rent
ed.atElfty d ollarss we %. ss.z.5
also oInn cred 4 % make
soEE! chicken;coops for her, and
put in some good, stout roasting
lpoics, much to Dora's delight and
gratitude.
Aunt Betsy Grimes was very glad
to rent the little front room, which
Dora, with the help OF sfout-armed
Hannah Wilkins, had whitewashel
and secured till it was "bright rs a
new pin," Hannah said, and having
spent about half her slender CAPT
tailor house rent, Dora purchased n
supply of fowls and went 10 work.
1t was early in the spring, and
she soon had plenty of eggs to sell,
aid plenty of demand for her eggs.
The little cottage WAS not much
more than a stone's throw from the
village store, and there Dora CART
cd her waresin split baskets, receiv-
ing either merchandise or cash in
return, as she chose. After time,
when the hens began to set, her
sales were less, but eggs had ad-
vanced in price at this time, and
twenty cents dozen paid her very
well, she considered.
Then came the broods of downy
yellow chicks, to De watched ov-
err and protected from chicken
hawks, rats. and other small "var-
mentS.n and Dora found her time
pretty we'll occupied in the care of
her little tledgelings.
She was up and out Of doors be-
fore sunrise in the morning, feed
ing and attending to her leathered
pets, and guardingthem from stray
ing too far before the dew was
dried; and it was not long till this
out-of door exercise began to have
IL beneficial influence on Dora's
hitherto enteebled system. Her
pale, Sunken cheeks began to grow
round and to-show healthy pink
tint, and somewhat languitl step be-
came firm and brisk.
To Dora'S surprise and delight,
she discovered an old strawberrybed
at the back of the house. 1t had
been long neglected, to be sure,and
the plants had become matted to-
gether and had weakened them
selves by the long runners they had
thrown out.
But Dora went to work, broke of
the runners and thinned out the
plants, leaving only two or three in
IL place, and by the latter part Of
May she was rewarded By IL tempt
ing crop Of the bright, scarlet Der
rieS.
There were more than she and
Aunt Betsy, who "piclled on shares,'
could make use Of themselves, and
Dora found a ready sale for the re-
maindcr at fifty cents a gallon for
the earliest, and thirty-tive for those
that ripened later.
In the mean time her first broodS
of chickens had grown so fast and
so plnmp they were large enough to
broil, and Dora disposed Of them at
quite a good price.
By the time fall came she had
made all her expenses and had some
funds laid by.
Though we'll p eased with her sue
cess, the young chicken farmer de.
| tarminad to 1o bpttpr still
She began to consider the question
OF thoroughbred fowls, having no.
ticed the subject discussedin an ag-
ri ultural paper for which she sub
scribed. She. had observed fire.
quent advertisements of dealers III
the fancy grades Of poultry, offer
ing eggs for Matching at two dol
lars a dozen.
"And / am content to GET thirty
cents at the very highest price for
mine," thought Dora. ''Why can't
| get some Of these other breeds,
and sell eggs at two dollars a doz-
en-, toos"
She accordingly subscribed Tor
poultry journal, and informed her
self on the subject during the win.
ter months, carefully considering
the relative merits of "BIack Ham
burgs," "Leghorns," Polands, Ply
mouth Rocks, Brahmas, and Part
ridge Cochins, and finally decided
to make beginning with the Ply
mouth Rocks.
Accordingly, in the spring, she
took her mixed breeds, of Dorkins.
"Creepies," "Sellow legs" and old
fashioned ''speckled" fowls, and sold