St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-05-11
NUrIoNs ABOUT EGGS
lnserestlu9 S1peratislOos C0~0oetS0 WI
THIS Fnmi lar Article Of Diet

YOu VINO SO>OU 8oSS
isssres.lue superasisisas Ceaasetsa Wseh
This Fnai lar article Of Diet.
ITO hang an egg laid on Ascension
Day in the roof Of q house." says
Reginald Scot in 1884. ''preserveth the
same from all hurts" Probably this
was written with an eye to the ''hurts"
arising from witchcraft. In connection
with which eggs we're supposed to pos
sess certain mysterious pOwerA In
North Germany. il you desire to SO
the ladies OF the broOmstick on May
Day. their festival. you must take an
egg laid on Maundy Thursday and
stand where four roads meet. or
else you must 60 into church
on Good Friday. but come out be
fore the blessing. It was formerly
quite an article OF domestic belief that
the shells must be broken after eating
eggs. lest the witches should sail out to
sea in 'hem; or. as Sir Thomas Browne
declared. lest they 'rhould draw or
pick their names therein and veni-
iiciously mischief the person who had
part,kcn Of tho egg. North Germans.
ignoring this side OF the question. say:
Break the shells or you will get the
ague." and Netherlanders advise yon
to secure yourself agains, the attacks
of this disagreeable visitor by eating
on Easter Day n couple of eggs which
-o-n 1c;I nm Good E.;1ov
Scotch fishers. who may be reckoned
among the most superstitiOus OF folks.
believe that contrary winds and much
vexation of spirit will result OF having
eggs on board with them; while in the
west Of England 1t is considered very
unlucky to bring birds eggs into the
house. although they may be hung up
with impunity outsid.. MIR. Gregg.
in his Folklore Of the Northeast OF
scotland gives us some curious par
ticulars concerning chickens and the
best method Of securing a satis-
I ctory brood. The hen. it seems.
should be set on an odd num-
Der Of eggs. or the chances are tnat
most, II not all. will be addled-a
mournful prospect for the hen wife:
also. they must be placed under the
mother bird after sunset. or the chic x
ems will be blind. II the woman who
. .rfOrms this office carries the eggs
wrapped up in her chemise the result
will be- hen birds; II she We rs a mans
hat cocks. Furthermore. it il "a well
for her to repeat a sort OF charm: "a
in thegeethir-A DOT thegeethir."
There are many farmers wiv,s. even
in the present day. who would never
dream Of allowing eggs to be brought
into the houss or taken out after dark.
this being deemed extremely unlucly.
Cuthbert Beje mentions the case OF a
farmers wife in Rutland who received
q setting Of ducks eggs from . neigh
Dor at nine o'clock at night Il cas
not imagine how she could have been
so foolish" said the good woman.
much distressed. and her visitor, upon
inquiry. was told that ducks eggs
brought into . house after sunset
would never be hatchcd. A
Lincolnshire superstitution declares
that il eggs are carried over
running water they will be
useless for setting purposes. while in
Aberdeen there is an idea prevailing
among the country folks that should it
thunder q short time before chickens
are hatched they will die in the she'll.
The same wiseacres may be credited
with the notion that the year the farm
er's guide wife presents him with an
addition to the family is bad season
for the poultry yard. '.Bairns an
chuckcns." sny they. ''dinna thrive in
ane year" The probable explanation
being that the guide wife. taken up
with the care Of her bairu. has less
time to attend to tho rearing Of the
..chnckens."
Besides the divination practiced with
the white Of an egg. which certainly
appears OF a vague and unsatisfactory
character, another species Of fortune
telling with eggs is in vogue in North
cumberland on the eve Of St Agnes. A
muiden desirous Of knowing what her
future lord is like is enjoincd to bOi
An egg. after having spent the whole
day fasting and in silence. then to ex-
tract the yolk. ill the cavity with salt.
and eat the whole. including the shell.
This highly unpalatable supper fin
ished. the heroic maid must walk
backward. ustering this invocation to
the saint:
Sweet ST. Agnes. work thy fast
II ever I be TO marry man,
Or man be to marry me
hope him th 3 q ght g. sec.
II all necessary rites and ceremonies
have been duly performed. the girl
may confidently count upon seeing her
future husband in her dreams dreams
which We should presume. is our Yam.
'-se friends would say. wouid bear a
strong resemblance to nightmare
8orerS in Fruit Trees.