Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-11-21
POULTRY SUGGESTIONS.

Some of the Whims of Poultry Keepers in
the Old Country.
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 it is considered very
un1ucky to bring birds eggs into the
house, although they may be hung up
with impunity outside. Mr.. Gregor, in
his ''Fo1k-lore of the Northeast of Scot
land" gives us some curious particulars
concerning chickens and the best meth
DDS of securing satisfactory brood.
The hen, it appears, should be set on an
odd number of eggs, OF the chances are
that most, if not all, will be added
mournful prospect for the hen wife;
also, they must be placed under the
mother bird after sunset or the
chickens will be blind. If the
woman who performs this Of
flee carries the eggs wrapped up in her
chemise the result will be hen birds; if
she wears a mans hat, cocks. Further
more, it is well for her to repeat a sort
of charm. "A' in thegeethir. A. GOT
thegeethir." There are many farmers
wives, even in the present day, who
would never dream of allowing eggs to
be brought into the house or taken out
after dark, this being deemed extremely
unlucky. Cuthbert Bede mentions the
case of farmers wife in Rutland who
received a sitting of ducks eggs from
neighbor at nine o'clock at night. 81
can not imagine how she could have
been 50 foolish" said the good woman,
much distressed; and her visitor, upon
inquiry, was Immediately told that the
eggs of ducks, brought into
house after sunset would never be
Matched. A Lincolnshire supersti-
ton declares that If eggs are carried
over running water they will be useless
for setting purposes; while in Aberdeen
there is an idea prevalent among the
county folks that should it thunder a
short time before the chickens are
Matched they will die in the shell. The
same wiseacres may be credited with
the notion that the year the farmers
good wife presents him with an addition
to his family is bad season for the
poultry yard. ''Bairns and chickens"
say they, ''dinna thrive in ae year," the
probable explanation being that the
guide wife, taken up with the care Of her
BARN, has less time to attend to the
rearing of the chickens. Besides the
divination practiced with the white of an
egg, which appears of a vague and unsat-
isfactory character, another spe-
cies of fortune-telling with eggs is in
vogue In Northumberland ON the eve
of st. Agnes. A maiden DESTROYS of
knowing what her future lord is like is
enjoined to boil an egg, after having
spent the whole day fasting and in ST.
lence, then to extract the yelk, fill the
cavity with salt and eat the whole, in.
GLIDING the shell. This highly unpa;-
atab1e supper finished, the heroic maid
must walk backward, uttering the fnvo-
cation to the saint:
Sweet ST. Agnes, work thy fast,
II ever be TO marry man
Or man to marry me,
hope this night to sec.
II all necessary rites and ceremonies
have been duly performed. the girl may
confidently count upon seeing her fut-
ure husband In her dreazns-dreams
which we would presume, as our Yankee
friends say, would bear = strong resem-
blance to nightmare.-Engiish Papee. ]