The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
TALES OF THE SITTING HEN.
GAME PULLETS THE BEST OF TOTE-
ERS, say 4 POULTRY SHOW EYPERT

How % Massachusetts Minister Innocopt,,,
Got, Into the business of Raising Gan..
Chickens and How His Boys Took IA.
vantage OF It-A BRrnyard COMEDY.
Nov Ia the proper tlmo TO set your hens fol,
early chickens. said Henry Davidge. the Mas.
sachusetts representative at the Poultry Show.
and the early chicken. YOU know, Ia the soli.
tary bird that will lay eggs next winter when
eggs are eggs and the banks accept them az
gilt-edge securities. Chickens Matched in Fob.
ruary or Oh tho arst day of March are worth Iust
about ten times rs much as those which neck
their wayinto the world in May or June. when
all the hens in creation want to set.
1T is a matter of some difficulty TO induce n
bird to take up February incubation rs a ste,dr
lob. and those fowls born in May and June in..
dignantlv refuses to accept the pouIterer's invi..
tation. 1t is only a March chicken that il ant,
to oblige, so eve ~ successful chicken raiser.
apart from those wholesalers who really can
make artificial i'm ubators perform their work.
and are therefore wholly independent Of
the natural mean4 of incubation and the dis
couraging crochets, II sitting hens-will assure
you that March pull IT'S. being under n natural
and moral compulsiaN TO lay early themselves.
are more valuable. eN Ell when Of no breed at
all, than the high-breCi, aristocratic fowls which
persistcntly refuse to work until the warm
sprlngtime has come and eggs command a
minimum price.
The ecccntricities ana idiosyncrasies Of q
sitting hen are beyond an account. There 10
no power in the world that can prevent some
OF them from sitting half their lives. They
will sit on good eggs. on corrupt eggs, %
china eggs. on paving stoned on door knobs.
on eggs which exist nowhere but in the i'm
agination OF the too cnthusi nstic sitter. IL
thoroughly in the notion to sit in winter you
could start some hens on snow balls or icicies.
Turn them out of ono place the v will hustle OF
I iii r. - H.
another.
AS Is commonly known. the I'll >est attribute
OF the plymouth Rock is nor broo iineSs. as u
fowls. Some other hens will neve \ sit at all.
Take the white Minorcas. for instl pee-those
eiosslyy 'i rss enc E'T% foSst nlsu a1d are sU ca N Tsd T Catae
lans by the SEaniards. They will lay n. pre eggs
but they will not lay them in winter. pnd I
dontthink any one Of thenf%as eyer knoA mtg
often BEGIN 70 sit. but they seem to laboruA her
the strange hallucination that three days QUA ht
egG. and at the expiration Of, that peri1t
they will abandon the, attempt with a remarkaA
bic DE autter and much hen5billingsga,e AN
cas- to sit end in humiliating failure. You can,
placed above their backs without accomplish.
ing, your purpose; for the contrary creatures,
under the board and permit the cold air to cir
e9lste between their bodies %iis and the nest
a Christian. pagan or Mugwump who
could induce a Min9rca hen to sit.
accom- plish most things. are in vain when ap-
Piled to that perverted bird, But there are
other breedslof non-sittcrs which are not only
too numerous to enumerete. but too despicabie
to mention; That is why the affections, OF
slowed ON the Plymouth Rock. She may not
lay so many eggs In a year as a Minorca. bun
pctuate is'r breed, and perform her services in,
an hones1 obligipG and conscientious manner:
which reJpiceth the heart.
DO yon know that one of the very best,
mothers Is the game hem Fact. assure you.
lnudable attempt to prove to the world that be-
ing an anna .2n Is not at all Inconsistent with u
Conscientious performance. Speaking OF game
mems ,reninds me of something which hap
last ESats sum M sr.''' A 'p pew ! %inf fGSr h hsddr ta GSs50s q
pretty cottage, and was anxious to surround
Of rural life. His wife suggested ,chickens. SO
o ns o 99asff from 5h@ one az aqd his aI 5Sic 7 Iew s 3 anGd
men folks IN her family whose rroclivities
in his innocence. did not see how these sport
ing ,procllvties could affect hens eggs raised.
in proper time a number Of beautiful little red
sy'sfeni p ESne nfhnRR oseeE 6 a10% Wh G,hh ha adf be ps1as,
their foster mother. They were SO very at.
The good man also swelisd win pride Of his.
The little fellows grew apaee. and. to the
delight of the minister. he observed that his
vclopment, Previously his boys had given him
much. trouble by roaming, about the streets
whose morals were not above question. Now,
tbN e they e cE EGimained at home; absSrbed IN
Meetings. the minister advised his hearers to
intteres, thSi progeny in chicken raising. and
case of his own children. Not only were the
ministers children devoted to the little red
10 the yard. 1t M'as remarked, though. that
the boys and, the visiting children, generally
tering tho. yard. and that a.ch carried one OF
the red chicks under his arm
days the deacon had been addicted to sports
righteous. so it was with an Intelligent as well
a. asto9iShed glance that b" surveyed two or
tnTee 81 the little red chicks running up to DO
Raising games. are YOU p asked the deacon.
Wi aR broadly and cooking his hat at .
.! Raising vi Fat ftH = returned the good man.
Meme oa,m sir iq p Isp E%dTsf fSd t IL e. ca "a & na,rsd bv
the nGcSnsation: Game ~i,ewis-Wl'at can you
On: didn't mean to offend, tEtorted the
deacon but those are game chicItA us at your
"A light dawned upon the mininter; The
Sn nTf tendencies of the men Of TIN house
eggs had led them to, a partinllty for game
fowls, and by innocently purchasing the, radi-
setting hen the good man had unconscio usly
IN harkcd in raising fighting cocks.
barn Where his boys and their friends rfsf had d r.
tired some minutes previous to the arrival o.
me deacon. The good man listened, first III
convenient switch he Slipped quietly behind
The barn and paused to witness his first cock.
tight. or rather fights, forthere were six young.
stcrs IN az gathered in the shade of the build.
boys were encouraging the birds by every means.
Known to fertile childhood and were also betting
,,heir marbles, baseballs and bats on the resulLg.
! ne secret OF the minister's boys fondness.
Ior ~" chickens and the attraction Of fireplace
or 9iner children was, out. and the switch OF
me- shoulders Of the SURPRISED .gamestGrs with
lcil impartiality. For n week after that epi-
'ode the bill OF fare at the minister's honse
largely of broiled game chicken. but
ne story had been told all around by the fun
owing deacon. and it was some time before the
own ceased to Joke the dominic about his
fnrinG game rulIets for the amusement OF the