Poultry on an ordinary Farm. 523 



and put under each hen three or four trial ejjo^s (which should be 

 kept for the purpose marked with ink), taking care to handle 

 the hens dextrously, placing' one hand underneath the breast, 

 holding the legs in the other hand and carrying them upright ; 

 otherwise have a convenient basket for the purpose. Feed the 

 newly-set hens as usual with the others, and in all probability at 

 the end of two days they will have taken to the nests ; in which 

 case, when off feeding, on the third morning, place the eggs for 

 sitting under each hen, and label each nest, naming the kind of 

 eggs, and date when set. On the evening of the eighth day after 

 setting take a lighted candle, and, holding the eggs up to the 

 light, observe if they appear quite clear ; if so, they are sterile or 

 addle, for the eggs containing birds will appear opaque. It may 

 happen, should there be many addle eggs, that two of the hens 

 will sit the remaining eggs of the three ; and one can be again set, 

 with fresh eggs as before, and so on during the year. The sterile 

 eggs should be marked as trial or nest eggs, or boiled as food for 

 chickens, so that none need be wasted. As each sitting hen is 

 now secured upon her nest, as many only at a time as may be 

 most convenient can be let off to feed, which should be done 

 early every morning inside the sitting-house with closed door, 

 allowing them to remain off" the nests fifteen or twenty minutes, 

 and taking care that each hen returns to the proper nest. Give 

 water, with grain in its natural state, but not with soft food. 

 During the summer months, or dry windy March, and about 

 a week previous to hatching, take a little warm water, and, 

 when the hens are off" their nests, sprinkle the eggs therewith : 

 this will greatly assist nature in the process of hatching, as the 

 eggs are often very dry in hot weather : this, as a rule, applies 

 to all kinds of poultry. 



Feediny. — It is neither necessary nor desirable to go into the 

 market for expensive feeding stuffs ; still, there are several kinds 

 of food not grown upon the farm, which yet are cheap and useful 

 in the rearing of young poultiy, or putting in condition birds 

 intended for exhibition. One of the cheapest of these, if pro- 

 perly prepared, is rice, it can be bought at \\d. per lb., or even 

 less ; preference should be given to the small grain, or fine rice, 

 which should be prepared in the following manner, viz. : — to 

 6 quarts of boiling water, add 2 lbs. of rice, and let boil for 

 10 or 15 minutes, according to the size of the grain, when suffi- 

 ciently boiled, pour it into a hair sieve, and when cold, mix 

 with as much oats or barley-meal, as will, when stirred lightly 

 round with the hand, give it the appearance of small, well-dusted 

 pills ; each grain being then separate, it will be very convenient 

 ior, and is greedily devoured by young birds, and being very 

 digestible, is an invaluable food for them. 



