CHAP. IV.] FARMING FOR LADIES. 89 



of August, and is even then a hazardous ex- 

 periment; for the chickens must be reared 

 entirely under shelter, and thus become so 

 tender that there is little chance of its ulti- 

 mate success. If you do not want them 

 as an early delicacy, you will, therefore, 

 save much plague and loss of chickens by 

 not adopting the plan. It is, however, not 

 uncommonly done by country breeders who 

 want to have pullets ready for the table 

 in the spring, or Christmas, and who bring 

 them up during the winter by the fire-side in 

 their cottages ; though we admit that some 

 private families adopt it without taking that 

 trouble, and we have known so many as 

 eleven reared out of fourteen which were 

 hatched on the 3rd day of September. 



In allusion to these second broods, we must 

 not omit the mention of a fact which has 

 been called to our attention by an article in 

 the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, re- 

 garding their being hatched during the heat 

 of summer ; the writer of which states that, 

 " having unaccountably suffered numerous 

 failures, he, after close observation, verified 

 the truth of the old saying. 



