398 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 7 



members of the Roanoke directory, to whom is 

 committed the miportant trust of presiding over 

 the improvement of that river. Recent move- 

 ments in this part of the state, on the subject of 

 internal improvement, should av>ral<en your zeal, 

 and quicken your etForts. What means the 

 scheme of constructing a rail road from Evans- 

 ham to Danville, and thence upon the ridge which 

 nearly overlooks your river, \o the same jioint of 

 termination with yourselves? It means, clearly, 

 that the river in its present condition, and with the 

 present means of conveying produce to market, 

 does not meet the puWlir demands. Whnt means 

 the Rail Road Convention lately held at Charlotte 

 Court-house, to take into consideration the policy 

 and practicability of penetrating the Roanoke coun-- 

 try with a rail road, from Petersburg or Rich- 

 mond to Danville ? It is another voice of discon- 

 tent, to which you cannot turn a deaf ear, and 

 which speaks to you in language which you can- 

 not misunderstand ; and which, if yoii have that 

 share of public spirit which the place you fill 

 would seem to indicate, you cannot misapply. 

 It means that you nmst arouse j^ourselves to more 

 extended views and bolder reaches lor the public 

 good, or the share of trade which now descends 

 your river, will seek a vent, by some surer and 

 more expeditious route. We, the citizens of 

 Clarksville, have asked you for an object in which 

 we have the concurrence of every reflecting man 

 in the valley of the Roanoke. A member of 

 your own body tells you, (and we presume from 

 his opportunities, he speaks understandingly) that 

 the thing is practicable. You have 40 efficient 

 hands, accustomed to, and skilful in work of this 

 Bort; you will find a willing spirit, and a helping 

 hand, in every stock and property holder upon the 

 whole line of the Roanoke ; and we have as 

 strong a claim.upon the surplus revenue, (which 

 has lately fallen to the share of our state, and 

 which doubtless will ultimately be distributed for 

 purposes of this sort,) as any portion of Virginia. 

 In the full view of means of this sort, why fear, 

 the effort 7 Think you, if steam boats were ply- 

 ing, successfully, from Danville to Weldon, and 

 from the upper regions of the Staunton to the 

 same [)oint, we should ever have heard of a rail 

 road from Danville to Weldon, or that a rail road 

 convention would have ever assembled at Char- 

 lotte Court-house"? Instead of this, there would 

 have been rail roads fi-om the Yadkin to Clarks- 

 ville, from Evansham to Danville, and from nu- 

 merous other points; all seeking, upon the waters 

 of the Roanoke, a cheap and easy outlet to the 

 ocean. 



T. CARRINGTON. 



From tlie Oliio Fanner. 

 UAISING CHICKINGS. 



The subject upon which I am about to write, 

 may excite a smile upon the faces of some, but if 

 I succeed even in rendering a small service to any, 

 the object will be accomplished. Possibly I 

 may throw out a few hints that may be useful in 

 increasing the number and quality of an animal 

 that is so universally made to conduce to the lux- 

 ury of the table, and the proper sustenance of the 

 human system. 



In the first place, then, I would advise those in- 



terested to procure for themselves a good breed of 

 fowls. The pair I sent you last fall, I consider 

 nearer to protection, in all respects, than those of 

 any other breed. 1 call them the ostrich breed, 

 fr-om their strong resemblance, when about half 

 "■rown, to that tiimous bird. They are large — 

 their habits are very domestic — they lay well — set 

 well — hatch well — and nurse well — and their fiesli 

 is very delicious. Have a well sheltered place for 

 them to roost in, wi!h a sufficient number of places 

 for them to lay their eggs. Let your box be about 

 a foot wide, and about fil'teen inches high — with 

 partitions about ten inches apart. The box to be 

 enclosed on every side, with the exception of 

 about six inches of the front, and at the upper 

 part — place the box enough against the wall to 

 prevent the depredations of children, &c. The 

 hen is fond of a small aperture to creep into for 

 the purpose of laying. At the proper setting sea- 

 son remove your eggs carefully every night into a 

 safe place to prevent their freezing or getting 

 much chilled, which will prevent their hatching. 

 No "nest egg" is necessary upon this plan. The 

 nest egg, in my opinion, seldom produces a chick- 

 en early in the spring, because of its generally 

 having been chilled. 



While tlie laying business is very brisk, pre- 

 pare as many setting boxes as you may think fit. 

 Let them be about eigliteen inches square, enclos- 

 ed on every side, with a loose cover for the top, 

 not so tight as to shut out the air ; put hay or 

 straw enough in to form a nest, in which you may 

 place about thirteen eggs — put the hen in the box 

 and lay on the cover, with weight sufficient to 

 prevent her Irom knocking it off. You may con- 

 fine her without any injury, lor three or four days, 

 at the expiration of wfiich time you may take off 

 the cover, and leave her till she hatches — which, 

 almost every body knows, will be in exactly twen- 

 ty-one days from the commencement. The ad- 

 vantages of the large box are these: It gives 

 room to move round witb.out breaking the eggs, 

 and the little ones a chance of coming out without 

 the danger of their running away. When hens 

 set on the ground or in unprotected places, they 

 are subject to be interrupted by animals, and when 

 two or three chicks are strong enough to run, they 

 leave the nest, and the mother, Ibllowing them, 

 leaves the half-hatched to perish. This is a great 

 loss of time, eggs, and chickens. 



As the warm season advances, always endea- 

 vor to set three hens exactly at the same time — 

 they will consequently hatch at the same time, 

 and you can then divide tfie chickens of the three 

 between two, and they can generally take care of 

 more than they can well hatch, if properly man- 

 aged. 



JNlake as many moveable coops as you think 

 necessary, with a shed roof and slats in front, 

 which place in some safe place from hogs, in the 

 sun — the sun is very invigorating to young chick- 

 ens. The hen and chickens should be fed with 

 corn meal, wet with water and milk, three times a 

 da}^, and watered at least once. The hen should 

 be kept confined in this way at least (or a week, to 

 prevent her from leading them into the wet grass 

 in the mornins', which is very prejudicial to their 

 well beinir. At the expiration of that time, if the 

 weather is good, you may place a block under one 

 corner of the coop and let them out ; at night they 

 will return and take possession again, when you 



