POULTRY. 



but if once established in the consti- 

 tution, it becomes incurable, and, ac- 

 cording to some, contagious. For 

 constipation, bran, or pollard, with 

 milk, beet leaves, and lettuces, afford 

 a certain cure. 



" Much of the foregoing matter ap- 

 plies to the rearing and management 

 of all poultry. The succeeding ob- 

 servations will be brief 



" Tvrkci/s. — The greatest weight 

 to which our domesticated poultry 

 can be made to attain is thirty pounds, 

 and a turkey of even half this weight 

 is a ' dainty dish.' 



" The varied plumage of the bird 

 in the domesticated state is well 

 known to every one ; and in no spe- 

 cies is that sure mark of subjection 

 to man more strongly seen. The 

 bronze, or copper-coloured, is not 

 considered hardy, nor often reared, 

 and the varieties may be staled to be 

 only twofold, the dark-coloured and 

 the light. 



The dark-coloured birds are most 

 prized for size and hardihood. 



" Turkeys, though extremely deli- 

 cate in their infancy, become very 

 hardy, and, if permitted, will roost on 

 the highest trees, in the cold dry 

 nights of winter, without suffering 

 injury. The hen, which lays many 

 eggs early in spring, sits thirty days, 

 and covers from twelve to fifteen 

 eggs. It is unnecessary for the tur- 

 key-cock, as is the case with gallina- 

 ceous fowl, to be in constant inter- 

 course with the hen during her pe- 

 riod of laying. Two visits from him 

 in that season are sufficient to im- 

 pregnate all the eggs. She is a very 

 steady sitter, and must be removed 

 to her food and .supplied with water, 

 for she would never leave her nest. 

 She wants the alertness, and courage, 

 and sagacity of the common hen, and 

 might be called a fool with much 

 more propriety than the goose, which 

 is an intelligent bird. The turkey 

 hen is incapable of teaching her young 

 ones how to pick up their food, on 

 which account a poultry maid should 

 always attend them until they are 

 reared. 



" On account of the constitutional 

 630 



delicacy of this bird, the hatching 

 should not be commenced too early 

 in the spring, and when the chicks 

 arc hatched they should be guarded 

 from the extremes of heat and cold 

 for some weeks. Rain is almost 

 always fatal to them in their early 

 stage. Curd, boiled eggs, and barley 

 or oatmeal, kneaded with milk (or 

 water, in case milk should produce 

 looseness), potatoes, nettles, parsley, 

 Swedish turnips, with chopped beet 

 leaves, after a little time, are their 

 proper food. As they retain so much 

 of their original wild naitire as to 

 stray a considerable distance, if per 

 mitted, tlie hen should be tied oi 

 cooped for at least six weeks, when 

 the chicks will be hardy enough to 

 follow her about, under the vigilant 

 eye, however, of the poultry maid, 

 who should beware of their being 

 caught by a shower. 



" They are soon familiarized to the 

 society of fowls in the poultry or 

 farm yard. Without the advantage 

 of the latter, it is an unprofitable 

 speculation to rear any description of 

 poultry on a large scale ; but where 

 a farmer's yard presents facilities, the 

 economy of having all those kinds to 

 which the soil and climate are suita- 

 ble is considerable. The only cau- 

 tion with regard to turkeys, where 

 gallinaceous birds are numerous, is 

 to have separate houses for them at 

 night. These should be very lofty 

 and well ventilated. They may be 

 altogether open to the air in front, the 

 doors being of trellis-work. Fowls 

 (which are equally unsocial with the 

 capons of their own kind) have a 

 strong disinclination to roost with 

 them. 



" When well grown, turkeys sup- 

 ply themselves in their ramblings so 

 far as to require food only when leav- 

 ing their house in the morning and 

 returning at night. The chances of 

 rearing a second brood are not so 

 great as to render it expedient to 

 make the trial. 



" After six months, turkeys may 

 be crammed like fowls, but they re- 

 quire a much longer period to render 

 them fully fat. Those great birds 



