49 



it ; she lays her litter of twelve or fifteen eggs, and then sits 

 upon them, and there is no further draft upon the system for 

 lime ; but when we keep them laying most of the time for 

 many months in succession, the system becomes exhausted, 

 and they lay eggs without shells, or stop laying, if they are 

 not supplied with lime. 



We would not advise any one to keep hens for the profit of 

 it, if they had all their food to buy ; but there is much upon 

 every farm that they will consume, that would be lost if they 

 did not eat it, and they destroy many worms and bugs that 

 would be an injuiy if they did not eat them. "We know that 

 they do better when allowed to have the range of the farm ; 

 but it is not pleasant to have them spend the night in the 

 vicinity of the best tools and carriages, or to have them scratch, 

 as they delight to, in the best prepared spot in the garden. At 

 some seasons of the year, they may be permitted to go at large 

 upon the farm without doing injury ; at other seasons, they 

 should be confined. 



The statement of Mr. Ives shows that he can make it pay 

 to keep hens confined. 



The Committee recommend a gratuity to 



Jonas Holt of Andover, for his bronze turkeys, $2 



Wm. A. Gafiney of Danvers, for geese and fowls, $2 



John S. Ives of Salem, for Brahma Pootra fowls, $3 



Robert Buxton of South Danvers, for lot of fowls, $2 



Andrew Woodbury of Hamilton, for wild geese, $1 



James Buffington of Salem, for ducks and fowls, $1 



John S. Page of Danvers, fowls and pigeons, $1 



Wm. P. Wilkinson of South Danvers, for fowls, $1 



Byron Goodell of South Danvers, for geese, 50 cts. ' 

 Wm. C. Beckett of South Danvers, for Dorkings fowls, 50 cts. 



Alexander Lewis of South Danvers, • $1 



Joseph Chase of Manchester, for fowls, 50 cts. 

 Robert Robinson and Daniel I3uxton of So. Danvers, 50c. each. 



Samuel Newman of South Danvers, 50 cts. 

 7 



