32 ATTENDANCE, SALE. 



perty may lay his head upon his pillow with confi- 

 dence. I speak feelingly on this part of the subject, 

 having three or four times in my life been robbed, in a 

 single night, of the greater part of a most valuable stock 

 of poultry, the breed and excellence of which it took 

 me several seasons to recover. In the first place, these 

 small buildings should be made substantial, for on one 

 occasion, my locks being good, the thieves made their 

 way by wrenching open an angle of the building. In 

 addition to substantial locks and hinges, bells hung 

 upon the inside of the doors, or upon any part liable 

 to be shaken, are good precautions, since the noise 

 may deter the thieves, even if it fail to alarm the family. 

 But the most certain security is that kind of vermin 

 cur generally kept by country labourers. Several such 

 should be enkennelled in the poultry court, and taught 

 to bark, being equally useful against robbers and ver- 

 min. Nothing can charm and quiet the tongues of 

 real good latratores, or barkers, and more particularly 

 when several of them are together. 



A plan like the above will obviously require the 

 exclusive services of one or more ATTENDANTS, ac- 

 cording to its extent. My poultry, rabbits, and bees, 

 formerly were well attended by an aged labourer, with 

 the occasional assistance of his wife ; and the merito- 

 rious couple thus made an easy and comfortable living 

 after a life of severe labour, a circumstance to me the 

 source of heartfelt satisfaction. The sale of our sur- 

 plus of this species of live stock, besides repaying all 

 expences, and exclusive of a most abundant and com- 

 fortable supply for the household and for occasional 

 presents, rendered an annual profit by no means 



