PATTKNINCt 97 



which might be smeared, -with oil of valerian— of which some cats 

 are so fond — to make it eyen more attractive. I never lost any 

 phicks by oats, I am bound to say, and therefore should be loath 

 to set poison down for them. I dread poison too, as I have 

 already said, in a fowl-yard. One cat I had who took a fancy 

 to a young duckling, but was discovered before she had .eaten it, 

 BO poor ducky was tied to her neck in- such a position that she 

 could not get rid of it, and this effectually cured her of killing 

 ducklings or chicks. A good hungry half-starved town oat, 

 however, one could not cure by such means; it would be a case 

 of "first catch your cat." But still cats I look on in a light of 

 friends, unless I suffered too severely from their attacks I 

 should not like to demolish them by such a crdel method as 



&■ 

 poison. 



FATTENING. 



In feeding fowls for table, or rather for market — ^for I should 

 never coop chickens to fat merely for home use, as I have before 

 said — ^much depends on circumstances. 



Spring chickens should be' penned for fattening directly the 

 hen shows a desire to leave them, when they are, say, five weeks 

 old. They will not then have lost their first plump condition, 

 and will soon, if well fed, increase rapidly in weight. They 

 are not required to be very large; indeed, if fatted too long buy- 

 ers would fancy they were not really "spring chickens," which 

 frequently make their appearance at table not much larger than 



