224 
THE TOAD.-BREEDING POULTRY.-CURE FOR FEVER BURDEN. 
Bogs’ Department. 
The Toad.— Boys usually consider the hapless 
toad, “ ihe most deformed and hideous of all ani¬ 
mals,” as it has been called—and, what is worse, a 
butt for every cruel and idle urchin to aim at, and 
without sufficient reason, the poor thing is treated 
with almost universal disgust. By some it is thought 
to be venomous, but this is unfounded ; for though 
the glands on the back secrete an acrid and milk- 
white humor, there is no evidence of its being poi¬ 
sonous ; and the limpid water it discharges when 
alarmed is said to be by no means deleterious; both 
of which, in all probability, are only engines of de¬ 
fence against its natural enemies. We well know 
that a cat will scratch, and a dog or parrot will bite, 
when provoked; and why should we despise a toad 
for defending itself when attacked or disturbed ? It 
is true that this reptile is not very beautiful nor pre¬ 
possessing in its appearance; for it is heavy and 
lazy in its gait, with a bloated body and carbuncled 
skin; but look at its beautiful bright eyes, which 
may vie with those of the hawk, or the perch; and 
when its valuable services are taken into account, 
it is to be hoped that it will be considered as deserv¬ 
ing of a snug corner in the garden or the conserva¬ 
tory, where it may be petted and cherished like any 
other domesticated animal, and where its curious and 
interesting habits may be observed at leisure. 
The usefulness of toads under a frame and amongst 
choice hot-house plants, as well as in gardens and 
fields, can scarcely be too highly estimated; for it is 
a well established fact that they live almost entirely 
upon small worms and insects, and that they will 
keep melon-beds quite free from ants, beetles, and. 
wood-lice, which they devour by thousands. A 
single toad will despatch twenty or more of the lat¬ 
ter pests in two or three minutes. Blue-bottle and 
flesh flies are also highly relished by them, and they 
will likewise attack slugs, wasps, and sometimes 
bees, when their favorite food is scarce or exhausted. 
“ The toad,” says an eminent naturalist, “ is fond 
of woody, shady, and obscure situations; in sum¬ 
mer, of stagnant waters; in winter, of slimy and 
muddy places, often digging and living under-ground, 
ft is very tenacious of life, and several accounts have 
been recorded in different countries, of its being found 
inclosed in stones and trunks of trees, without any 
visible communication with the atmosphere. It is 
preyed upon by hawks, owls, and herons, and even 
by hedgehogs. It is killed by laying snuff on its 
♦ back.” It couples in stagnant water in the spring, 
and the female is several days in producing her eggs, 
which, like those of the frog, are enveloped in a 
mass of jelly ; but they are disposed in two distinct 
lines, sometimes extending twenty or thirty feet in 
length. The young tadpoles which are hatched from 
them are smaller and darker than those of the frog ; 
they live in the water until autumn, when they ac¬ 
quire their legs and become terrestrial. The toad 
has only four toes on the forefeet, and five on the 
hinder, which are not webbed as in the frog; but 
there is a small membrane at the base. It has no 
teeth, and either swallows its food alive, or kills it 
first by compression. It catches insects with its long, 
viscid tongue, with a rapidity that the eye can scarcely 
follow. When we speak of railroad speed, it can¬ 
not be compared with the quickness of the motion of 
this organ, when in the act of capturing a wasp or a 
fly. The toad casts its skin as snakes and cater¬ 
pillars do; but it pulls off its old coat (which splits 
down the back and belly when it is too small) with 
the assistance of the arms and mouth, and then, it is 
said, it disposes of its skin by rolling it up into a 
ball and swallowing it. 
Breeding Poultry. —As I think you seem to 
take a good deal of interest in us Boys, and often 
express, not only a willingness, but a desire to help 
us on in our endeavors to obtain useful knowledge, 
I have taken the liberty of writing you a short epistle. 
With father’s consent and approval, I am going to 
commence the business of raising poultry; but am 
not going to follow the too long practised examples 
of our neighbors, who, acting on the principle that “ a 
hen is a hen,” pnd one is as good as another, con¬ 
tinue to multiply a mongrel race of good-for-nothing 
“ varmints” of every form, size, and color, except 
what is desirable to possess. 
I have read a number of books on rearing poultry, 
by different authors, both English and American: 
but they don’t exactly answer the purpose. They 
are at a deal of trouble to describe a great variety of 
kinds that have been seen in various parts of the 
world, and which you and I may never see, and is 
of no practical benefit that I know of, yet may be 
interesting enough to the curious. I believe that if 
you had a mind to do it, you can give us more real 
useful information on this subject in one chapter than 
we can find in a whole published volume. What 
we want to know is, the principle of breeding—how 
it should be conducted—how far the “ in and in” 
system may be practised without detriment—how we 
should proceed in crossing to gain advantage—whe¬ 
ther it will answer to breed from a cock and hen, 
both being from the same parents—what will be the 
effect if such a course is continued—how far consan¬ 
guinity must be removed in order to improve. From 
this imperfect communication you will at least un¬ 
derstand what we want, and if you will have the 
kindness to answer it you will very much oblige 
One of the Boys. 
Old Bay State, March, 1845. 
Our correspondent shall be answered in good time. 
Cure for Fever Burden. —The following quaint 
and comic old recipe has been sent us by an esteemed 
correspondent, who says she copied it into her com¬ 
monplace-book from “ The Breviary of Health, by 
Andrew Boorde, Physicke Doctoure—Anno 1557.” 
We trust that none of the boys who read the Agri¬ 
culturist will need “ anoynting ” with the “ unguen- 
tum baculinum especially during harvest-time. We 
have too good an opinion of them to believe this; 
yet, lest any one should, here is the recipe for their 
benefit. 
“ The 151 chapitre doth showe of an evyll fever, 
the which doth cumber yonge persons, and named 
the fever burden or lazy fever. * * * This fever 
doth come naturally, or else by evyll and slouthful 
brynging upp. If it do come by nature, then is it 
incurable ; for it can never out of the bone that is 
bred in the fleshe; if it bee by slouthful brynging upp, 
it may be holpen by dylligent labour. There is no- 
thyng for the fever burden so good as is unguertum 
