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DOMESTIC FOWL. 
of which the most favorite are the buff and cinnamon colored; and there is 
a white variety, for which very large sums have been occasionally realized. 
From their general introduction into the country they have lately much 
deteriorated in value. 
CHOICE OF STOCK. 
It should be a general rule to breed from young stock, a two-year old 
cock or stag, and pullets in the second year. Hens are in their prime at 
three years of age, and decline after five. Hens with a large comb, or 
which crow like a cock, are of no use. Yellow-legged fowls are of tender 
and delicate constitutions. Healthy fowls are bright and fresh in the eye, 
and their combs are of a florid red. The most useful cock is a Bold, fierce, 
active bird. The indications of old age are, fulness of the comb and gills, 
dulness of color, large scales on the legs, and stiffness of the feathers. 
The spring is the proper time to commence laying your stock, and nine hens 
to one cock is sufficient. 
THE POULTRY-YARD. 
"We do not expect a boy, keeping a few fowls for his amusement, to 
establish a regular poultry-yard; but still, he should provide some sort of 
playground for his feathered favorites. If neglected in this particular, they 
will trespass on forbidden ground, and cause no end of trouble and damage. 
In a half-hour’s visit to a flower-garden, a few energetic Dorkings will 
exhibit a modern style of gardening that will astonish, but not gratify the 
proprietor; and in proportion as the fowls are confined at home, will their 
propensity to stray be increased. In these days of cheap wire fencing, it is 
an inexpensive, and at the same time an efficient plan, to enclose a certain 
space—a corner of a field, if in the country—with this netting, to the height 
of nine or ten feet; it will effectually prevent the fowls from straying, 
without cooping them up and keeping the air from them. Part of this 
enclosure should be gravelled, and part should consist of turf. A good sup¬ 
ply of fresh water must always be maintained. In many cases, however, a 
small paved court-yard is used, and here the fowls will thrive well enough, 
so long as the yard is sheltered from biting winds. Pure water is the first 
and the great requisite of health in fowls. 
FEEDING POULTRY. 
In feeding your poultry, you may practise a wise economy, and prevent 
waste, by establishing an understanding with the cook, for the reversion of 
the cold potatoes, and the leavings of the vegetables from the dinner table. 
Any kind of root, such as carrots, turnips, parsnips, etc., after being boiled , is 
good food for poultry; and if of a watery nature, it may be mixed with bran, 
bread crumbs, or other farinaceous matter, and the poultry will eat it greed¬ 
ily and thrive upon it. Wheat, Indian corn, oats, rye, and peas are often 
