THE CULTIVATOR, 
391 
POULTRY. 
James L. Child, Esq., of Augusta, Maine, gives in 
the Maine Farmer, an interesting account of his mode of 
managing hens. He keeps several varieties, and is ma¬ 
king some crosses by way of experiment. He gives the 
preference, “ considering their qualities, food, eggs, 
hardiness, &c., to the Polands,” and says “they have 
truly been denominated everlasting layers. The Poland 
Hens seldom show an inclination to set, and the Dorkings 
mueh less than the other varieties. My Hens laid nearly 
as W'ell during the winter as in the warm weather. Their 
habitation was warm, and so constructed as to bring them 
to the ground, where they found, at all times, a good 
supply of old plastering, ashes, pulverized oyster shells, 
charcoal, fresh water, once or twice a week beef liver, 
or some other kind of meat or grease instead. I feed 
chiefly upon baked or boiled potatoes, giving their food 
to them warm in the morning and at night, occasionally 
dealing to them a little corn or oats, and giving them all 
the crumbs, and skins, and fragments, of the cooked 
vegetables. To prevent their being infested with lice, 
about once a fortnight I mixed in dough, so as to discolor 
it, a quantity of flower of brimstone, which is the sure 
preventive as well as remedy, and may safely be given 
in small quantities to young chickens for the same pur¬ 
pose. It will be seen from my mode of keeping my 
Hens, which averaged about 25 and 3 Roosters, through 
the winter, that I cannot give the precise cost of keep¬ 
ing, but I am satisfied that potatoes may be given as 
the general food, and Fowls kept cheaper in this mode 
than in any other—and they will always be ready for the 
spit, if not stinted in quantity. I find my Fowls fat at 
all seasons. I estimate that my hens afford me from their 
eggs, without regard to their meat, a clear profit of fifty 
per cent. I confine them to their yard, hen house, and 
barn cellar during gardening, and to their house and cel¬ 
lar in the winter, and think with that degree of confine¬ 
ment, they lay better than when allowed to wander at 
large. Hen houses and roosts should be kept neat, and 
often whitewashed, and their nests should always have 
half an inch or more of ashes or lime on the bottom, un¬ 
der the hay. Broken or rotten eggs should never be al¬ 
lowed to remain in their nests. Dirty water should not 
be given them. To do well they require pure water, 
and all their food fresh and uninjured from taint or fer¬ 
mentation. I estimate that during the year, (deducting 
the time of their molting, and inclination to set) I have 
got daily one half as many eggs as I have had laying 
Hens. Every family can, with a very little trouble with 
their flock of a dozen Hens, have fresh eggs in plenty 
during the whole year, say in all, 2000, and 100 full 
grown Chickens; and of all the animals domesticated for 
the use of man, (if such be the fact) the hen is capable 
of yielding the greatest possible profit to the owner. I 
have stated that I gave my Fowls meat or grease; this is 
indispensable if they are not allowed to go at large. If 
corn is fed ojat, it should be soaked, and 15 bushels is a 
fair yearly allowance for 12 Hens and a Rooster. But 
they should always have food by them, and after they 
have become habituated to find enough at all times in the 
trough, they take but a few kernels at a time, except 
just before retiring to roost, when they will take nearly 
a spoonful into their crops—but if they are scantily or 
irregularly fed, they will greedily snatch up a whole crop 
full at a time, and stop laying, and not unfrequently en¬ 
gender some fatal disease. 
THE HOUSEKEEPER. 
From the “ Housekeeper’s Annual” for 1845, a pretty 
little work issued by Carter & Co., Boston, we copy the 
following Recipes: 
To make Yeast.— -Boil for half an hour two quarts of 
water, thickened with about three spoonfuls of fine flour, 
and sweetened with nearly half a pound of brown sugar, 
or two teacups of molasses. When almost cold, put it 
into a jug adding four spoonfuls of fresh yeast. Shake it 
well together, let it stand uncovered near the fire for a 
day to ferment. There will be a thin liquor on the top, 
pour this oflj shake the remainder, and cork it up for use. 
To make half a peck of flour into bread, a quarter of a 
pint of the above mixture will be needed. 
Soft Custards. —Boil one quart of new milk and with 
it cinnamon, mace, or lemon peel. Nine eggs, leaving 
out five whites, beat them well and add them to the milk, 
sweeten it with loaf sugar. Add rose water if you like. 
Put the custard into a pitcher, place it in a vessel of boil¬ 
ing water, stir it constantly. Beat the reserved whites to 
a stiff froth with powdered sugar, add a little rose water, 
or essence of lemon. Lay this frost on the top of the 
custards. The contrast is pretty, and more cups may be 
filled. 
Pennsylvania Apple Butter. —To make this accor¬ 
ding to German law, the host should, in the Autumn, in¬ 
vite his neighbors, particularly the young men and mai¬ 
dens, to make up an apple butter party. Being assem¬ 
bled, let three bushels of fair sweet apples be pared, 
quartered and the cores removed. Meanwhile, let two 
barrels of new cider be boiled down to one-half. When 
this is done, commit the prepared apples to the cider and 
let the boiling go on briskly and systematically. But to 
accomplish the main design, the party must take turns at 
stirring the contents without cessation so that they may 
not become attached to the sides of the vessel and burn. 
Let the stirring go on till the amalgamated cider and ap¬ 
ples become as thick as hasty pudding, then throw in 
powdered allspice, when it may be considered as finish¬ 
ed and committed to the pots for further use. This is 
Apple Butter; and it will keep sweet for many years. It 
is a capital article for the table. 
COTTON BEDS. 
We have received from J. A. Geurnsey, Esq. a copy 
of the “ Southron,” published at Jackson, Miss., contain¬ 
ing some remarks on the advantages of cotton for bedding. 
These advantages may be summed up as follows. It is 
claimed that “ it is the cheapest, most comfortable, and 
most healthy material for bedding, that is known to the 
civilized world.” In addition to these, may be named 
i( superior cleanliness —vermin will not abide it—there is 
no grease in it, as in hair or wool—it does not get stale 
and acquire an unpleasant odor , as feathers do—moths do 
not infest it, as they do wool—it does not pack and be¬ 
come hard, as moss does—nor does it become dry, brit¬ 
tle and dusty, as do straw or husks—and it is in many ca¬ 
ses medicinal It is said not to cause that lassitude and 
inertia, which is produced by sleeping on feathers. Peo¬ 
ple not acquainted with it, have supposed they had been 
sleeping on the best feathers, when in fact their beds were 
made of cotton. The relative cost of cotton compared 
with feathers, hair, &c. may be seen from the following 
statement: 
“ Cost of a Hair Matrass .—They are generally sold by 
the lb. and cost from 50 to 75 cents per lb. 30 or 40 lbs. 
will cost $15 or $20. 
Wool .—30 lbs. wool, at 30 cents per lb. $9; 12 yards 
ticking, at 12^ cents per yard, $1 50; labor, thread, See., 
2 75. Total $13 25. 
Feathers .—40 lbs. feathers at 30 cents per lb., $12 00; 
15 yards ticking at l2i cents per yard, 1 87|; labor, &c. 
$2 75. Total $16 62|. 
Cotton .—30 lbs. cotton at 8 cents per lb. $2 40; 12 
yards ticking at 12| cents per yard, $1 50; labor, thread, 
&c.,$2 75. Totaf$6 65.” 
It is recommended to run the cotton through a “ pick¬ 
er,” where one can conveniently be obtained, before 
using. This gives it additional cleanliness and buoyancy. 
The substitution of cotton for bedding throughout the 
United States, would be an immense saving, besides open¬ 
ing a new avenue for that article to an extent according 
to the estimation of this writer, equal “ to more than two 
of the largest crops of cotton ever produced in the Uni¬ 
ted States.” 
Mr. W. Turnhill, of Braceboro’, near Stamford, has 
now in his yard a goose which has been on the same 
premises for 50 years. She lately laid 11 eggs, has 
hatched, and is bringing up 11 fine goslings.—Stamford 
Mercury. 
