PICTORIAL CULTIVATOR ALMANAC. 
MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY. 
We know of no one who has better described the ad¬ 
vantages as well as the evils of poultry, as commonly 
allowed to run at large, than Prof. Turner, of Illinois, 
in Downing’s Country Houses. He remarks: “ Every 
householder knows the value of good fresh eggs, and an 
abundance of good fat poultry the year round. But 
few know how 
to obtain them 
without hav¬ 
ing them cost 
twice as much 
as they are 
worth. A hen 
is much like a 
fire-brand — a 
fine thing in 
the right place 
—but the 
worst of all 
things in the 
wrong place. 
Like the har¬ 
pies of old, 
they are sure 
to defile all 
they do not 
destroy. But 
with proper 
conveniencies 
for managing 
them, they are 
among the 
most agreea- 
able, profita¬ 
ble, and use¬ 
ful objects in 
country life. 
To children, especially, fowls are objects of exceeding 
interest, and form an almost necessary part of the 
means of developing the moral and industrial energies 
of a country household. See that little fellow toppling 
along with his cap full of eggs for ‘ mamma,’ or patting 
his favorite chicken on the back. He who will educate 
a boy in the country without a 1 chicken,’ is already 
a semi-barbarian; and he who leaves his chickens to 
make a hen-roost of all things, sacred and profane, 
visible and invisible, is still worse; to say nothing of 
the good housewife’s flower patch in the garden, the 
very mention of which excites no small fear of a shower 
of oven brooms and brick-bats, while the whole welkin 
rings again with the discordant 1 shew there ! shew 
there!’ ” 
On large farms, where the barns and stables are re¬ 
mote from the house, carriage-house, garden, &c., hens 
may be kept with very little trouble. If not very nu¬ 
merous, little inconvenience will be experienced in per¬ 
mitting them to run at large. They should be excluded 
from the grain, and suffered to eat refuse grain, weed 
seeds, and scatterings. But they must not be allowed 
to roost on the plows, sleds, horse-rakes, nor any other 
tools which may chance to be housed in any other part 
of the barn, but be specially provided with a sleeping 
apartment. It 
will be much 
cheaper than 
to build a se¬ 
parate hen¬ 
house, to de¬ 
vote a portion 
of the upper 
story of the 
barn to an 
apartment for 
their use, 
which should, 
as an indispen- 
sible requisite 
face the south. 
It should be 
well lighted 
with glass win¬ 
dows, protect¬ 
ed by wire 
gratings — the 
windows to be 
thrown open 
in summer.— 
The partitions 
should be 
studded and 
double, and 
filled in with 
tan, sawdust, 
or ashes, to secure warmth in winter. R ugh poles for 
roosting should be placed overhead, with a sloping 
board roof immediately under, extending part way 
across the room, to receive the droppings, which are 
easily scraped down into a basket. This apartment is 
ascended by a small flight of steps, which the hens will 
soon learn to travel, if they receive a part of their food 
for a time in feeding boxes above. Where it has been 
found necessary to confine them to a picketed or wired 
hen yard, instead of allowing them unlimited range, a 
covered way of light lath work, extending directly from 
the apartment, in a sloping direction to the yard, at 
some rods distance, has been found to answer the pur¬ 
pose completely. 
Colic in Horses. —External remedies, as well as 
internal, should not be neglected. One of the best ex¬ 
ternal applications is turpentine, applied freely. 
HINTS FOR NURSING THE SICK. 
1. Let the nurse help the patient in giving an account 
of himself to the physician. 
2. Make it a point of conscience to follow punctually 
all prescriptions—if the patient is placed in the physi¬ 
cian’s hands, let not the nurse thwart his aims by as¬ 
suming to know best. 
3. Wear a cheerful countenance, and be gentle and 
noiseless. 
4. Never burden the sick with unnecessary atten¬ 
tions, nor allow him to suffer for want of care. 
5. Attend strictly to and prevent every little annoy¬ 
ance, which a well person would not heed, as slamming 
doors, treading heavily, talking too much, or leaving 
articles displaced in the room. 
6. Use great care to prevent colds or chills in chang¬ 
ing beds or linen. Let linen be well aired and warmed. 
Place a warm blanket or shawl round the shoulders 
when sitting up in bed. Smooth the pillows, straighten 
the bed clothes, and keep every thing as neat, comfort¬ 
able, and refreshing as possible, to the weary sufferer. 
7. During night, let the nurse keep well wrapped in 
warm dress—use food as a substitute for sleep—and 
place every thing handy, so that little movement or 
noise shall be needed. 
8. Feverish patients are greatly refreshed by a fre¬ 
quent sponging in tepid water, in which a little salasra- 
tus has been dissolved, which tends to soften the skin. 
9. In dressing a blister, have every thing ready, that, 
it may be exposed as short a time as possible to the air. 
10. Give fresh air on every practicable occasion. 
11. Let every thing, dishes, medicine, glasses, and 
all else, be kept clean. 
12. Bear patiently every infirmity of the sick—and 
remember that it is much better to be the nurse than 
the patient. 
False Economy. —The American Agriculturist esti¬ 
mates there are ten farmers who waste $50 annually in 
manure, where there is one who pays a dollar for an agri¬ 
cultural paper, which would show him how to save it. 
