33!) 
February 27.] THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
THE YEARLY TRANSACTIONS OF THE HEN-YARD. 
A PRACTICAL GUIDE l'OR THOSE WHO MAY WISH TO KEEP A 
FEW FOWLS AND FIND THEM PROFITABLE. 
I have reason to say it is both an easy, anil a pleasant 
tiling to keep a sufficient number of fowls, for the supply of 
I a family with new laid eggs, and a few nice chickens for the 
| table in autumn. But, if the space you wish to devote to 
their use, be a small bit of ground, at one side of your 
house, do not, as you value your poultry's comfort and wish 
to find them profitable, crowd it with as many cocks and 
liens as should run over a quarter of an acre. A number of 
hens, however small in proportion to the ground allotted to 
them, I have no hesitation in saying, will repay the care and 
expense bestowed upon them. 
As I now look forth upon the pleasant orchard, dotted 
over with fine Cochin China, Spanish, and common fowls, I 
can yet think with pleasure of my first attempt at poultry 
keeping, nine or ten years ago, when one fine clay in March 
1 became the happy, but unprepared possessor of a common 
cock and four little hens: no gardener was at. work—no 
materials ready—all the facilities that presented themselves 
were two or three pairs of little willing hands, an old kitchen 
table, and a few rough bits of board; the theatre of action, 
a small yard, some ten feet by twenty in measurement. 
The old table, placed on end nearest the warmest angle of 
the yard, shaped out the future hen-house; a roof and 
front of the loose boards; an old broom handle for a perch, 
and a basket for a nest, completed the accommodation for 
this very humble stock of poultry. They, nevertheless, gave 
a good supply of eggs; because, I believe, humble as the 
appointments were, the number of fowls was small in pro¬ 
portion. 
After this I raised a number of chickens, and felt most 
averse to have any killed. The poultry keeper must not 
encourage this kind of sensibility. Some were pretty, some 
were good; my number became too large, and the fowls were 
less profitable. My position approached that of some, who 
keep hens, and talk of the eggs costing sixpence each. I 
became on the point of giving up the poultry; but, instead, I 
persevered and learned by experience. I did not give them 
up, and nine years have since passed away. The result of 
these nine years’ experience, I now endeavour to render as 
plain and as short as possible, in hopes that some persons 
who feel pleasure in keeping a few fowls, may avoid the 
disappointments that I have experienced, and arrive, by an 
easier road than that which I have followed, at my present 
success. 
It must not be supposed that these papers are intended or 
are likely to interfere with those larger works on poultry, so 
useful to the poultry-fancier ; and if the reader is struck with 
the constant repetition of I and my, I hope he will recollect 
with indulgence, that these notes are the result of my own 
experience, and pardon the egotism. 
With regard to the kind of fowl to be kept, perhaps the 
most profitable for eggs and for the table, is a mixed breed 
from good sorts; but these, of course, have not the same 
money value, as those of any good breed kept pure. Of 
such of the choice lands as I can speak of from experience, 
I will say a few words at a future time. This present 
introductory chapter, I will conclude with half a dozen 
general rules. 
1st. I would particularly recommend, that the stock of 
fowls be rather small, in proportion to the space you can 
spare for them. If they are confined to a yard, six hens, 
and one cock, will be quite sufficiently crowded—from the 
time the chickens grow up, until they are eaten, or otherwise 
disposed of. 
2ndly. Let the fowls have a constant supply of clean 
water to drink, and abundant, but not wasteful, feeding. 
They should eat up clean, and if they then still seem 
hungry, give them more. Always count the fowls after they 
are at roost, and see that they are comfortable. 
Ordly. Let their food be varied. It is a good plan to let 
one meal consist chiefly of soft food, such as boiled or 
roasted potatoes, meal, middlings, a very litlle cooked rice, 
and things of that sort; the other to be corn alone. If any 
bread is given, it must be well soaked. A little green food 
is good, especially in warm weather. Two meals a day are 
enough for grown up fowls ; but young chickens must eat 
much more frequently—five, or three, times a day, according 
to their age ; and, at first, oftener than that. Barley is the 
best corn for making hens lay abundantly, and this should 
be of good quality. It may be sometimes varied by a fort¬ 
night’s feeding on oats, or rye, with a few peas. Wheat is 
very good, but too dear to buy at full price. But, whatever 
the corn, give one good meal a day of it, and just a little 
with the other meal. 
Ithly. All poultry, but especially those which are confined 
at home, must be supplied with a hillock of gravel and olil 
mortar-rubbish, or lime, in some form or other. Gravel, 
from which to pick up little stones, is necessary to keep 
them iu health, by assisting digestion ; and, without lime, 
they cannot lay abundantly, as they require this material 
for forming the egg-shell. 
othly. I suppose I should say something about a hen¬ 
house, on account of those who may have the power to 
(dioose ; although with most persons it may seem super¬ 
fluous, as many are glad to make use of any outhouse they 
may happen to have: to such, however, I would say by all 
means render it warm and weather tight: and if you can by 
any contrivance give a warm house, with a south aspect, 
your supply of eggs will be all the better. The yard where 
the fowls run should be paved or graveled, for the damp 
cold of a muddy place is very injurious. My present hen¬ 
house is a warm stable, looking to the south. In very 
wet weather I confine them to it almost all day; at other 
times they have a paved yard ; and, in the middle of the 
day, are allowed to run out into an orchard, to peck grass 
and insects for three to five hours. The fowls do exceed¬ 
ingly well, and give a good supply of eggs from the begin¬ 
ning of December to the end of October. 
Ctbly. Fowls will never thrive unless they are kept very- 
clean. The bouse should be cleaned with birch broom and 
shovel once a week at least, however small the number of 
fowls ; much oftener if there are a good many. It should 
also be lime-washed at the commencement of the warm 
weather, and two or three times during the summer. The 
nests must be kept clean and sweet, and prevented being 
used by the young fowls for roosting places. They should 
be washed once a month, or whenever from muddy weather 
or other causes they happen to get dirty, then dried before 
the fire or in the hot sun, and supplied with clean straw, well 
rubbed and broken up. The fowls should have access to 
fine dry gravel, earth, or sand—or to a dry dust bin—for 
purposes of cleanliness, that they may be able to clean their 
feathers, and keep them free from vermin. 
{To be continued .) Anster Bonn. 
THE APIARIAN’S CALENDAR,— March. 
By J. TI. Payne, Esq., author of the “ Bee-keeper's Guide." 
Hives. —The time has now fully arrived for all careful 
apiarians to possess themselves of as many hives, glasses, 
boxes, bee-dresses, &c,, as they' are likely to require during 
the coming season; and to those who prefer the use of 
straw hives, 1 would say (and that most emphatically), never 
put a swarm into an old hive. Mr. bluish has said, and 
with much truth, that old hives are generally so overrun 
with vermin of an obnoxious character to bees, that, even 
should the swarm condescend to remain in them, the 
ensuing winter will place the hive in such a ruinous state, 
that the bees will forsake it in search of a more salubrious 
domicile, or the contents of the hive will be destroyed by 
the insects. Boxes that have been already tenanted should 
be cleaned most carefully, and boiling water, from the spout 
of a tea-kettle, poured over the joints where the eggs of the 
Wax moth—that redoubted enemy of the bee—will very 
probably have been deposited. 
Feeding. —Great attention must be given to spring feed¬ 
ing ; it is always beneficial, and generally necessary, but more 
especially so this year, for two reasons : First, on account 
of the last season being a very bad one ; and, secondly, 
from the universal mildness of the present winter, which 
has caused a much larger consumption of food than is 
usual. I have this day, January 27th, observed my bees 
carrying water into their hives very abundantly, which 
shows that breeding has commenced, and which makes the 
feeding of weak hives still more necessary. I have, also, 
