388 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[March 20. 
His first fault was pardoned, in consideration of his 
youth and inability to earn his bread by labour; and he was 
again placed in the school, as a trial of his apparent 
repentance. But the disobedient boy, was the wild rebellious 
youth. In a very short time his evil habits again prevailed, 
and he was at once dismissed, to the great regret of those 
who wished to serve him, and who would have been warm 
and powerful friends. From that time John has got on as 
he could. He is a tall, well-grown young man, and it is sad 
to see so athletic a figure deprived of so invaluable a limb; 
but it is still more sad to feel that he is misusing the “ one 
talent ” the Lord has lent him, and leading others to do the 
same. I sometimes see him employed in digging ground 
for a neighbour; but this is seldom the case; and perhaps 
some may suspect me of romance, when I mention the fact, 
but it is true; and may prove to some other crippled youth 
how much may be done, even under such afflictive circum¬ 
stances. I have more than once been interested in seeing 
poor John dig. He strikes the spade powerfully with his 
foot, and then, by slipping his hand quickly down to the 
bottom of tbe handle, he is able to raise the blade of the 
spade easily with its load of soil. I could scarcely see any 
difference between his work and that of others. 
Yet this young man is very often to be seen at the Idle 
Corner, when he might have been a “ door keeper in the 
house of his God.” He might have been useful in teaching 
the young, in setting an example, in persuading others to 
keep at least out of the way of temptation; and his first 
sin and suffering might have been turned into a blessing. 
Many would have given him their countenance and support 
the more zealously, on account of his infirmity; but it is 
not so, and poor John Watts is wasting precious time 
disreputably. 
I remember once meeting with a beautiful little tract, 
called “ The Idle Corner.” I wish it could find its way into 
every village, and every young man’s hand. It would show 
them the perils among which they stand and talk so 
unconcernedly; and perhaps be a means, by the blessing of 
God, of causing them to keep away from such ungodly 
places. To enter “into the paths of the wicked,” and to go 
“in the way of evil men,” is forbidden by the Word of God; 
and both these commands are disobeyed by those who lounge 
away their hours at the Idle Corner. 
“ The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the 
evil and the good.” Let the young and the old, the rich and 
the poor, remember this. Let us all strive to avoid every 
place, and “ appearance of evil.” Let us endeavour to be 
found only where those resort who love and fear the Lord. 
Let parents watch over their children, to guard them from 
haunts of vice and folly; and let the young flee from such 
temptations to sin, which provokes God to punish them. 
Let every one take pleasure in saying, “ Our village has no 
Idle Corner." 
THE YEARLY TRANSACTIONS OF THE HEN-YARD. 
A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THOSE WHO MAY WISH TO KEEP A 
FEW FOWLS AND FIND THEM PROFITABLE. 
[(Continuedfromp. 301.) 
MARCH. 
March and the few following months may be reckoned the 
busy season in the hen-yard. The endeavour to rear young 
chickens without giving them the necessary attention, is but 
courting the disappointment which so many complain of. 
Those, therefore, who do not wish to bestow much time and 
attention upon them, had better content themselves with a 
small number of broods. A number of broods, which may 
be found easy to manage in fair weather, would prove diffi¬ 
cult to shelter properly if the weather should turn wet or 
severe. Thus a small number of large broods is what you 
had better aim at, as most profitable, and least troublesome. 
We will suppose that you have by this time reduced the 
stock to a small number of fowls, and provided a few good 
eggs for hatching. Those hens which have been laying 
well through the winter will most likely set early. This is 
most desirable, as the chickens which are hatched in this or 
the following month (or even earlier, if the season is fine) 
will be stronger and larger than those of later broods. 
Some hens, wishing to sit, cluck about the yard for several 
days, while others will quietly betake themselves to the 
nest at once. Those which cluck for a long time without 
taking to the nest, I have never found very good as sitters. 
Try the steadiness of the hen by leaving her with two or 
three nest eggs for two days or more, then givo her those for 
hatching. Place them in a clean nest of well broken 
straw ; but never sit a lien in a nest which has been in use 
in the hen-liouse. If she seems ftdgetty at first, cover her 
over, and leave her in the dark for a few hours. Some hens 
will get angry, and break an egg or two at first, and yet sit 
very well afterwards. 
I believe many broods are spoiled by giving more eggs 
than the lien can well cover: for a small bird nine are quite 
enough ; eleven or thirteen for a large one. I never had a 
full brood from thirteen eggs, but as this is a number which 
is often named, no doubt others have been more successful ; 
with nine and eleven I have had a chick from every egg. 
If it can be done conveniently, it is belter to sit the hens 
in a quiet place away from the hen-house ; if, however, you 
are obliged to place any there, provide a piece of lath work, 
to fit the top of the nest, and tie it on tight—like a lid ; for 
if the other fowls can get at the sitting hen, they will 
disturb her, from a perverse desire to lay in that nest in 
preference to any other; the hen herself, too, may leave her I 
nest before her feeding time, and thus the eggs will be left 
too long. 
Let the silting hens leave their nests once every day; if 
they do not leave of themselves, as soon as they are un 
covered, lift them off. Put them apart from the other 
fowls, and give them plenty of barley, clean water, and dry 
dust to roll in. If they can have a run in the yard, at any 
rate every other day, it will do them good, but they should 
not mix with the other fowls. Most steady sitters 
will return to the eggs in ten minutes: they should not be 
off more than a quarter of an hour. "When the time is up, 
they should be noticed, in case they may require to be 
humoured or assisted back to the nest. This is especially 
necessary, if it is not a nest to which they have been 
accustomed for laying. 
If several sitters be put down in one place to feed, care 
must bo taken, that those which may be more timid than the 
rest get a good supply of food. If a sitting hen is placed . 
alone in some corner, safe from rats, mice, und birds, it is a 
good plan to place food ready, and allow her to leave the 
nest whenever she likes; but in this case it will be 
necessary to observe that she does leave the nest and eat her 
food, as some hens will remain on until they starve. It has 
generally been found that the freshest eggs hatch the 
soonest. If they are placed under the hen without be 
coming cold, I have known it hasten the hatching four-and 
twenty hours. It may be convenient to act upon this, in 
case of being short of eggs the day you set a hen. 
I have above recommended the attempt to obtain a small 
number of large broods, as most economical of time and 
trouble. A small brood will be almost as expensive, and 
quite as troublesome, as a large one. The same delicate 
and frequent feeding, the same care to sholterfrom cold and 
wet, and the same trouble in every respect, will preserve a 
brood of eleven or thirteen chickens, as will be required 
by one of five or six. Some contrivance in sitting the liens 
is therefore very advisable. It is a very good plan to get 
several hens to sit at the same time; this may often be 
managed by leaving a hen desirous of sitting, to amuse 
herself-with nest eggs /or a few days, during which time 
others may want to sit too. If several hens hatch at the 
same time, two of them may very well take charge of three 
broods, or one hen may take two small broods, while more 
eggs may be given to those hens which are deprived of their 
chickens. 
If you wish to get hens to sit, before they are disposed to 
do so, warm food will be likely to promote this end, but 
fowls will not sit until they have been laying some time. 1 
have given toast and porter with occasional success. Pour 
one quarter of a pint of porter (from the public-house) upon 
some toast, and give it a few successive mornings among 
three or four hens. But this must be had recourse to with 
great caution, lest it interfere with the health of the liens. 
WORK IN MARCH. 
Feed liberally twice a day, or thrice if they lay well, and 
the weather is cold. 
