Eggs For Hatching

The soason for gathering the eggs lor the coming broods is at hand. The fowls that are to produce have long since beenselected, orshould have been, by the careful and judicious keeper. Eggs gathered while the fowls are in their first vigor are the best, giving stronger, heartier chicks than those laid later in the season. Eggs that are strongly fertilized and produced from healthy fowls will keep in good oondition to hatch and make vigorous chicks, three weeks from the date of laying They should be kept in a moderately warm place and be set up on end as soon as laid. This keeps the yolk from settling or adhering to the shell. These efcs should De aouoiy sirong m me shell in order to yithstand the rough usage thcy receive from the hen during the period of incubation. Little difiiculty will be found in managing this if the fowls be of proper age and fed on food calculated to créate healthful eggproduction. To have the eggs strong and perfeet in all respeets the fowls should not lay too rapidly, for in this case the shells are not pèrfectly formed, and the eggs will not turn out so large a percentage of vigorous chicks. Uniformity is the thing to aim at in the raising of chickens. To secure this, the laying fowls must possess great uniformity. Much depends on the breed, but for the majority it is better to use young, fullymatured fowls. While the chicks from old fowls are stronger and better for stock birds, a smaller percentage of the eggs come out when used for hatching, nniï fnr this roa.son are not so desirable. Too many hens must not be allowed the cock. Fifteen. and sometióles tvventy, hens rnay be allowed with good effect with tlie smaller íowls, while the Cochins and Brahmas with less activity, should bo allowed fewer hens. Early Fotatoes. Qcrmantown Telegram. Besides commanding a high price, there are othor considerations that come in to mako tho early erop of potatoes valuable. The Early Rose continúes to be as as good as the best, not only íor the early but the late crop. and always ffitches a remuneratina1 price in the market. But there is this additional advautage in the early erop: it can be harvested and removed and'the ground put in good order for all crops. The best turnips we have ever known camo out of a piece of ground first cleared of early potatoes. Indeed, we do not know of a more profltable arrangement of crops than to have turnips follow potatoes. The ground usually has to be pretty good for potatoes, but it is not essential that the manure be very much decayed. Some, indeed, contend that long strawy manure is all the better for a poUto erop. The turnips, on the othnr hand, must have the manure very well decayed, in order to give out its best results. IJence, after the potato has done with its fertilizer, there is enough left for the turnip to thrive upon. Wheat and rye also thrive very well on land which has been previously well-manured for potatoes. In all these cases the early potato has a o-reat advantage over the late one. Thev allow of a much earlier preparation of the ground for the subsequent erop. Thm-o ia Qtill anot.hfir advantaae in an early potato. In this part of the country at least, the plant is subject to the attacks of the stem-borer. They usually comruence their ravages abont the end of June. They bore out the whole center pith of the sterns, and before the end of July the plants are all dead, being dried up before the potato is matured. In such cases tkere are not often fifty bushels of potatoes to the acre, and of these half of them are too small to be salable By getting the potato early in the ground, and using varieties which mature early, the tubers are of pretty good size before the insects get to work, and thus there is a great gain. It seems to us we can almost do without any mure late kinds. . We say nothing here of the depreda. tions of the beetle, as it has been so eompletely met and overthrown as hardly any longer to bc considered as a serious iniury to the erop, early or late. Tuero are niany piants wnose icnvra, flover8 and seeds contain virulent poisons, which every one should know, so as to avoid them and keep children from them. Butteroups possess a poisonous prcperty which disappears when the Üowers aro dried in hay; no cow will feed upon tliem while in blossom. So caustic are the petals that they will sometimos inflame the skin of tender fingers. Every child should be cautioned against eating them; indeed, it is desirable to caution children about tasting the petals of any flower. or putting leaves into their mouths, exceptthose knowntobe harmless. The oleander contains a doadly poison m its leaves and flowers, and is said to be a dangerous plant for the parlor or dining room. The flower ana Derries of the wild briony possess a powerful purgativo; and the red berries.which attract children, have proved fatal. The seeds of the laburnum and catalpa trees should be kept f rom children; and there is n poisonous property in their bark. The seods of the yellow and of the rough podded vetches will produce nausea and severe headache. Fool's parsley has tuberous roots which have been mistaken for turnips, and produced a fatal effect an hour after they were eaten. Meadow henalock is said to be the hemlock which Sócrates drank; it kills by its intense action upon the nerves. producing complete insensibility, and palsy of the arms and legs, and is a most dangerous drusr, except in skillful hands. In August it is found in every field, by seashore and ïear mountain tops, in full bloom, and ladies and children gather its large clusters of tiny white flowers in quantities, without the least idea of their poisonous qualities. The water hemlock, or cow-bane, resembles parsnip, and has been eaten for them vwth deadly effects. The water-dropwort resembles celery when not in flower, and its roots are so similar to those of the parsnip, but they contain a virulent poison, producing convulsiona which end in death in a short time. The fine-leavedwater-dropwort, and the common dropwort are also dangerous weeds. The bulbs of the daffodil were oneo mistaken for leeks and boiled in soup, with very disastrous effects, making the whole household intensely nauseated and the children did not recover from their effects for several days.