s boiled
oats all the time, and corn standing by them. I give them some other
victuals too, sometimes, and sometimes I give them some boiled potatoes.
I mash it with cream for them. My hens lay me more eggs than anybody's
hens anywhere, by what I hear. Good flour bread is splendid to make them
lay eggs, but I am not able to cook it for them. The bread must not be
sour. Keep fine clam shells by them, and gravel sand. They must be kept
warm in winter and cool in summer. They must have clean, warm cellar
room, you will have double the eggs. Take up the dressing every morning
certain, and oftener, if they stay down there days. When cold, keep them
in the cellar, when the weather is suitable, let them out days. If cold
morning, keep them in till the sun gets up warm. Be clever to them. They
must not be affrighted. They can never get over it. I hear what folks do
all my days, and their poor hens cannot lay much and they die off. It is
wicked for folks to be so cruel.

Be good and kind to all that breathes,
Act up our good Saviour's laws,
Have tender feelings in your hearts,
For all the poor, harmless dumb creatures.

My hens are all in better order since I had a cellar for them, than they
were before, and lay me double the eggs. Hens must not suffer with the
cold, nor no other sufferings, you cannot have eggs. Raise your chickens
on good flour bread, it will make them healthy, grow fast and smart;
they must be fed often; I do not think meal is very good for hens or
chickens; meal is splendid for cows. If you are forced to give your hens
or chickens meal, you must sift it fine and scald it and cool it. I used
to raise my chickens on flour middlings dough, it is splendid for them.
Flour bread is better. I do not set any hens now. You must not let young
chickens go in cold nor wet ground, nor rain, &c., &c. You must boil
some corn in winter, and give it to your hens warm, besides other
victuals.

Human, those that are cruel to dumb creatures and to human too, and
murder, rob, steal, cheat, contrary, spite, deceit, and take the
advantage of any one, to damage them in any way, &c., &c., those will go
to everlasting punishment hereafter, and have the greatest punishment.

Be tender hearted, be kind one to another, do your duty to those
who still live.
God requires human to do as they wish to be done by,
In deeds, words and thoughts, to human and dumb creatures too.
The greatest sin is,