Live Stock.—Poultry—W ater-Fowl— Ducks. 1211

turkeys to fome neighbouring cock to be impregnated, one act being found fufficient for a brood. By this means there is a confiderable faving, in not having cocks to keep the whole year round; and of courfe mott little farmers raife this fort of poul- try, which is fuppofed a principal caufe of their being fo plentiful in that difiriGt*,

The turkeymoftly lays from cight to ten or twelve eggs, and batches in about twenty-eight or thirty days. The young brood are extremely tender, and require con- ftant care and attention for a month or fix weeks after they are hatched to rear them with fafety. They fhould during this time be kept in a warm airy inclofed fituation, perfedlly free from wet, and be attentively fed with white bread{teeped in milk that is quite free from acidity; or, what fome prefer, alum curd mixed with chopped onions, for which ufe a proper fupply of early young onions fhould be provided, or old ones planted in this intention. After they have been managed in this way for about a month, they may be brought gradually to be fupported on oat-meal and fweet milk, or grain, of which buck-wheat is found the moft fuitable. As the expenfe in grain and_trouble in the rearing of thefe birds is very confiderable, from their being very greedy feeders, without great fuccefs in raifing them, and a certainty of high prices at the market, they can feldom repay the farmer.

Young turkeys may be fattened with great expedition by means of boiled potatoes and good barley-meal mixed well together, if they be kept fed in a regular manner. The practice of cramming them isa piece of ftupid and unneceflary cruelty, as it is evident they can only fatten in proportion to the quantity of food that is digefted, whatever quantity may be forced upon them: befides, they will confume it faft enough without forcing, if kept regularly fed.

Mr. Kent afcribes the finenefs of the flavour in the Norfolk turkeys, to the great drynefs of the foil in that diftrict, and the extenfivenefs of the range which they are fuffered to poflefs.

The difference between the living and dead weight of a turkey is thus ftated by Mr. Young:—Live weight 211b.; dead weight r4lb.

Water-Fowl.—Various birds of this defcription may be kept with benefit by the farmer, where he is fo fituated in refpect to water, commons, and other conveniences, that they can be managed without much attention or trouble; but in other cafes they are not worth his notice, as they will feldom repay the trouble of looking after them.

Ducks.—There are different breeds of ducks, but the common white or Englifb breed and the dark brown or fpeckied wild breed are in mott eftimation. The fleth

* Marfhall’s Rural Economy. q P2