THE YANKEE AND HIS "WONDERFUL HEN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 74, 26 March 1873, Page 4

THE YANKEE AND HIS "WONDERFUL HEN.

- (Tourist on the ißigi,. in Blackwood) . In, thersmoking-room of the Rigi Kulm Hotel I found an American and an Oxford Don (spectacled), who were conversing together on the Franco-Prussian war, which had just been declared. The Yankee, was demonstrating how the army of the -States; if " put down on the same carpet " with the united forces of .France .and. Prussia, would whip them into rags-— all along of our recuperative powers; yes sir." " But don't you think," objected the Don, " that Prussia has great recuperative powers in a military sense ? Look at her 'Landwehr,' look ather.ALanistumii'iJook at-^— " ■,;.;',; y ) y/ . : ";.i "No, sii-j ho coa ntryia the'' Old -World i can recuperate like us. What's more,, they don't know how to make the most of what they've got in hand — no nor the; half of it." _..-',-• " Why," said the : Oxonian, "in Eng-landU-L'v; •:'• -..y "' *■ " England ! " '' flared the Yankee; " don't; talk of that, old boss; a country where the; hens only lay one egg at a time— don't! -mention the old cusb ;to , pfro* ";; ,[ , -.y j : f x ."J don't ;quitei.lund%Bt^d..yi)driallu'sion to the eggs," said the Don. '• Wall, it ain't much, but it shows the: smartness of countries even in small things.; >No Wj Bir^ I've got a b|ack tfofal *whicH |(if | called u^on) -will drop me'a matter of fifty j eggs at a sitting. Fact." | . " You must really excuse me if, appeal- 1 fingftq, the "jaws of nature, I venture to say j that sounds somewhat incredible. May 1 ' ask for some statistics. " ■ V "You may, sirreejryAs for the laws of: nature,. they ain?t of- no count down onr: way— it's all done-byJthe patent nest. " " I never heard of it. " " I daresay not; wall, it's quite j It's an artificial ; nest 'made' aft* Jikj**- j "isjj possible to the nest of" tte Hen' in its wild ; state; do you follow ?" ; "Perfectly.^ '..- vr ;y ' ' ; ;«« Wall, ttiiere-fis ar^ valve in the bottom of this nest which opens with the pressure of a fowl's body, and is big enough to let an egg drop through into a basket for its reception below.. Good. I see the hen looking as if she wanted to lay an '.eggi; an'd , -I |"at "Jibnce Introduce' ; hfer|tdt Ijijie Ineit'i dowii"^li'e;Sits anjitfys jfbrfegjgj ffid. 1 (with a curiosity natural to hens) "gets v p to see what kind of an egg it is. The egg. had dropped through the valve, and; of *Cc6urse^ r she >>>eeij "i^olJhiSng. "Darned ; if \ I -•ainvt^-^dSrft-'^istiak^this journey,' says the fowl, and in she goes again ; and in thia way I've drawn her onto lay fifty-five >.afc,'.a- sitting. She's ajirifle ' 'flfroare .the kver^eJtho^h^bein^oili^ete^ ' position. iTharj that's a wrinkliß the ;old * World; could'nt hit -offi Try whip , a Miige^y^ i: i kZ^-M;