A Complete Edition of the Works of Nancy Luce Part 4

DIARRHOEA.---If a hen has diarrhoea, and pain with it, you must be as careful about what she eats, as her medicines; she must not have not any corn, and not any corn meal dough, not till she is well. Give her a little warm flour porridge, five times a day, with a teaspoon; her medicine, Jamaica ginger, put in warm rice water, and grate in good deal nutmeg, give it to her three times a day, take good care of her, and she get well. I cure them so.

LICE.--Human, some of them, have lice on their hens, it is cruel, the reason is, the hen-house above the ground, and keep dirty, that breeds lice on hens, and breeds diseases too; have a cellar for your hens, and take up the dressing every morning, be no lice, lice will not breed in a cellar, I never have any lice on my hens, and they keep healthy. Folks bring sick hens to me, I cure them, and lice on them too, I put black pepper in their feathers, it kills the lice. G.o.d meant for human to take good care of dumb creatures, and be kind to them, or not keep any. Do by dumb creatures as you would wish to be done by if you was dumb creatures, consider how you would feel.

COWS.--Meal is good for cows, but it will not do for her to have it dry, it gets in her nose and lungs, and hurt her, wet it; the best way is to scald it, and cool it, does more good. Cracked corn is better; boil it, put on cover, it steams it soft very soon, one quart makes two and a half. Cows must not have dusty hay, it hurts their lungs, &c. Cows ought not to have Timothy herds gra.s.s hay, it is physic. Hay ought to be wet.

WARPED NECK.--If a hen has warped neck, rub on castor oil, faithful, a number of times, and give her a little Huile D'olive to take inside, a good chance, her neck come in place again.

SWELLED HEAD.--If a hen has swelled head and face, and blue black, put on Huile D'olive, I had one so, I cured her.

FEVER.--If a hen has a fever, and her crop swelled soft, take a small teaspoon full of epsom salts and dissolve it in warm water, and put in a little black pepper in it, and give it to her with a teaspoon, and give her as much warm water as she wants to drink in her sickness, I cure hens and chickens so in three days, and give her a little porridge with a teaspoon, five times a day, till she is able to eat. I cure them so.

FEELING.--If any one is cruel to dumb creatures, they will go to everlasting punishment, and have the greatest punishment.

SICK, I am, and very unable to do anything, but I must take pity,--dear little hens.

G.o.d is good, love and truth, merciful in all his ways. If the will of G.o.d could be done in full, it would be a great happiness among dumb creatures and human too. Cruelty is of the evil one. The good G.o.d is looking down upon such folks; He will cast them off to everlasting punishment. Human must do G.o.d's commandments in deeds, words and thoughts. Be kind to poor hens in every way, and not let them suffer with hunger nor cold; cruelty not in any way; must not affrighten them; doctor them when they have diseases. Be good and kind to them. Think how good G.o.d is. Act up to His will in all your ways and all your thoughts too. You must keep your hens from suffering with cold, and give them enough to eat, and keep them clean, and not affrighten them, &c., &c., or they cannot lay you eggs. If your hens or chickens have their crops swelled soft, and a fever, give them a portion of Epsom salts, with a little black pepper in it, and give them as much warm water as they can drink; in their sickness take good care of them, they get well. If they have stoppage in their stomach, their crop swelled hard, take your fingers and jam carefully till their crop is soft, then give them a portion of Epsom salts. I have cured them with only my fingers, they get well. If they have itching feet and scurfy, if mutton tallow will not cure it, then put their feet in a thing of warm water and wash them every morning till they get well. When they shed their feathers, their stomach is weak then, they must have soft victuals then, hard corn will distress their stomach then. If hen's body comes out, put it back in her and see to her, she be well by the next day. If it comes more than half way out, it can be put back if any one has common sense. If a string of hen's insides comes out, with a egg fast to it, break the egg, and take it off from her insides and put her insides back in her and see to her, she be well by the next day. If hen's legs chilled with cold for want of sun, and they cannot walk, take them by the fire and rub their legs and feet, faithful, half a day, then rub on black pepper mixed with warm water, they get well. If a hen is starved she must not have hard corn at first, give her flour bread soaked soft in milk, till she is able to eat corn. Hens must not go in snow, it hurts them. They must not have fat meat. They must not be crowded, their room must be large enough. Their roosts must not be too high, for them to fly down on hard floor, it hurts their feet and hips. I know it. Hens want sun in winter and shade in summer. If hens' feet crack, bleed, and sore places, melt mutton tallow and white sugar together, rub it on faithful, they get well. If they bleed great deal, put on warm alum water first, they get well. If hens' feet swell, put on sweet apple balsam every day, they get well. If hens' head turns over, give her Epsom salts and black pepper, she get over it for a while. If hens have diarrhoea, give them boiled rice, black pepper, nutmeg, mixed, they get well if you take good care of them. Hens must not have fish, it physics them. Hens must not have anything relaxing. If hens have rattling in their throat give them Epsom salts and black pepper, they get well. If hen has her head quiver, and stagger, give her Epsom salts, and keep her quiet, and her food soak cracker in milk, she get well. If hens taken lame in the afternoon without being hurt, rub on mutton tallow and black pepper, they get well. If hen's bones spraint or bruised, bathe freely with Mequesten's Extracter, take good care of her, she get well in time, must have little time for it. This medicine will cure burns, scalds, on human, no doubt on hens too. It will cure sores, put it on when they first begin to come. If anything ails hens' eyes, rain-water is good, new milk put on, mutton tallow put around her eyes, salve made of rose water and cream, put around her eyes. Hens must not be confined in wind, it hurts them, they cannot lay you eggs. G.o.d placed us in this world to be kind to dumb creatures, or not keep any, and kind to human too. Consider what a wickedness it is to go contrary from it. I keep cow and hens, I do my duty for them. If hens have watery stomachs give them black pepper, put it in their dough, if they are able to eat it, if not able, then mix the pepper with water, and give it to her with a teaspoon, be careful and not have it too strong, to take her breath. If hens have pip, give them the same medicine, it will cure pip and watery stomach. Help them in season. If hen has swelled throat, put on sweet oil and black pepper, she get well. You must not give your hens salt, it will kill them. You must not give them rye, it will hurt them. If hen lays soft sh.e.l.l eggs, let her set two or three weeks, she lay hard sh.e.l.l eggs again. You must take good care of your poor hens or they cannot lay you eggs. Hens must be kept clean and must not have any bad smell with them, it will poison them. You must not give them cayenne pepper, it will poison them, it drives a redness into their heads, then they fail till they die. Black pepper is good for them when they need it. Hens must have clean victuals and clean water to drink. Take the chill off the water in winter. Keep good yellow southern corn standing by them, they take a little when they want it, it does them more good, and it takes less to keep them. Give them boiled oats, it is good for them to lay eggs. I give my hens 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 sh.e.l.ls 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.

G.o.d 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, in the sight of G.o.d, is to cruel the poor harmless dumb creatures, They cannot speak nor help themselves.

The next sin is to cruel sick human, The next sin is to cruel any who cannot help themselves, And especially the cruel to the poor, harmless dumb creatures.

The Lord will cut asunder the cords of such sinners.

This world a place of misery, I pray for thy kingdom to come, to destroy all sin, O Lord, land me in heaven, that holy, happy place, When I bid adieu to this vain world, My good G.o.d in heaven, my only true friend, Has held me up with His arm, and all I have to lean upon.

Christ, a man of grief, he wept so much himself, On him I lean, who not in vain, He counts and treasures up my tears.

NANCY LUCE.

WEST TISBURY, DUKES COUNTY, Ma.s.s., 1871.

This reading below is on my gravestones:

Poor little heart, ADA QUEETIE, O my heart is consumed In the coffin under ground, O how I feel for her, She and I could never part, She was my own heart within me, She had more than common love, And more than common wit.

Poor little heart, BEAUTY LINNA, She has consumed, In the coffin under ground, O how I feel for her, She was a cunning little heart.

Poor TWEEDLE, TEDEL, BEEBE, PINKY, Poor dear little heart, Sore broke in her, I am left broken-hearted, She was my own heart within me, She had more than common wit, She is taken from the evil to come.

Them that knew me once, know--me--no--more, Till all things have their end, And they, and I, do meet in heaven.

PRAYERS.

O I pray for my Lord Jesus Christ, To destroy all sin, and all misery, for the afflicted, For the poor harmless dumb creatures, And for all the troubled, In the wide world around, For all that breathes the breath of life, Dumb creatures, and human too.

O that I may leave this world of misery, O that I may see my Lord Jesus Christ, And live with him in heaven.

O that I may meet my deceased friends in heaven; O that I may rise above those earthly afflictions, sickness, trials, and trouble. Amen.

O Lord, my G.o.d of Heaven, Grant me, I beseech Thee, O Lord, I pray for Thy Kingdom to come, to destroy all sin, be done on earth as it is done in heaven, for the poor harmless dumb creatures, and for all the troubled in the wide world around. O I pray for all the inhabitants of the earth to be prepared to live in this world, and in the world to come. O that they may be true children of G.o.d, tender feelings, and kind to dear little hens, and other dumb creatures. O Lord, my G.o.d of Heaven, I know Thee will cut asunder the sinners hereafter and cast them to everlasting wo, if any one is cruel to dear little hens, and other dumb creatures. O Lord, I hope there is not any one so cruel, so sinful. Thy Kingdom come. Amen. O Lord protect me from committing sin.

NANCY LUCE.