The History of The Hen Fever Part 9

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE QUESTION.

The foregoing are only a very few samples of hundreds upon hundreds of similar letters I constantly received, for nearly five years.

All the blame occasioned by careless express-men, of false blood imposed upon me originally, of tardy hens, of the hatching or non-hatching of eggs transported hundreds of miles, of feathered legs upon chickens, or the absence of them, of every species of mishap that could by any possibility befall the fancier and amateur, through his own ignorance or errors,--every kind of mistake was charged to _me_! But, with a Christian meekness, I bore it all.

I was threatened with civil prosecutions, with the House of Correction, the State Prison, the Penitentiary, and all sorts of other punishments, for my remissness; but I submitted with a quiet resignation, because "the people" were so deeply engaged in this pursuit, and everybody now had the fever so shockingly, that I sympathized with all mankind, and attributed these trifling ebullitions of ill-will, or raving, to the spasms caused by the prevalence and the severity of the epidemic.

On the other hand, I was so often cheered on in my labors of love by the kind consideration of a very different sort of patrons, that I did not sink under the persecution of those who would gladly have floored me, could the thing have been readily accomplished. I pocketed the money of my customers, however, bred good fowls, followed up the trade sharply, and found myself sailing easily along, in spite of the contemptible and small-fry opposition of which I was continually the object. As an agreeable offset to the complaints and murmurings in certain quarters, the following few letters will tell their own story:

From Hon. Henry Clay.

_Ashland, 1851._

GEO. P. BURNHAM, ESQ., BOSTON.

MY DEAR SIR: I duly received your obliging letter, informing me that you had sent by the Express of Messrs. Adams & Co. a cage containing four fowls for me, and I postponed acknowledging it until the fate of the fowls should be ascertained. I have now the satisfaction to advise you that they all reached here safely.

They have been greatly admired, not only for their enormous size, but for their fine proportions and beautiful plumage. I thank you, my dear sir, most cordially, for this very acceptable present. It has been my aim, for many years, to collect at this place the best improved breeds of the horse, the cow, the sheep, swine and the a.s.s--though the last, not the least valuable, in this mule-raising state.

To my stock on hand your splendid Cochin-China fowls will be a congenial and valuable addition; and, if we succeed with them, I will take care not to monopolize the benefit of them. I am greatly obliged to you, and,

With high respect, I am

Your obd't servant,

H. CLAY.

From Gov. Geo. N. Briggs.

_Pittsfield, 1851._

MY DEAR SIR:

The cage of Cochin-China chickens you were kind enough to send, reached me in safety; and I am much obliged to you for this favor.

They are, beyond comparison, the finest domestic fowls I have ever seen, and I shall breed them with such care that I hope to be able to give you a good account of them in the future.

They are very much liked by all who have seen them, and you will please accept my thanks for your attention.

I am, resp'y, yours,

GEO. N. BRIGGS.

From Hon. Daniel Webster.

_Marshfield, 1851._

G.P. BURNHAM, ESQ.

DEAR SIR: The coop of chickens arrived safely, and are n.o.ble specimens of the Chinese fowl. You will rarely meet with samples apparently so well bred, and they will do any one credit. I thank you for the consignment, and consider them a most valuable addition to my stock of poultry. Accept my best wishes, and believe me, dear sir,

Yours, very truly,

DANIEL WEBSTER.

From Hon. Col. Phipps, H.R.M. Secretary.

_Windsor Castle, Eng., 1853._

DEAR SIR:

The cage of Grey Shanghae fowls intended as a present from you to Her Majesty the Queen has this day been received from Mr. Mitch.e.l.l, of the Zoological Gardens, and they have been highly admired by Her Majesty.

I have received Her Majesty's commands to a.s.sure Mr. Burnham of her high appreciation of his attention; and to add that it affords another addition to the many marks of good will from the citizens of the United States which the Queen has received, and to which Her Majesty attaches so high a value.

I have the honor to be

Your ob't and humble ser't,

C.B. PHIPPS.

Similar doc.u.ments were often received by me, from friends and customers who knew how to appreciate good stock; and I have now hundreds of letters on file, of the most flattering character,--from _every_ State in the Union, from England, Ireland, France, Bavaria, etc., where my stock was sent, and was roundly paid for,--all of which letters (with their enclosures, from time to time) served amply to "balance accounts"

against the few received of an opposite character, and aided materially, also, to keep "the subscriber" from caving in!

Among the most friendly customers I ever had, and those who bought the most liberally,--while they were the most kindly in all their intercourse with me,--I must mention my patrons of the South generally, but especially the buyers in New Orleans and its vicinity. I never met with a trickster amongst them, and they paid me thousands upon thousands of dollars, without a word of cavil or complaint, from first to last.

These fanciers had long purses, and are live _men_, with hearts "as big as a barn," so far as my experience goes.

CHAPTER XIV.

"BOTHER'EM POOTRUMS." BUBBLE NUMBER TWO.

There was something tangible, and _real_, in the "Cochin-China"

fowl,--something that could be seen and realized (precious little, to be sure!), but still there was _something_. The Cochin-China hens would lay eggs (occasionally), and when they didn't breed their chickens with feathers upon the legs, they came without them. If the legs were not black or green skinned, they were either yellow or some _other_ color.

Their plumage was either spotted and speckled, or it wasn't. And thus the true article, the _pure_-bred Cochins, could always be designated and identified,--by the knowing ones,--I _presume_. I studied them pretty carefully, however, for five years; but _I_ never knew what a "Cochin-China" fowl really was, yet!

But when, in 1850 and '51, the "_Bother'ems_" begun to be brought into notice, I saw at once that, although this was bubble number two, it ought to have been number _one_, decidedly.

Never was a grosser hum promulgated than this was, from beginning to end, even in the notorious hum of the hen-trade. There was absolutely nothing whatever in it, about it, or connected with it, that possessed the first shade of substance to recommend it, saving its _name_. And this could not have saved it, but from the fact that n.o.body (not even the originator of the unp.r.o.nounceable cognomen himself) was ever able to write or spell it twice in the same manner.

The variety of fowl itself was the _Grey Chittagong_, to which allusion has already been made, and the _first_ samples of which I obtained from "Asa Rugg" (Dr. Kerr), of Philadelphia, in 1850. Of this no one now entertains a doubt. They were the identical fowl, all over,--size, plumage and characteristics.

But my friend the Doctor wanted to put forth something that would take better than his "Plymouth Rocks;" and so he consulted me as to a name for a brace of _grey_ fowls I saw in his yard. I always objected to the multiplying of t.i.tles; but he insisted, and finally entered them at our Fitchburg Depot Show as "_Burrampooters_," all the way from India.

These three fowls were bred from Asa Rugg's Grey Chittagong c.o.c.k, with a yellow Shanghae hen, in Plymouth, Ma.s.s. They were an evident cross, all three of them having a _top-knot_! But, _n'importe_. They were then "Burrampooters."