894 Agf'icuUural Gazette of N.S.W. [iVo??. 2, 1908. 



lius its successful votiiru'S, the liiiiidicaps iiieiit i(iiic(l hciii^'^ discounted l)y 

 tlic advantaj^cs of fi'ccdoiu from city worries, tlic oul-doiu' life so essen- 

 tial to henltli and a sound mind, to^etln'r with the exti'eme of satisfaction 

 in that individual liuinan cravin;^' of licin^' one's own nuister. 'i'hese 

 attributes, and the additional (Uie of making a livinj; l)y fowls, apply in 

 every degree to the sul)iect of this article, and safely warranting the 

 com])endious title of a Permani'nt Poultry Faryi. 



The Locality. 



Commencing at Sydenham, the junction station of the Helmore and 

 Illawarra line, and proceeding to the teiininus of the former, and to 

 Penshurst, on the latter, there is an extensive V-shajied t'ountry, con- 

 taining many thousands of acres. Sti'iking a circuitous route from 

 Penshurst along Forest, Honds, iJelmore, and other roads, a goocl idea 

 of the original state of the big expanse of country can l)e realised. The 

 evidence shows that the district had been sparsely settled on in early days, 

 the commercial object being the massive ironbark and other eucalypts; 

 the best of these yiehled to the pioneer's axe. 



Poj)ulation increased ; tiie later generation doing well out of the 

 leavings of the early timber-getter. An attem])t had been made at 

 farming, and the remains of abandoned orchards implies that, even in 

 the days prior to the advent of the fruit-fly, there were more remunera- 

 tive means of making a living than by fruit-growing. 



Altnous^h the settlement in the district gradually increased, it was the 

 extension of the Subui'ban line beyond Hurstville and the o|iening of 

 the Sydt'iiham-Belmore line wiiich really brought population to the place. 

 The immense forest with its occasional homestead and e.xti'iisive area of 

 bush is now largely open country, with hundreds of cond'ortable dwell- 

 ings, to which are attached fi-om 1(1 to .")() oi- moi-e aciX's, ami in the 

 majority of instances owned by the occupiers. Fruit-growing to a small 

 extent has been entered on. The principal operations are, however, 

 market gardening; there being hundreds of acres of cabbages, peas, and 

 like crops successfully cultivated for the Sydney markets. 



Pig-keeping and ])oultry-f arming are also largely cari'ied on : tlie 

 methods which lontribute to the success of one of the latter places being 

 the object of this pa})er. 



J3elmore-road, Helmore, is the address of the farm under notii'i' — train 

 to Penshurst being the first stage of the journex'. From here the next 

 instalment of the passage is bv coach, ria Forest-road to Peakhurst, a 

 distance of some ."5 miles, 'idie passengers alight at the Peakhurst Pulilic 

 School, a walk of 2 miles furthei', rid Bond's and Pelmiue lloads, lii-ings 

 one to tile fai-m of ]\Ii-. D. Iv Stajdes. 



The Farm. 



The owner of the farm was (uuLiinally a ])ig and duck farmei'. The-e 

 sections usually go together in the Sy<lney suburbs, ihietiy from the fact 



