18 Soils. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE FOWL-YARD. 



The scarcity of poultry in this country partly arises 

 from all gallinaceous birds requiring warmth and dryness 

 to keep them in perfect health, while the climate of Great 

 Britain is naturally moist and cold. 



" The warmest and driest soils/^ says Mowbray, " are 

 the best adapted to the breeding and rearing of gallina- 

 ceous fowls, more particularly chickens. A wet soil is the 

 worst, since, however ill affected fowls are by cold, they 

 endure it better than moisture. Land proper for sheep is 

 generally also adapted to the successful keeping of poultry 

 and rabbits." 



But poultry may be reared and kept successfully even 

 on bad soils with good drainage and attention. The 

 " Henvvife " says: " 1 do not consider any one soil neces- 

 sary for suct*ess in rearing poultry. Some think a chalk- 

 soil essential for Dorkings, but I have proved the fallacy 

 of this opinion by bringing up, during three years, many 

 hundreds of these soi disant delicate birds on the strong 

 blue clay of the Carse of Gowrie, doubtless thoroughly 

 drained, that system being well understood and universally 

 practised by the farmers of the district. A coating of 

 gravel and sand once a year is all that is requisite to secure 

 the necessary dryness in the runs." The best soil for a 

 poultry-yard is gravel, or sand resting on chalk or gravel. 

 When the soil is clayey, or damp from any other cause, it 

 should be thoroughly drained, and the whole or a good 

 portion of the ground should be raised by the addition of 

 twelve inches of chalk, or bricklayer's rubbish, over which 

 should be spread a few inches of sand. Cramp, roup, 

 and some other diseases, more frequently arise from stag- 

 nant wet in the soil than from any other cause. 



