Poultry on an ordinary Farm. 521 



care and attention ; and if you expect a full remuneration for 

 your trouble, you must adopt a good system of management, and 

 see that it is properly carried out in all points, from first to last. 

 I do not think it would pay upon a small farm to keep a regular 

 paid attendant ; that occupation must be united with other em- 

 ployment, unless it is managed as a business, and first class 

 poultry is bred and kept for exhibition, so that fancy prices can 

 be obtained. Any sharp lad can, under proper directions and 

 occasional supervision, look after and feed adult poultry, but to 

 breed and rear successfully requires some experience. One 

 would not think of trusting sitting birds or their young to 

 youth ; they require watching closely to keep the different 

 broods steadily thriving ; any check at this stage is a wasteful 

 loss of time, and invites disease, whereas prevention is more 

 important and more easily attainable than cure. The coops and 

 sitting-house should be near the homestead, so that the farmer's 

 wife, daughter, or at all events a confidential servant, may, with- 

 out much loss of time, attend to those two principal points, thus 

 getting a nice change from the sameness of indoor occupation. 



Common Fowls. 



Breeding. — Where there is defect, there is commonly a cause 

 which may be traced out ; and such is the case with breeding 

 poultry. One of the greatest hindrances to rearing is unskilful 

 breeding. How frequently do we hear of large numbers of the 

 young dying without any apparent cause ; but I generally find on 

 inquiry into such cases that they have been bred from old birds 

 and without an infusion of fresh blood in the stock for years ; or 

 that pullets' eggs have been set ; in which case, should there be 

 chickens, they are weak and delicate, and seldom attain perfection. 



I keep five pure breeds of the common fowls, viz. : — Grey 

 Dorking, Brahmapootra, Game, Spanish, and Moonies, and breed 

 all the year round. For stock fowls I select the very best birds 

 of the different breeds and mate them according to age, and witli 

 due regard to consanguinity : that is, of the same age, if twc 

 years old ; or hens one year old, and cocks two ; or vice versa ; 

 taking care that they are not too near akin, and that fresh blood 

 be introduced, on one side at least, every two years, and never 

 allowing more than five hens to one cock. My early and late 

 chickens for table purposes are bred from the Grey Dorking hen 

 by a Game cock, and the Brahmapootra hen by a Dorking cock, 

 mated as aforesaid, which two crosses will answer the most san- 

 guine expectations — the Brahma and Dorking especially — and 

 those who do not care to keep a pure breed or wish to exhibit, 

 cannot, I believe, select more valuable fowls : they are not to 



