330 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 
Upon the farm, where a few fowls are kept for the benefit of the 
family, and have during much of the year free range, most of the con- 
ditions of moderate success are attained. With a little care and ex- 
pense, however, absolutely necessary at some seasons of the year, better 
results may always be secured; and regular care is necessary from 
those who in cities or villages engage in poultry-keeping for pleasure 
or profit, hoping for success. : 
It is obvious that poultry must have room for exercise, and a place for 
rest, laying, and brooding, and such places should be fruitful, convenient, 
and healthfully located. The best soil upon which to keep poultry is a 
sandy one, resting upon gravel, as it retains the least moisture; stag- 
nant moisture being a fruitful source of disease. Any soil upon which 
an. inclosure for fowls is erected should be well drained. The place 
should have a southern or southeastern slope, preferably the former, and 
be sheltered from the north and east, thus securing warmth of the sun 
and of location, and security from cold winds. The hen-house should 
afford proper shelter and warmth; perches and nests should be kept 
clean and the air pure, without permitting any perceptible draught. 
The floor should be hard and perfectly dry, concrete or solidly packed 
earth being the best material. Whether composed of stone, brick, or 
wood, the house must be suited to the nature of its occupants. Suecess 
wil) be diminished in proportion to the neglect of any of these condi- 
tions. ' 
A room eight to ten feet square is large enough for a roosting and lay- 
ing house for twenty-five hens. If the walls are plastered, the protection 
against vermin and cold will be greater than when otherwise. The sunny 
side, except of the nest-room, should be composed of glass commenc- 
ing one toot above the ground or floor, and if the glass is small there 
will be less liability of breakage by the fowls. The perches should be 
low, especially tor the heavier breeds, unless there is convenient access 
to them by means of steps, so that the fowls may not injure themselves 
in jumping to the floor. A good arrangement is one in which one perch 
is elevated above the other and behind it, the perches being about two 
feet apart and the lower one two feet from the floor. Some prefer, how- 
ever, not to furnish perches for Cochius and Brahmas, but to litter the 
floor with straw each night for them to rest upen. Perches for heavy 
fowls should be broad enough to give good support to the breast, or 
deformity of the breast-bone will ensue. The ground beneath should 
in all cases be strewed with sand or ashes, and removed often enough 
to prevent taint. Boxes for nests for sitting should be movable, for 
convenience of cleansing, secluded, and placed low. Many place the 
nests upon the ground. Chopped straw is a good material with which 
to fill nest-boxes, and should be elean. Where the fowls cannot haye 
perfect freedom, it is necessary for their health that an inclosed yard 
should join the hen-house, to which they may have access, An eighth 
of an acre in grass is the proper proportion of land for twenty-five 
hens, but a smaller yard will answer if kept perfectly clean, and if a 
sufficient amount of vegetable food is supplied. Feed and water troughs 
or boxes of sufficient capacity should be provided, and so arranged for 
cleanliness and economy as to prevent the fowls from having access to 
them in any unnecessary way. If more than one breed of fowls are to 
be kept, the arrangements for their accommodation, above suggested, 
Should be duplicated. If a smaller number, the proportions of house 
and yard may be diminished. These arrangements are such as are 
Suggested and approved by the most experienced keepers, both in 
England and America. 
