i 9 o AGRICULTURE 



The other class thinks of them as more or 

 less valuable birds in pens both for table 

 or fancy, and therefore entailing such care 

 and constant attention as to be rather be- 

 yond a woman's scope to manage. 



In point of fact a happy medium between 

 the two extremes will perhaps bring about 

 the position which poultry keeping should 

 take amongst the " Lighter Branches of Agri- 

 culture " if it is to be successfully carried out. 

 utility, not It should be clearly understood that in this 

 chapter only the treatment of it from a 

 utilitarian point of view is attempted. " The 

 Fancy" has fascinations of its own, and rami- 

 fications endless and illusive, which require 

 considerable capital to gratify, with a large 

 proportion of the speculating instinct which 

 ordinary women do not possess as a rule 

 and, alas ! a conscience which must not, at 

 least in some cases, be over sensitive. 

 HOW to start Now let us suppose that someone wanted 

 to start poultry keeping on a portion of 

 ground taken from an ordinary garden. The 



