228 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



if the location is at all favorable. On the other hand, good 

 land for raising poultry can be bought here for $25 to $50 per 

 acre. The advertising columns of any of our Sunday papers 

 bear testimony to this statement. The cheap land in this State 

 is not inaccessible to good markets as is the case in the west. 

 In fact, there are very few places in the State from which eggs 

 and poultry cannot be gotten to Boston within from two to 

 six hours. It is true, of course, that most of the land here is 

 not comparable with that in the west so far as quality and 

 general fertility are concerned, but it is much better suited to 

 poultry, with the exception that it will not produce as much 

 feed per acre for the hens. Rolling land such as we have en- 

 ables us to select a suitable sunny location for poultry buildings 

 where they may be protected from winter winds either by a 

 hill or natural forest. Again, our quick soil will grow an excel- 

 lent windbreak in a very few years. Furthermore, by selecting 

 land for poultry carefully and locating the buildings judiciously 

 an automatic water supply can be obtained for the poultry 

 buildings. This is a labor-saving item that should receive 

 much more consideration than it does in planning poultry 

 projects. 



Capital. 



One needs very little capital to start in the poultry business 

 as compared with that needed in some other branches of farm- 

 ing. Even a few dollars are sujSicient to equip a back-yard 

 poultry plant, and $600 or $1,000 in addition to the land will 

 almost furnish equipment for a one-man poultry project. The 

 great mistake which most people make is in putting too much 

 of their capital in land and equipment and not reserving enough 

 for emergencies. They overestimate their ability and under- 

 estimate the amount of knowledge, skill and practical experi- 

 ence required to run a large poultry farm. Were they to invest 

 only a small portion of their funds at the beginning, and be 

 sure their knowledge, skill and experience are keeping pace with 

 the size and development of their plant, much better results 

 would follow and fewer failures would be recorded. Again, 

 many people embark in the poultry business without a well- 

 prepared plan for development. For this reason there is more 

 or less of a waste in capital. If the project were definitely 



