

AGRfC. 

 UBBW 



PREFACE 



TO THE NEW AND REVISED EDITION 



THE first edition of this work was published in 1867, its 

 object being to give practical details in such a practical way 

 that it might be put into the hands of a person totally 

 ignorant of poultry-keeping, with the reasonable certainty 

 that its instructions would be understood by him, and if 

 followed would command success. The writer does not 

 think now, any more than then, that such a work previously 

 existed ; and such an implied opinion may possibly account 

 for the singular hostility with which his own efforts were 

 then received and reviewed by some who claimed to be 

 the leading authorities in the poultry world. Time proves 

 all things, however ; and the constant demand for rapidly- 

 succeeding editions has proved that THE PRACTICAL 

 POULTRY KEEPER did fulfil its intended purpose, and 

 supply some real want, and was both understood by, and 

 welcome to, the people for whom it was written. 



After numerous minor revisions for some of the many 

 successive impressions, the Twentieth Edition called for 

 more extensive re-casting, and was set up afresh in entirely 

 new type, with Coloured Plates in lieu of the older black 

 illustrations. That edition also has, since 1885, been many 

 times reprinted, with occasional minor corrections. But the 

 time has at length come when another entirely new edition 

 seems to be demanded. In this edition, fully one half of 



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