ro6 THE PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER. 



upon a farm. The only rent chargeable to them, as they 

 actually benefit the land, is interest upon houses, fence, and 

 utensils; where corn is grown they get the tailings at the 

 lowest possible cost; and the manure finds its full value. 

 Eggs will in the main pay best ; but a proportionate 

 number of birds will of course be sent to market from the 

 surplus cockerels, and the slaughter in the yearly renewal of 

 the stock. The conditions laid down are not hard ones, 

 nor difficult to understand. But more than the dozen fowls 

 per acre should not be attempted, and cannot be, without 

 leaving the ground of " poultry on the farm" for the more 

 doubtful speculation of "poultry-farming," the result of 

 which may be a very different matter, and must be 

 separately considered. 



We could give many actual cases showing how poultry 

 invariably do pay when kept upon a farm, in some such 

 manner as above described; but will only select two from 

 numerous replies to a series of questions which we dis- 

 tributed rather widely some years ago, and a third from a 

 public report, for its instructive lessons as to causes of 

 failure. 



One correspondent in Derbyshire had about 90 acres, 

 on which he kept about 100 hens, with some turkeys and 

 ducks. On these his balance sheet for the year showed a 

 profit of ^"30, and he wrote, " I am satisfied they pay the 

 best of anything kept on the farm at the present time." 

 This may serve for a small stock on a small holding. 



Our second case is a large farm of 700 acres, in the 

 occupation of Mr. J. Knox Lyall, Peepy Farm, near 

 Storksfield-on-Tyne, the result given us being the fourth 

 year. An old man getting unfit for other work cared for 

 the poultry as his sole duty, his wage of is. 3d. per day and 

 the rent of his free cottage being charged, as well as all the 

 food. The total weekly expenses never exceeded 2 (how 



