POULTRY FOR PROFIT 15 



the sine qua non of poultry raising. Without water 

 the poultryman cannot raise the green feed which 

 his fowls must have if they are to be profitable, nor 

 can he raise the fruit and vegetables which should go 

 along with the raising of poultry or the part of his 

 feed which it is desirable a poultryman should raise. 

 In short, he is handicapped at every turn. Some 

 localities, otherwise perfect for poultry growing, 

 are entirely barred because of the scarcity or high 

 cost of water. 



2. FERTILE SOIL. It has been the custom to 

 recommend a light, sandy soil as best for poultry 

 because of its capacity for carrying off droppings 

 and disease germs, but with the new "back to the 

 land" movement in poultry culture, i. e., the move- 

 ment away from too intensive culture and toward 

 combination of fruit and poultry, there has come a 

 new emphasis on the importance of good soil. The 

 day is nearly passed, I hope, when we shall see cer- 

 tain kinds of soil advertised as "good for chickens, 

 but not for fruit." Land that is not good enough for 

 fruit is not good enough for chickens, and the best 

 fruit land is none too good. There is nothing better 

 than a decomposed granite soil if it has water, but 

 even adobe, bad as it is for chickens, may be made 

 tolerable if cultivated sufficiently. 



3. TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. The best loca- 

 tion for a poultry farm is within easy reach of a 

 large city. The next best is close to a railroad within 

 a hundred miles of that city. Indeed it is a question 

 whether a good-sized tract of land at a distance, but 

 with transportation, is not better than a small tract 

 close to market. The important thing is that the 

 producer be convenient to the railroad. If he must 

 haul his products six or seven miles over a rough 

 road, it is good-by to any possible profits. 



