206 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Whether fowls are kept for pleasure or profit, it is alike 

 important that they be properly cared for. The same condi- 

 tions of health and vigor which cause fowls to lay well, to breed 

 successfully, and to grow fat, also promote the symmetrical 

 development of their bodies and preserve the freshness and 

 beauty of their plumage. Probably fowls are usually kept for 

 pleasure and profit both, for show as well as for use. The care 

 of the flock is one of the little gratifications of the farmer's 

 family ; and it is perhaps even a more agreeable task to the 

 " dusty citizen," longing for the pleasure of rural pursuits, 

 who rears his choice breeds as a sliglit indulgence of his taste 

 for country life. The pleasure thus derived is justly considered 

 as one of the advantages of keeping fowls, to be added to the 

 net gains of eggs and chickens. 



But the chief motive of the poultry-raiser is the pecuniary 

 profit to be derived from it, and without this stimulant we may 

 be pretty sure that the hen-house would be far less popular 

 than the dove-cot, the bird-cage, or the dog-kennel. But with 

 care and attention the raising of poultry may undoubtedly be 

 made to pay as well as most investments of this nature, and 

 perhaps better than most of the incidental pursuits of farming ; 

 and without care and attention neither this nor any other pur- 

 suit can be followed with success. There are no very accurate 

 statistics upon this subject, but a comparison of numerous 

 statements which have been published in agricultural reports 

 and newspapers warrants the estimate that a flock of hens, 

 under economical management, will yield an annual profit of 

 from one to two dollars each. Doubtless a few choice hens, 

 properly kept and carefully nursed, will yield a larger relative 

 income than a great flock kept indifferently well. Of course 

 such gains cannot be made iipon fowls bought at fancy prices, 

 such as prevail during " hen manias." Those who, fifteen or 

 twenty years ago or more, paid from $25 to $50 a pair for the 

 enormous and ungainly birds then imported from foreign stocks 

 did not look for remuneration ; nor do those who to-day pay 

 absurd prices for Crevecoeurs or Houdans. In 1854, at an 

 auction sale in England, a single Spanish hen brought $55, 

 and a lemon-colored hen $77, and a cock weighing thirteen 

 pounds brought $215 ; but these foolish purchases were not 

 made for profit, but to gratify a whimsical excitement. 



