282 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



and interested in doing, allowing them to get such pleasure as they 

 may from it and giving them a fair proportion of the proceeds, whether 

 a fair proportion means a little or all. 



I was on a farm in Rhode Island a few years ago where a couple of 

 thousand chickens were grown annually. The family consisted of the 

 father, mother and two daughters about sixteen and eighteen years of 

 age. The daughters were unusually attractive girls, refined and lady- 

 like in demeanor, as self-possessed and as able to look after themselves 

 as any girl in country or city ought to be. The family were just begin- 

 ning to establish themselves on this farm. Money was none too 

 plenty with them. The father was trying to carry on the farm work 

 and handle the hens without hiring help. These girls, in addition to 

 what they were doing in the house, took all the care of the chickens 

 until they were old enough to be colonized in fields distant from the 

 house. 



On a Massachusetts farm where several thousand chicks are grown 

 annually, and hatched and reared with hens, the farmer's wife, a physi- 

 cally strong woman who cannot stand constant indoor life, takes a 

 large part of the care and practically all responsibility of the setting- 

 hens and young chickens, while a daughter does most of the house- 

 work and takes her "outings" driving to the village, sometimes sev- 

 eral times daily, and looking after the flowers about the house. Both 

 women are better for this sort of occupation, and their work, of direct 

 assistance to the men, is more than equal to the services of a good man. 



On many farms where less stock is kept one or more boys, under 

 paternal supervision, take care of quite a flock of poultry, earn some- 

 thing for themselves and at the same time add to the family income. 

 One house I happen to know of has an arrangement of this kind. The 

 boy owns and takes care of the i^oultry. His father furnishes every- 

 thing, house, fence, feed. When the boy is at school or has other 

 engagement his mother (usually) looks after the poultry for him. He 

 has to supply the house a certain number of dozens of eggs per week. 

 Anything over this the house has to buy as any other customer would. 

 Poultry consumed in the family is not counted. On poultry and eggs 

 sold the boy divides the receipts with his mother. 



The few instances described illustrate the point of utilization of 

 "all hands" in poultry work. Such arrangements are not always 

 practicable, but they might be made to the advantage of all concerned 

 very much oftcner than they are. 



Taking up now the other phase of the subject, let us consider some 

 of the ways of saving labor in handling poultry on the farm that ap])!}'', 

 no matter who does the work. 



First, and on general principles, make the poultry of all kinds do as 

 much as possible for itself. Why cut cabbage or roots in little pieces 

 for birds which can i)ick it to pieces themselves? This applies, too, in 

 the feeding of lit11(> chickens. Tlje usunl dircclions for feeding little 



