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this purpose, as is delightfully evidenced by a little poultry plant 

 that I happen to know of in East Greenwich, R. I. Without 

 large expenditure of capital, a number of neat poultry houses have 

 been grouped among the large, beautiful trees at the rear of the 

 dwelling-house. Fruit trees in the yards and grape-vines trained 

 upon the fences furnish an agreeable shade in summer for the fine 

 fowls, and an abundance of luscious fruit in the autumn for the 

 refreshment of the owner and the numerous friends whom he de- 

 lights to entertain. The effect is very happy in several ways, 

 but I make mention of this aspect especially because of the pleas- 

 ing harmonious part which this little poultry plant makes in the 

 landscape at " Paradise Farm." 



Breeding the Birds. 

 All the preparations for properly housing the flock having been 

 completed, next comes the momentous question of what breed to 

 select and where to get the best fowls to start with. It is a prob- 

 lem for earnest study, and each poultry keeper must work it out 

 for himself. Consider the market, the local conditions and your 

 own likes and dislikes in the matter. In New England one will 

 not usually go far wrong if he selects one of the so-called American 

 breeds. The Barred and White Plymouth Rocks and the White 

 Wyanuottes are great favorites. Of more importance, however, 

 than the breed is the quality of the individual birds selected. 

 Every breed includes poor specimens, which would prove unprofit- 

 able under even the best of conditions, and your nice new poultry 

 houses should shelter only first-class business birds. Here is op- 

 portunity for the wise use of considerable capital and brains as 

 well. If you have had some experience in selecting fowls and 

 know a good bird when you see it, all the better for yourself and 

 your poultry business. If you have a lot of mongrels or fowls 

 of mixed blood, work them off as you find opportunity to do so 

 advantageously, and purchase of some reliable breeder of really 

 first-class poultry a pen or at least a trio of the best fowls he will 

 sell you, and pay the price. You may prefer to purchase several 

 sittings of eggs from such a poultry man, and commence your flock of 

 thoroughbreds in this way. This is successfully done in some cases, 

 but there is often the risk to run of disappointment, besides delay in 

 getting well started. When your valuable fowls begin to lay, keep 

 a record of their eggs, using trap nests if necessary ; and in hatch- 

 ing note which eggs produce the most and the best chicks. As 

 the chicks grow and develop, note which ones are the most thrifty, 

 which are the earliest to mature, which are plump enough for the 

 table at any age, which develop into early layers, which resemble 



