7O LIBERTY AND A LIVING. 



that it is scarcely worth while to say more than 

 a word about my chickens here. I have in- 

 variably found that the schemes of my friends 

 who went into poultry-raising as a business, and 

 several of them have done so, turned out badly, 

 partly because they expected to make money 

 out of the business instead of a mere living, and 

 partly because the keeping of 1,000 chickens 

 seems to be a dangerous proceeding to the 

 chickens. In my own case I have never at- 

 tempted to have more than fifty chickens at a 

 time. With an insignificant expenditure this 

 flock has proved to be quite sufficient. Again 

 this is a case where simple care and system are 

 necessary. In the poultry-yard as well as in 

 the garden beautiful order and precision in 

 work pay. In our part of the country ducks 

 have also proved to be one of the native re- 

 sources, but of that I have no personal 

 knowledge. 



As to the resources of the water, every one 

 cannot live at the sea-shore, and even at the 

 sea-shore there is not always an oyster bed near, 

 or clams, or even great lots of crabs. Friends 

 of mine who have attempted for a few months 

 something of the same life that I lead nine 



