No. 4.] POULTRY KEEPING ON THE FARM. 337 



hot-bed ; and the diminutive chicks proved that the rat poison 

 was fatal to chicken life, if not to rodents. 



On another occasion, after faithful attendance at church 

 services, one beautiful Sunday morning in spring the same 

 amateur poultryman returned home to find about forty fine 

 Brown Leghorn chickens, dead or dj'ing, scattered about the 

 yard. The morning mash for the chicks had unwittingly 

 been mixed with water in which some salt meat had been 

 boiled, and they rendered convincing testimony of the deathly 

 danger to chicken life of too much salt in the food. 



The third catastrophe, which also brought its lesson, was 

 the destruction in one night, by an army of invading rats, of 

 some forty pigeons, practically cleaning out the loft. 



Experience is a dear if not altogether a lovable teacher, 

 and we all have to learn from her to a greater or less extent. 

 I have no great or appreciative respect for the poultryman 

 who " knows it all," and has closed his course in learning ; 

 but my sympathy goes out to the one who is studying and 

 advancing in poultry knowledge, particularly if he be an am- 

 bitious and enthusiastic beginner in poultry keeping. 



On nearly every farm fowls are kept or found. Too often 

 they are allowed to shift for themselves. Some farmers detest 

 hens. Usually on every farm there is, however, some one 

 who is interested in fowls, or at least desirous of the pocket- 

 money which poultry may supply. I know well a Massa- 

 chusetts dairy farmer who combines very successful poultry 

 keeping with his dair}^ business. He is one of many such. 

 Lately a jNIassachusetts farmer told me with great satisfaction 

 of the copartnership which his two boys, one thirteen and 

 the other nine years old, had formed for conducting the 

 poultry business of the farm. These farmer boys are chips 

 of the old block, and are making a success of the business. 

 Sometimes it is the wife or daughter who takes care of the 

 biddies, usually very successfully. Among the poultry women 

 of my acquaintance I will mention one in New Jersey, who 

 took the special course of instruction, with the pioneer class 

 of 1898, at the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and 

 Mechanic Arts. Although not possessed of the best of 

 health, she has made a success of poultry keeping, and, will- 

 ing to share her success, has, among other helpful things, 



