36 POULTRY BREEDING IN 



a book, but are perfectly useless for all practical purposes. 

 We might as well try to doctor ourselves for diseases of 

 which we know nothing. 



The diseases in fowls may chiefly be ascribed to our 

 variable climate, to dampness and cold, to injudicious 

 feeding, and to ill-ventilated roosting-places. 



A diseased fowl, as will have been observed by many, 

 is never kindly treated by its healthy companions, and, in 

 my opinion, the best and most economical cure for a dis- 

 eased fowl is to kill her before she gets too far gone, and 

 whilst yet fit for the market ; and if not fit for the market, 

 she will, when hacked up, make good food for the pigs. 



I acknowledge myself ignorant of the diseases in fowls, 

 consequently of their proper treatment ; and as I have no 

 wish to teach the public that which I do not understand 

 myself by simply copying from other books, I shall only 

 state that, with judicious feeding and housing, according 

 to my plan, there ought not to be one diseased fowl in a 

 thousand. 



VARIOUS RACES OF POULTRY. 



On this subject I would refer the reader for the desired 

 information to some special publication, as it does not 

 exactly enter into the considerations of poultry breeding 

 in a commercial point of view. 



All that is necessary to know of the different races is to 

 be able to distinguish those that are the best layers, the 

 best setters, and the best table fowls, and never mind 

 about the particular points or feathers, the distinguishing 

 characteristics of a fine breed. 



Now, where eggs are the sole object, some small breeds 



