46 CHOOSING A POULTRY FARM 
sandy loam with an open, gravelly subsoil. Such a soil formation 
is dry and warm, owing to the fact that surface moisture leaches 
quickly, and in the spring such a soil proves to be remarkably 
warm and early. Furthermore, a well-drained soil of this kind 
cleans itself quickly by carrying the filth below through a process 
of leaching. Probably one of the most ideal soils for poultry 
raising in the United States is in central southern New Jersey. 
Heavy shale or clay soils should be avoided, as they are wet and 
cold. They are usually late soils in the spring, are slow to dry 
up after rains, and they hold and accumulate filth from the poultry 
droppings. Such soils need much cultivation and the growing 
of green crops in order to insure sanitary conditions. The pres- 
ence of a water table close to the surface, due to heavy subsoil, 
Fig. 32.—Large community house, holding five hundred birds. 
is undesirable. The advantages are all with an open, porous 
gravelly under-layer. The soil should not be so sandy as to be 
unproductive. When inspecting a given location the prospective 
owner should take samples of soil from different depths and send 
them to his experiment station for advice in regard to nature of 
same. He should also make it a plan to see the land in spring, if 
possible, so that he may study the condition at its worst. Some 
locations which may be dry in summer present a very wet and 
.springy surface soil during the fall and early spring. 
Land Contour.—A rolling country (Fig. 35) is best for poultry 
farming. At least, it is well to avoid level country or extreme 
mountainous country: the former is apt to be bleak and windy, 
and the latter too steep and rough for the economic handling of 
the birds. The sloping rolling country offers protection from 
severe winds, and makes it possible to locate the plant in sheltered 
