PART FOURTH. 



Management, Care and Feeding. 



ADVICE TO BEGINNERS. 



There is but one broad rule of action for the beginner, and that 

 is to procure good stock on the start, take good care of them, breed 

 them intelligently, and feed them properly. Do not begin with the 

 idea that there is a gold mine in the poultry business, because you 

 read of some old fancier getting fifty, seventy-five or a hundred 

 dollars for a pair of Plymouth Rocks. Such prices are seldom 

 reached, and by far the greater number of breeders are satisfied with 

 five dollars per pair, and then the business pays well. At present 

 there is such a strong competition in Barred Plymouth Rocks, that 

 we should not advise the novice to depend too much on fancy prices, 

 and to make the breeding and rearing for market an auxiliary to 

 occasional sales, is the safest course to pursue. So much cannot be 

 said of the breeding of White Plymouth Rocks, because they are a 

 new breed with a great and rising name, and for many years to come 

 they will command fancy prices — few reaching the food market. 

 However, bear in mind, and carry the sublime view in your heart 

 and soul through life, to be honest in your dealings, and you will 

 merit success and reliability. 



FOWL HOUSES. 



Space will not permit us to go into details, but should rather 

 advise plain and comfortable buildings for poultry, that would com- 

 bine coolness in summer and warmth in winter. The best site for a 

 house is an elevated one, because it secures dryness. It should he 

 ploughed or spaded, and the earth thrown towards the centre until 

 the interior is raised a foot or more above the surroundings. The 



