248 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



the fowls allowed to wander about even amongst the growing 

 corn or roots. Fowls will do no harm to either of these crops, 

 when they are four or six inches above the ground, and as they 

 are as fully grown as this by the time the chickens need be 

 put out, there is no difficulty in adopting the plan ; the birds 

 will thrive amain, for they will get just the food most suited 

 to them — insects and worms — and, in return, the crops will be 

 benefited by their droppings. Where smaller runs have to 

 be given, it is a capital plan to have double runs to each 

 house, using these on alternate years, and growing vegetables 

 on the ground not in use. By this means the ground will be 

 kept sweet and clean, it will not get contaminated, disease will 

 be prevented, and the crops grown thereon will be very heavy 

 indeed. Of course the system can be largely extended, and 

 fields lying fallow for a year may be used for poultry keeping. 

 This leads us to the subject of poultry manure. Although 

 there is no doubt that the droppings from fowls is most 

 valuable, though not quite so good as has sometimes been 

 represented, it has not yet become a marketable commodity 

 of any importance. There is a limited demand for it amongst 

 gardeners, but, as a rule, it is much better to have some 

 means of using, instead of selling, it. None should be 

 wasted, and mixed with fine dry soil it becomes a most 

 valuable manure for any kind of crops. We know one farmer 

 near Aylesbury, who buys large quantities of the duck manure 

 for his root crops, finding it the best he can get for them, 

 and certainly the cheapest. It has been estimated that the 

 droppings of a fowl is worth fifty cents a year to the 

 land, and if that is so, then the keeping of poultry be- 

 comes of still greater importance than we have ever claimed 

 for it. 



In our chapter on the sitting hen, we spoke of a dust 

 bath, and this is needed by ordinary fowls also ; those 



