10 THE CALL OF THE HEN. 
ments calculated to deter any poultry-keeping aspirant, and give weight 
to their contention by citing hundreds of cases where men have tried 
and failed. Truly the mass of evidence appears to be with the latter 
_ belief, for it is an indubitable fact that for every person who succeeds 
in this business a hundred fail. But, looking at the matter from a logical 
point of view, the fact that a minority rely on poultry for their daily 
bread, is ample evidence that it is quite possible to make a living out of 
~ poultry-keeping, and the abnormal number of’ failures merely proves 
that the business is a difficult one. 
“The fact that a man who has failed in some other business takes 
up poultry-keeping with a like result in no sense proves that poultry- 
keeping does not pay; it is only what could be expected, and any ex- 
perienced aviculturist would have prophesied such a result. It is, 
however, useless to explain such things to the man who is contemplating 
starting a poultry farm. ‘To suggest that he is unfit for the task would 
be taken by him as an insult, for the public, in its ignorance, has con- 
ceived the idea that poultry management is the simplest work that 
anyone can think of—in fact, I question whether an outsider considers 
“it to be work at.all. 
“Such a hold has this belief obtained on the man in the street that 
it almost amounts to a superstition, and until the fallacy is exploded 
the number of the unsuccessful will be constantly increased. The public, 
apparently, cannot understand the difference between keeping a few 
fowls as a paying hobby and managing a poultry farm as an enormous 
one, and that the minor difficulties to be met with in the former case 
are increased a thousand fold in the latter. 
“Probably there is no other business which calls for so many qual- 
ifications as that of the poultry-farmer, and to say that the man who 
has been successful in any other walk in life is totally unfitted for this 
business, though somewhat exaggerated, will give the tyro some idea of 
what is wanted. An intimate detailed knowledge of poultry manage- 
ment, an unlimited reserve of perseverance, determination, and resource, 
a genuine love for fowls, the capacity for hard, continuous work for 
seven days a week, combined with business knowledge and thrifty man- 
agement, are all essential, and will, with ordinary luck, lead one to the 
desired goal. ; 
“T am very dubious as to whether a living can be made from utility 
poultry-keeping, pure and simple—that is to say, by selling eggs and 
birds solely for edible purposes. A profit can undoubtedly be made, 
but it is so infinitesimal that the income derived from this source alone . 
would, I am afraid, scarcely suffice for the needs of the most parsimonious. 
If it is decided to specialize in utility points, pure-bred stock must be 
kept of the popular varieties, and eggs for hatching, day-old chicks, 
and stock birds must be sold. This will make all the difference, and 
once a connection has been worked up, there is no reason why the busi- 
ness should not pay, and pay well. 
“The breeding of exhibition birds is, without doubt, the most 
profitable branch, and when once a name has been made, stock and eggs 
can be disposed of at most remunerative prices. Success, however, 
cannot be attained at once; it is often the work of years; and many 
breeders never rise from the ranks of mediocrity. Moreover, much 
capital is required to start an exhibition poultry farm, and one’s expenses 
