CHAPTER XXX 
WOMEN AS POULTRY-FARMERS 
HE entry of women into so many professions and industries 
at one time practically dominated by men, and their 
success in a very large proportion of them, leads one to 
consider how far poultry-farming is adapted to the special talents 
of women. 
General farming has even attracted a considerable number of 
educated women. At one time only labouring women were 
supposed to be useful on the land, and that only for certain of the 
light duties, such as hoeing, weeding, stone-gathering and some 
harvest work. Educated women trained at the various agricul- 
tural colleges have now taken up general farming in considerable 
numbers, and it seems likely that these numbers will grow rather 
than diminish. It has got to be proved whether women—especi- 
ally those who have not been accustomed to hard, muscular labour 
—will be able to-do all the work that at one time was undertaken by 
men. Individual instances of women successfully doing the hard 
work of ploughing are by no means isolated, but the great majority 
who take up farm work will probably be unable to perform satisfac- 
torily the heaviest duties connected with the work of a general farm. 
This being the case, what are the difficulties that women will 
have to overcome in poultry-farming ? I may answer in a word 
by saying: “ Very few, and none of them insuperable.” 
At the present time many women are running poultry farms 
with great success and easily holding their own in every respect 
with men. Two, if not more, of the most successful breeders in 
England are ladies, and dozens more are working their farms with 
a knowledge and thoroughness that will compare favourably with 
the work on any similar farms conducted by men. 
One need only mention that Miss Bell, of Ightham, Kent, beat 
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