572 



Agricultural Returns, 1921. 



[Sept., 



Mr. Flatt makes this important fact amply clear in a straightforward way, 

 -and in the simplest possible language ; his book should, therefore, be of 

 particular value to the beginner. More importance is attached to practice 

 than to theory, and rightly so. Many people still think that they have only to 

 put any kind of hen into any kind of hovel, v^^hen she will of course lay large 

 numbers of eggs. Unfortunately for that theory, the hen is a creature of 

 nature, and must be treated accordingly and not as a machine. The amount 

 of detail which the poultry keeper is called upon to superintend is so 

 considerable that no one need imagine that he is likely to make a success of 

 the business with less than a year's practical training. Moreover, it is such a 

 useful adjunct to almost every other form of agriculture, fruit growing and 

 horticulture in particular, that it behoves those interested in such forms of 

 husbandry to consider whether this bianch of agriculture could not be 

 advantageously combined with their other operations, (1) because of the 

 assistance poultry afford in keeping down pests, and (2) because of the great 

 value of poultry manure when properly applied, quite apart from (3) the 

 profits tliat would accrue from the poultry themselves when properly cared for. 

 These important considerations are emphasised throughout Mr. Flatt's l)ook. 



Poultry keeping does not involve hard labour, but it does necessitate 

 unremitting attention to detail, and often long hours, particularly when the 

 successful rearing of chickens is the object in view. Chicken rearing, by the 

 way, is quite the most absorbing branch of poultry keeping, and can be 

 conducted witli great advantage as an adjunct to dairying, since skim and 

 sour milk are of especial value to growing stock. 



The reader will find the chapter on poultry foods of great interest, as it 

 deals with a highly technical subject in a lucid way. Ducks, turkeys and 

 geese are appi'opriately dealt with, and in relation to the commoner poultry 

 diseases it is shown that prevention is far better than cure. 



The results of Mr. Flatt's wide experience as a poultry-keeper and as 

 Poultry Instructor to the Devon County Council and other bodies are offeied 

 to the public in a concise and simple form. 



The preliminar;! tabulation of the Agricultural Returns collected on the 

 4th June, 1921, in respect of agricultural holdings of over one acre in England 



and Wales shows that the total area under all 

 Agricultural Returns, crops and grass is 26,139,000 acres, a decrease 

 England and Wales, since last year of 368,000 acres. On the other 

 1921. hand, the area of rough grazings (which com- 



prises mountain, heath, moor, down and other 

 rough land used for grazing) is now 4,555,000 acres, or 393,000 acres more 

 than at the same date in 1920. 



Cereals. — area of wheat, 1,978,000 acres, is 103,000 acres more than in 

 1920, and, excluding the war years, is the largest recorded since 1898. Barley 

 and oat on the other hand, have declined, the former by 202,000 acres and 

 the latter by 127,000 acres. The area under barley, 1,435,000 acres, is less 

 than the pre-war level, but that of oats, 2,145,000 acres, is higher than in any 

 pre-war year since 1908. The total area under the three cereal crops (including 

 mixed corn) is 5,694,000 acres, or 400,000 acres more than the average of the 

 ten years 1905—1914. 



