412 Market Gardening and Poultry Keeping. [Aug.,, 



For those who are unable to attend day coufses, evening 

 courses would be held either at the instruction centre or at con- 

 venient places in the county, and to assist established market 

 gardeners and fruit growers meetings would be arranged at which 

 approved methods would be discussed. The grounds at the 

 centre w^ould be available for such practical tests and experi- 

 ments as the needs of the county indicate. 



The allotment movement, which is now so firmly established 

 and embraces over 1,000,000 holders, is of national importance 

 and has not been overlooked. This would be provided for by 

 the establishment of demonstration plots in all suitable areas. 



A SCHEME for combining market gardening with j)Oultry 

 keeping has been proposed by the Ministry, with a \iew^ to 

 ascertaining how far it is possible to carry 

 Market Gardening ^ system of market garden cropping on 

 p a small area and at the same time to keep 



J upon it a certain number of fowls. Three 



areas of one acre each have been selected, viz.» at Titchfield, in 

 Hampshire, j\[ethwold, in Norfolk, and Eolleston, in Kottingham- 

 shire. The acre is in each case to be divided into four quarters, 

 and the cropping on each quarter is to be arranged so that the 

 birds, 150 in number, are three months of the year on each 

 quarter. A central fowl house is to be constructed, fitted with 

 sliding doors to enable the birds to be transferred from one 

 quarter to another according to the state of the cropping and 

 the period during which the birds are intended to cccupy any 

 particular quarter. The manure produced each three months in 

 any one section will be equally distributed over that section. 

 The cropping is arranged so as to admit of the land being 

 properly worked in the interval following the removal of the 

 birds. Catch crops, mustard and rye for green manure, will 

 be also introduced where possible in rotation. It is hoped that 

 by these experiments some information will also be gained as to 

 (1) the value of poultry manure for crops on ground in a low- 

 state of fertility, and (2) the rate at which poor land may be 

 brought into a fertile condition by poultry manure alone. 



