448 ©. QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Juxx, 1899. 
credit to the hens for the value of the house and appliances at the end of the 
year. Further, whilst we consider that the charge of 3s. each for 20 young hens 
just on the point of laying is quite a fair valuation, the crediting of the same 
hens at 2s. 6d. each after a year’s work is, we consider, too high by at least 6d. 
per head. Then the charge for attendance is decidedly open to question ; but 
the good points in the balance-sheet, with Mr. De La Bere’s remarks, decidedly 
outweigh any defects. We wish to specially draw attention to the splendid 
average of eggs per hen—170. Whilst the price obtained is always largely 
ruled by the district in which the poultry-keeper may reside, as well as 
the price that can be got for the birds, the hard fact of 170 eggs per 
head remains a capital starting point, and it is a fact that anyone can use. It 
is evident that Mr. De La Bere’s views have been slightly toned down 
regarding the average numbers of eggs, or, in other words, the best 
number of hens to be kept in one enclosure, as he hastens to warn his readers, 
as pointed out above, not to expect that 40 hens would give the same average 
number of eggs as 20. It is somewhat strange that, as the number of hens 
increases, the average number of eggs per hen steadily decreases, even though 
they may apparently be fed with an abundance of suitable food. We can quite 
easily understand the great advantage a generous amount of kitchen refuse ma 
be to a small number of fowls; but why it should not be possible to feed in 
such a manner as to make a fairly large number do nearly as well as a small 
one, we have never yet been able to fully understand, but it remains a fact that 
hitherto all the large egg averages have been produced by small numbers of 
fowls. At one time Mr. De La Bere seemed to consider that 50 fowls could be 
profitably kept in one house, but he now recommends 20 as a more profitable 
lot. It really, however, is entirely dependent on the kind of outrun they may 
have as to how many can be profitably kept in one flock. We have kept as 
many as 200 in one lot, that had the range of a set of farm buildings and an 
unrestrained run of pasture, and kept all in perfect health. We also draw 
attention to the valuation put on their manure. We have before pointed out 
that we consider that that is all needed to pay for the grass they eat. Those 
who vote fowls only a nuisance, will do well to study the balance-sheet, and 
then ask themselves what other live stock they have ever had left the same 
amount of profit from such a small outlay. 
THE WYANDOTTE AND LANGSHAN COMPARED. 
A writer thus compares the Wyandotte and Langshan :— 
The following comparison of them, with another of late very much praised 
breed, will be illustrative. The two breeds were in one hatch, and, of course, 
had, in every way, the same care and attention :— 
WYANDOTTE. LANGSHAN. 
Weeks. Oz. Weeks. Oz. 
Age 4 on es wae teaa28. Age 4 a Afe Th ye SS 
yn te re ys ot .. 24 tats ro He: oh one 2, 
of ED ey tty) me hs BY fy 1K) he 9) e. ay Bes 
yy UR vn ers te eee >, 12 ys a & an Be 
xy Lt tt ts a 21, 1, 14 aie rf, dy au BD 
» 16 ae Nee Ad: . 664 » 16 n. {} a vee 84 
ets) ) 72 5, 18 . 74 
‘The birds were carefully weighed each week with the above result. It will 
be scen that the Wyandottes kept the lead up to 14 weeks old, the Langshans 
overtaking them at 16 weeks, when they scaled 4 Ib. each. However, although 
both breeds up to that age gave equal results for their food and attention, such 
equality was more apparent than real, for while the 16 weeks’ old Wyandottes 
were plump, cobby chickens, with plenty of breast meat, and quite fit for either 
