Large Egg-farms.

These have been, as a general rule, failures. The few successful ones have been developed from small beginnings by men with plenty of practical experience. The keeping of poultry is far more likely to be a success it made part of a system of mixed farming.

Begin on a small scale, selecting two or more breeds. Sitting-breeds and their crosses will not do very well, for to have large numbers wanting to sit would give too much work. Make sure the breeds chosen are suitable for your purpose and to the locality. Work these up to a very high standard before you make a start. Then breed cross-breds for your poultry-farm. page 12 Never cease striving to improve your pure-bred breeding-stock, even after success has been achieved with the cross-breds.

Keep the cross-breds in little flocks, entirely separate from each other A sheltered situation, with good drainage, should be selected.

The division fences must be of such material as will provide shelter from the wind, except in a very sheltered place. The kind of yard shown in the plate enables a start to be made on a small scale at little expense, and the flock to be gradually increased as found profitable by adding new enclosures.

Thirty hens are to be run in each of the enclosures dotted, Each one contains one-eighth of an acre. On the spaces unoccupied grasses may be grown and cut for hay. The birds should be shifted two or three times a year, and every flock shifted at the same time. This kind of yard allows complete separation of the flocks (for they do not come in contact even through a chink in the fence) and an occasional shift on to fresh ground both very important matters. There is not much chance of diseass spreading through the flocks-The birds must be fed and managed as fowls in confinement, but, of course, do not need green food, and scarcely require a midday meal.

See that they have a shelter besides the roosting-house. Carefully keep down the vermin, and pick out and put by itself any bird that looks sick.

I would suggest the plan of house shown in Wright's "Book of Poultry," but cannot speak of it from personal experience. The width on ground is 7ft., height 6ft., depth from front to back 8ft. It requires under

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300ft. of timber, and a handy man could make it himself. A door with an opening and slide at one end, and a similar opening with slide at the other end, over each of which there should be a pane of glass let into the wood Serrated sheet-iron should be nailed along ridge and along top of door (when left open in summer) to prevent birds perching, and then flying over the fences.

As the breathing-space per head is small, care must be taken not to close the slide they use at night, and to have openings at the top to let out the foul air. The building should be painted white outside.

Another method of keeping fowls in large numbers is by means of movable coops. It has this advantage: that the birds can be moved on to stubbles or wherever they will prevent waste.

Under both the above systems care must be taken not to let the cross-bred birds get too fat to lay.