THE LANDSWOMAN
My Ideal Small Farm. 11.
" The greatest things are done by the help of small ones ''
\ YIX!'~ s•t ao;tJe .WO for in~mst, '~" next n~e~
to allow for
on~·s hvm!f tn.p ·nse over one lull year a., a llllnlmum. 0~ my
plan of malnn~ th• farm "upport the tam1ly as n('ar ns poss1ble,
liv 10 q «~xp~n~ea should not b~ hi~th, and, If Wl' allow £100 !or such
an 1 ~m that w1ll b.-. amplll. l'hPn we comP to the stock, and here
1 pro~ to c;tllrt with about 100 !:wing pullets and 25 lay!ng
ducJ..-s. I 5hould value thPcc at about 2n~. to 30s. cnch, makang
n outlay of £190, 1n all as the maximum. If we allow £60 to
n:pr.-..scnt a t"ec<~erve fund wo ahall still have £.100 in hand ere tho
.1.~10 capital Is reached. On my stock of 100 pullets and 25 ducks
J should explct a minamum profit for the tlr:$t year of £60, which
would amply c;atisfy me.
Wo now turn to the question of housin~ tht> stock, and my
, arller not.e3 wall be borne m mtnd. A~ things stand at present
an the appliance world, tho sclP-ctlon of the farm will be oven more
Important than the stockin~ of it. l'O·clay, more than at any
other tame, a farm m~t be valut>d on its outbuildin~s. If these
M\l ample they w1U help thf' !ltnall tarmrr immensely. Take the
~'le of my 100 laying pullet.~ deliwred early in Sept~mber.
\.llowmg ~h bird, 83 a maximum, fiw square feet o! ground·
~r~. we shall need a. bwlding that hM a total f\oor-sp.?.CC of
500 RIJ. ft. 1 should look among my outbuildings for a suitable
builout 30ft. Somr allow each bird 3 sq.
tt.., but I run·e t.'\kcn the maximum, as it. is preferable. The
d l~n of the building would not mterest me so long as the
,f rnrtnre wa.• (1) light; (2) well-ventilared; (3) roomy; (4) dry
unll••doot; And (5) dry ovt>rhrnd. The in tenor would be furnl·
~.ltcd-all ap~rturea bcin~ closed up me3nwhile-and tht>n whit<:·
w.l'lh~'d. l'b~' floormg would next bo lx'dded down dt>ep-slx
to nin inch".s-whieh mntntal (If roustantly rak,.d over and hard
pac~ re moved, also with a httle fre<.h litrer added now nnd then)
wonld la..~t about six month'! without 1\'plenishing. I t1hould not
u oe S/\rtly mwwt in an ,.xpen!ivolittu af my capital d id not allow
11! 11ame. Strnw, drted ll'aVNI, and t.he like would be quito
•tl~factory.
Pt:rches would run alon~t the back wall with a drop·
IA'\rd undem..:ath to catch the droppings. l'ho lattu would or
<:d nnd stick to it
romembcr!ng that specialising Is the thing of tho dny. r.nt~;
you can htt home two breeds-ono a heavy and the other a light
-but it is well to mnko a namo in some speclnl varlHy M a bust
ncss proposition. Your good namo therein will bring cuc;tom fo;
anl other varieties you have listed. Your choice, too must
fal upon a breed that will 8tlit vour •oil, and ono that Is populflr
at you lntond to sellsltungs and chicks; also ono that combines
table with egg merits. For the heavy breed my JX'U nt once rocom'
mends the Light Sw!lex as the speclalty bl\'cd. It is n spltmdhi
layer of brown egg.,, a good sitter and mother, and, npart from
being highly popular, is one of our bt'st table bl't'cds. CockNt'ls
are ready tor killing even from tno run at an rnrly age, and mnke
extraordinary wclghts. What Is more, it has a white leg nnd a
whito fiesh which the British public admire In U\blo poultry A ~;;
regards the light !:Jreed, choioo might fall ~n tbo White or inark
Leghorn. The L1ght Smscx Is an all·Bfltlsh variety, nnd will
do well on any soil, even clAy h eavy, so that I can recommend it
generally.
Havln~. then, got the pullets inRtnlled, we shnll run them from
then onwards for winter egg· production.
Lato In Dc~mber, or early in January, I should think of mnting
up my birds with the purpose ot providing e~ for sitting and
day-old chicks for sale, and to provide sufficient chicks from which
to rear the given number of pullots for laying t11e subsequent
wlntor. It is munl to mate up the breeding blrd11 a month before
eggs are requlrod for Incubation. My plans for the new year
would de}X'nd upon what appliances I had been able to &Ceure
second-hand and cheap from tho September to the Christmas
During that period I 11hould make it my special business to
(Ctmtirnu'd on pcr'}e 235.)
.ccrecy.
( do not thmk any fnrm•·r will haw troubt.> in tlnding an
o at.llulldJOg t~ ..,.t apart forth<· fowl<~. It cnn be a d•~uscd stable
or coach·hou."''. or oven howl, RO long as it anllwcn the clPscriptlon
lltven. And, •f nccrs~ry, the hundred head of poultry can be
rlivtdcd Into two tlock~. Their manngeml'nt will be moro or lc!IS
,,n semt·intcn~lve linrl:i; that 111 t<) say, on wet days thry will \X'
cmttlned to th,.tr roomy laytn{ot·housc, and on fine dnvs they wlll
hilve th,.lr fn:-edom. On cold days thry will havo short run-out.'!
mtb,.r than their full liberty{ M for thf' l>P-~twlnwn•{otg·l'l'sults hens
n• I'd to ~ " k~pt up" In a 1 unfavourable weather.
fht~ 100 pnllt•ts would colll!lst maiuly of hravy hlnls, for thr
r• \SOn that noviCf•s do