POULTRY-FARMING AS A MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD FOR EX-SERVICE MEN.
[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR:1 SIR,--The possibility of discharged Service men being able to make their living on ten acres or less of land is at this moment receiving a considerable amount of attention. In 1912, at my home in Hounslow, I gave the Board of Agriculture on four acres of grassland a private demonstration of such a poses- Wide. This experiment was watched on behalf of the Board Professor White (Professor of Agriculture). and, owing to its success. the Board utilized my services during 1913, 1914, and 1915 to give similar demonstrations to small-holders in the counties of Clneeloire and Cambridgeshire. My demonstration for
1915 took the form of four separate email-holder efforts—egg pro-
duction, fatting, stock birds, and chicken-rearing. I give below the financial mutts of these four experiments, together with the acreage of land actually used by each. The ace:omits were kept by the Board's own accountant, and the value of the time debited to each branch was proportioned by him as being fair to each department:—
A. B. C. M. P. L.
No. 1.—Egg production .. 24 iota taut 10 £194 £30
No. 2.—Fatting .. 0 1,178 05 6 44 33 No. 8.—Stook blede• 1 180 126 9 81 10 No. 4.—Chicken rearing .. 8 2,769 800 10 84 50
8t 5.067 £5107 £503 1:14; ' The eggs from this experiment were taken over by No. 4 for hatching purposes at the average price of 2e. 6d. per dos.
Explanation of lettering: A, acreage of land used for each experiment; B, number of birds used; C, capital employeu; 31, number of months covered by each experiment; P. profit left to a small-holder after deducting all charges, with the exception of his time; L, value of the muall-holder's time whilst actually occupied on the work. This sum was proportioned ey the Board's accountant as being fair.
I estimate that a small-holder devoting the whole of his limo to such work can handle. in reference to No. 1, about twice the number of birds; in reference to No. 2, about twice the number; in reference to No. 9, about eight times the number: and in reference to Na 4, about 1.000 birds more.
It will be seen that from a small-holder's point of view. experiments 1, 2, and 3 were financially satisfactory, and No. (in which type of work I have had groat experience and abso- lute faith in) only partially se. The finitude' results of No. 4 were unfortunately spoilt chiefly owing to any testing a new type of brooder, which turned out a failure, and to soy being seriously ill during the early spring menthe, and therefore not able to give to this experiment sufficieut personal attention. Practical men will appreciate what a very difficult task it was for me to entertain and show round numerous visitors, and at the saute time to conduct these four experiments all on the one holding, keeping exact records of every detail of each department and running each branch as a separate little bu4i- ness, so as to make each when taken by itself a financial success and not in combination as one.—I am, Sir. arc., The Lawn, Lampton Road, Hounslow. F. G. PATTERN.
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