The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1905-11-22

bought as cheaply here as in any part
of the United States.
We wish to know about how many
laying hens and how many brOilers |
could be raised on this size lot, and |
whether you think live interest with
enough capital would make it profit
able. and if so, what would be an
approximate average?
What kind of stock and what litera
ture would you advise, and where can
same be secured? X. X.
This is one of many times when |
feel that TO advise man intelligently
to give him the advice he needs in
such way that he will appreciate
it. 1 ought to know much more about
his ideals and his motives Why does
he desire to embark in the poultry
business? Is it because he has this
land, wants to make it productive, and
has heard that poultry keeping is easy
light work, and very profitable? Has
he had any experience at it in farming,
gardening, or growing. or handling
stock of any kind-that is. i'm lines
where many of the conditions and
requirements parallel those of poultry
keeping? Such experience it made
him skillfuI in any of these lines
of great value to the beginner in poul-
| try keeping. saving him from most of
the mistakes made by beginners who
know nothing of any of these lines.
However, lacking the full expression
of the thoughts of this correspondent.
the advice which may be given him
with some assurance that it will fit
| his case is
Don't begin poultry keeping as
I,,,e I,x,
what you can do with poultry. Begin
| first iii a small way. with few hens
that you can easily care for i'm con-
nectiOn with other occupation. Or if
you are eager to acquire information
more rapidly. go to work on some
poultry farm, and keep at work on
poultry farms until you know enough
about the business to make your serv-
ices in demand. To put it another
way. don't put your ability to establish
and conduct a poultry business to the
proof until it begins to attract favor
able notice from men whose judgment
is good on such matters
Waiting for outside recognition of
qualification as a pOultryman. is. as |
am well aware. not at all to the taste
of most of those who want to go into
| poultry Keeping. n man s own IDEAS
of what he can do generally antedate
| their reflections i'm the minds of others
by a good many moons, and invariably
| he thinks that he sees right, and the
others are blind. This does not make
so much difference to the man inter
ested if he is not able to start for
himself. for then by force of circum-
stances he must wait for his oppor-
| tunity. But if he has land some
capital, and is free to indulge his dis
position to go his own way. he is al
most sure to begin poultry keeping
on considerable scale under con-
ditiOns that make it almost certain
that his capital and his interest i'm
the business will be used up before
the time when-under such conditions
he might reasonably expect to be
getting Il fair compensation from the
business.
No one ought to begin on business
scale until he has worked for some one
doing business with poultry, or for
himself as an amateur long enough
to know, with knowledge proved i'm
practice and observation, so much
about the business that he does not
need to ask elementary questions
| l know from such knowledge of
people going into the poultry business