The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-28
ONE WOMAN MAKES MONEY BY FARMING Ducks, Turkeys and Bees ES-
 peciaIIy Profitable RELATES HER EXPERIENCE For Seven Years She Has Made a Good Living on One Acre of Connecticut
 Land.
| RELATES HER EXPERIENCE
From the New York Sun.

provided she is not too much afraid of an occasional rough job" said Mrs Jane c. Barrow of Connecticut, who for the past seven years has made a comfortable living and sent her two children to school on the earnings of four acre farm.
 "It is surprising how much an acre of land can be made to produce. l have in all only about four acres and only one of these four is available for planting and buildings. Seven years ago when I moved in 1 was without capital, the place was much out of repair. and l was forced to go into debt to get money to pay for groceries enough to keep me and my two children until the farm began to make re- turns.
 T had bought with the farm thirty | stands of bees and there were just one dozen choice currant bushes, That was my whole stock, and I cannot say that the outlook was very encouraging. With a part of the borrowed money l bought l five ducks and one drake, one setting of 1 White Wyandotte eggs and six pairs of 1 pigeons.
 In the past year 1 raised on one-fourth of the ono acre that 1 devoted to poultry, bees and small fruits, between one and two thousand ducks They were sold when they were between three and four months old. They averaged in weight about four pounds and my whole crop of | feathers was a little more than four hundred pounds. Every duck was or | dered before 1t was matched, and l am sure I could have secured orders for as l many more had l been apple to supply I them. Duck feathers and down, while not as good as those plucked from geese when properly cured, always are in de- | mand and bring a good price.
 Currant Bushes.
 "On the other three-fourths of my acre | now have 600 eurrant bushes, 100 White | Wyandotte chickens "A white Holland turkeys, 60 pairs of pigeons, with their | houses and flying pens, and To stands or bees. The bees and currant bushes are the increase of those bought with the place and have proved themselves worth all the money and time l have devoted to them. Inc entrants were increased by saving the prunings and planting them as cuttings. And perhaps l should say that l have from time to time sold sew eral dollars worth of the young plants.
 "The chickens are all from that one setting of eggs with the addition of three new roosters. These I secured not be- cause there was any actual need, but be- cause l believe that crossing a strain IS better for the domestic fowls. In the past year 1 sold off forty-two brollers
  I have sold only a few eggs, and those were at fancy prices for settings. From my pigeons l sold 4o0 pairs of squabs ana | A few pairs of old fellows for breeding. I am fond of pigeons and like to see them and hear their cooing, but before manly years 1 think I shall get rid Of my stock and use the ground for ducks. While have been fairly successful with pigeons I have made much more money on my ducks and find them easier to dispose of
 Raises Turkeys.
 My turkeys are a venture of only fou- years standing. but so far have proved al most as remunerative as the ducks. Like the white chicken, there Is a ready sale for every pound of feathers and down taken from white turkey. l have al most decided that there is more profit In raising white turkeys for market than any other fowl. The prices that my tur- keys brought last autumn made me open my eyes Having so few, l paid special attention to fattenng them. As they were all extra size and under year old got the very top notch in price, but even II I raised them by the thousand shouid always expect to have them the same I see no reason why woman "l.h large enough piece of land should not be able to raise a thousand turkeys and nave them all as good as my few dozen.
 ..That Is where money is to be made on farms around New York, Boston ana Philadelphia The demand Is for the eN- ceptionally fine product. IT trleq ohiy to raise medium ducks or turkeys nave no idea that would find such ready sale for either As 1t Is I see to it that my poultry is the very best. IL taxes very little more trouble to raise perfect lo"i than 1t does a good one. and am not | bit sure that it doesn't take lust apou. inc same. Considering the difficulty you ocin Of I am sure 1t does
 Work With Bees.
 "As for the honey that my bees make I don't know that I have a right to take any credit to myself, for they are pas tured on my neighbours fields rec them in the winter. but in the mower ana gram season they fly out and help themseiFes' I see to tho hives. see that the queens are sound and prolific and take the honey. While if is heavy work. lifting and nov inc inc hives and frames, where a Wo- man ia fond of bees I should think It would be an occupation of which one could become very fond. For the time and money expended on them l ma pees olnoost as good an investment as ducks,
 "perbans I should say that I raise only Inc oreen food for my poultry All the dry food buy in the market ana at mar bet nr,ces If had a larger acreage per haps l could make the business pay more by raising my own gram, c",,i ls nhudren have finished school l shall not think of adding to my plant. Pernaps , oven then I shall peg along on these same four acres l have proved that can make a place this size pay. ana there ls . always danger of overdoing
 Secret of Success.
 , ..r7ror, my observation it Is the incli- nation to begin on too large scale tnd'
 a,,sos more failures among women be- s,,s,,in, new work than any other one raasan If Is seldom that woman IS ,,,i1l,,e to begin at the bottom and cllfnp t,a ladder one rung at time Ihey saa,,, in he willing only to begin at the e,ah,o ord take the rest of the climb in ,as Tbat Ia the reason I have always isaps ,a. ,,,h,, so many of them refuse to ,s,arrv when they first leave school. Ihey are all hoping to get a man ~"o, IT r can't place them at the top ol tie ~ ~a
 der to begin with will put them so near , |, that Ii will be within easy reach' ..yybere circumstances actually force q ,,.o,,,an to he content with small begin rira ace no reason why she shouldn't aarn ae good a living on small farm an,, other field If she is as fond of the aa,,ntr, aa am she will not find 1t , So.asti, hui rather a pleasure. l spent a,, r.,, ,,ounper days in A city so knew , ,,.,1a or notbing about country and farm i,ta unttl came here and set to work. had everything to learn and have .,,aaaaaad ao I think other women could oil began with a small boy as 1 "' ~ ,or have woman and