The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-02

MT. Lewis does not discourage tile man whose capital is small but wisely advises him to first acquire experience before in- vesting in a farm of his own Then. with from two to 10 acres of land, and from 5000 to $5000 he may accomplish what the subject of this article did.
 "HE moderate sized poultry flock is probably the most satisfactory and 4 profitable, for it requires the time of but one man, the owner, and does not necessitate the hiring of additional laoor' which means greater expense and usually less efficiency. The experiences of hun dreds of poultrymen keeping from ooO 10 150O birds on limited acreage if proof enough of the possibilities open to one who has a small amount of capital and willingness to begin in corresponding ly small way, and after few years eX- perience to develop a one-man plant which will pay him definite weekly sal ary and provide a most enjoyable occupa- tion The amateur must not expect thls success to come without careful and well planned preliminary work, however, whlch shall aim toward moderate sized fiock' with commercial egg production the pri- mary source of income. s, WHAT ONE MAN ACHIEVED
 The following is a summarized record of the achievements of one poultryman who firmly believed in the possibilities of a one-man flock, and was willing to begin with 300 birds and take two years to develop in his project the results shown below. His beginning was made at the age of 27 years, after he had become in city. Just before starting his farm he devoted F weeks during the winter to a short course in poultry husbandry at one of our eastern agricultural colleges. The first year he ran behind financially $S0o, and the second year just broke even, while the third year he cleared S5O0. Since that time for the last two years he has cleared an average of $1500 each year net. His wife is as interested in the chickens as he, and is an important factor Tn the success of such a farm. Much Of the care of chicks, the packing of eggs and the record keeping can be prohtaoly left In her hands.
 During the year this farm kept an aver age nf 1000 fowls, made up of 500 outlets and 400 yearling hens, the latter being mated for breeding purposes The farm proper contains two acres, one of Whlcn te devoted to the home and house gar den while on the other ars located the laying houses, three in number. On &C., count of the necessity for raising a con- siderable number of bullets each year, three acres adjoining the poultry farm proper is leased for a t5rm of 10 years, planted in peach trees, and used for range for the growing stock, making a total of five acres devoted to the poultry work A mammoth incubator of 200-egg capacity is located in the cellar of the house.; and the chicks are prooded by coal burning brooder stoves in portable colony houses the range. These are four in number. and used for lnaturing the young stock after the heaters are re- moved. As a whole, the arrangement works out very efficiently, and could profitably be copied by others wishing to carry on a similar line OI business. If any changes were to be made it would be desirable, if possible, to secure more land. Ten acres might be considerd about the mot efficient area, although the farm plan can be modified to meet larger or smaller locations. Too much land should not be used, however, as the tendency is then for the work to be too diversified, 1equir- ing more than the labor of the owner.
 The following figures will show what is being done such a farm, located in New Jersey, within S5 miles of New York city. The income for the fiscal year clos ing November l, 1915, was approximately as follows:
 Market eggs, $500 dog. at 35c.. ....... .SS325. % Matching eggs, 300 dog. at S0c..... 24O.0O Broilers, sold at lb. vt. for 4Sc(700) 336.00 Old fowl and cull bullets, 800, at 60c. 30000 Hens sold for breeding, 100 at $2.... 10000 Total ........................ s44o1 .oO The cost of operation for the same period of time was found to be appor- tioned approxima tely as follows: The item of interest and depreciation was It found on the books kept on the farm, but was added as necessary and legitimate bill against the birds.
 The expenses were
 Feed for young and old stock..... .slS6O.00 Seed for ranges and yards .......... 16.OO Team hire for blowing and seeding. 4S.00 Repairs and supplies for Ford de-
 livery truck .......................... loe.OU Supplies, cartons cases, etc......... 2l1.OO Interest on investment, at p. ct... 5000 Repars and insurance .............. 760O Total $2679 co
 Deducting the expenditures from the gross returns we find that this one-man flock of 1000 birds paid the family work ing the farm a net profit of $1722 for the year, or $33.11 a week, which is equivalent to salary of $5 a day. This represents a profit per bird of SLIP. It is truly an in- teresting experience and shows what a moderate sized flock of birds in the hands of one who understands what he is about will accomplish if properly and intelli- gently handled
 NO JOB FOR A TIRED MAN
 The experience cited is but typical o1 many other similar cases However, dc not fail to appreciate the fact that not every one who begins as did this man can succeed in the same degree for there are many qualifications both as to the man and his ability. A man to succeed in sucl