Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/192

 I have not done, for which reason I know it is possible. I have exchanged my fowls for all sorts of things. Once I gave a pair of pure bred birds for a roll of navy canvass ; another time, for a set of books and mechanical instruments ; and upon a third occasion I received, in return for a hen and chickens, a fortnight's labour. These were my own transactions and, as I said before, what one can do, another can.

When his hens begin to lay he can collect all his eggs and set them, buying or exchanging broody hens for the purpose, as his own will not be ready till they have laid all their eggs. By doing this he increases his stock more rapidly than if he sold his eggs and waited for his own hens to set.

As I have devoted a chapter to poultry I need not go into further particulars here but will go on at once to the next work to be done before the corn requires attention. A pig-sty is not difficult to make with so much timber lying on the ground. It can be made of logs, laid one on top of the other in a square. Like the calf pen, part of it must be slabbed for sleeping on, and the roof can be thatched, shingled, or paled. Troughs for feeding and drinking are easily made. Cut down a piped tree, split the pipe not exactly in half (unless it is a very large tree), about a quarter taken out will leave a good deep trough, cross cut to the lengths required, and then with the adze trim the centre if it requires it, very often the insides of these pipes are ragged and splintery (if I can use such a word). When this is done and it feels and looks fairly smooth, nail pieces of wood at each end, or better still make them fit tightly as if dovetailed and nail securely. If properly done they should be water tight. I have known troughs like these last for years. A pig will require two, one for food, the other for water. The food must be put in over the top, by-and-bye a better and more comfortable sty can be built. For food for his pigs he may have to buy at first,and his best plan will be to get the waste and scraps from one or two hotels if he is not too far from them; if he is, he will have to let his pigs run, in any event it will be best for him to do this unless his neighbours object. If near a Chinaman's garden he can, for about sixpence per week, get enough green food for a couple of pigs, then if he has any spare milk, which is hardly likely. However, until he sees a prospect of being able to keep a pig he must not get one, as it will not pay him to buy food. If he planted pumpkins among his corn by-and-bye they would help to feed his pigs.

A shed or storeroom of some sort will be the next thing to build, as he will require some place to store his corn, pumpkins, &c., &c., besides a room of some kind is almost a necessity for the safety of tools and many things which otherwise will be left lying