THE COLONY HOUSE SYSTEM. 



f59 



ness to take advantage of what was then a 

 comparatively new demand ; and skilful and 

 systematic advertising. There are several other 

 large undertakings on somewhat similar lines, 

 however. Mr. Randolph Meech stated that 

 he sold over 76,000 "utility" eggs for sitting 

 during the year 1903, and this particular 

 line, of providing stock bred for utility from 

 pure breeds, is one of the branches of the 

 poultry industry. 



There are other establishments which make 

 considerable sums, some which even furnish 



In the previous edition of this work much 

 space was devoted to certain aspects ot 

 American poultry rearing. Since, however, 

 American some of the projects to which 



Poultry reference was made subsequently 



Keeping. proved to be abortive undertak- 



ings, and, moreover, as much that was treated 

 of in the letterpress was applicable only to 

 countries that have, unlike Great Britain, 

 similar climatic conditions to those prevailing 

 in North America, it has been considered 

 desirable to eliminate much of this information 



the entire income of the proprietors, from 

 breeding prize stock at high prices. 

 Prfz^e^'^Stock Success in this branch is not par- 

 ticularly rare, and when it is 

 reaped, means greater profits at less expense of 

 time and labour and buildings than any of the 

 foregoing. But we have regretted to see this 

 kind of breeding often recommended as if the 

 returns were both large and certain. That is 

 not so ; it demands special qualifications and 

 aptitudes, and any great success must from 

 the very nature of the case be confined to 

 a limited circle. Breeding of this kind will 

 be treated of in later chapters of this work, 

 and scarcely belongs to the subject now under 

 consideration. 



peculiar to the culture of poultry in the United 

 States. No treatise on poultry farming would, 

 however, be complete without mention being 

 made of the colony house plan of rearing fowls, 

 a system that has a wide vogue in America, 

 especially in the Eastern .States. The system, 

 as its name implies, consists of keeping fowls, 

 generally laying hens or growing stock, in 

 colonies or flocks, in short, gregariously. The 

 plan was recommended by Mr. H. Stoddart 

 so far back as the year 1872, flocks of laying 

 hens being placed in cheap houses dotted about 

 the farm 150 to 200 feet apart, perfectly un- 

 fenced, or in any ready-made quarters avail- 

 able. The plan is recommended as costing 

 much less in plant ; and in Rhode Island there 



