Home Production of Poultry. 355 



I can adduce, however, an example which can be more readily 

 verified, for, in 1864, a friend of mine inspected the " poultry- 

 farming " conducted by Mr. F, H. Schroder (the present 

 Manag-er of " The National Poultry Company "). at his private 

 residence in Hertfordshire. He found there about 1000 head of 

 poultrv of various kinds, fed almost entirely on flesh. The 

 working of the concern was in this way : — All kinds of dead and 

 dying animals, such as cab-horses, cows, donkeys, &c., were 

 boiled down in large coppers ; the fat and oil were separated 

 and sent in casks to the London market ; hoofs and heads were 

 disposed of to the glue makers ; a portion of the bones and horns 

 to the manufacturers of knives, «S:c., and the coarse bone to the 

 manure companies. The hides and hair also found their market. 

 The flesh fed the poultry ; and it was here that the proprietor 

 considered that he was making an extra jirojit over the general 

 run of such establishments. His " experience " communicated 

 to my friend was, that he could keep 3000 hens without cost, and 

 at that time was disposing of the eggs at 25. 6f/. to 3^. per score ; 

 while the poultry-manure sold for 4/. or 5/. per ton to the market- 

 gardeners. The liquid from the boilings, with a quantity of 

 grains (which he had to contract for), supplied food for some 

 60 pigs. 



In a letter of the 17th July, 1806, Mr. Schroder informs 

 me that though he knows of no farm keeping 10,000 head of 

 poultry on horseflesh mainly, he has at times had near 1000 

 head, and has " for very many months together fed principally on 

 flesh." The result is that he is " perfectly satisfied." His birds, 

 he says, " range about anywhere, wherever their own sweet fancy 

 takes them ; they can go over about 7 acres ; " and fowls of any 

 breed are adopted as long as they are healthy. " We hatch 

 chickens, ducks, turkeys, pheasants, under hens or by incubators, 

 the best way we can ; we sell eggs, or chickens, or ducklings, 

 anything we have, as it happens to pay best. We feed on flesh 

 whenever we can get it, in the winter months, say from October 

 to April ; we have hardly ever been without it. In the hot 

 weather we don't care about it ; but, when I am thoroughly at 

 work on the Company's Poultry-farm, I have no doubt I can 

 preserve meat for summer use. As to the cost of food, attendance, 

 and all expenses, I have myself, for inany weeks together at 

 certain times, fed my fowls at no cost whatever — nay, have made 

 a profit out of their feeding itself. That has been w^hen I have 

 been lucky in chance food coming in. At the worst, the cost per 

 head has not exceeded three-fourths of a farthing per head per day. 

 At Bromley the average exceeds that, but then we have all the 

 "nobility" there. Cost of attendance, and all other expenses, is 

 regulated entirely by the manner in which fowls are kept. At 



