The Old Hen in a New Environment 129 



the green- feed trough ; they run to the water ; they hop 

 up to the egg boxes (which, by the way, is the most im- 

 portant move of the day), and after depositing their 

 board bill and rent, plus the extra profit, they jump 

 down and up again to the perches for an afternoon rest, 

 or stretch out in the afternoon sunshine which comes in 

 through the western window. Their whole day is given 

 up to their own individual care ; and with all the neces- 

 saries before them, all the time is available for making 

 eggs. With their morning sun-bath and noon sand-bath, 

 free from draft or foul, dusty air with all these ideal 

 conditions they have got to either 'lay or bust P ' 



The home gardener who wants eggs and chickens only 

 for home use, would need but a single unit under this 

 plan, but the housing can be indefinitely extended, and 

 does, as a matter of fact, extend for hundreds of feet in 

 many instances. The drawbacks of the Philo system 

 are not present here, because of the very great economy 

 secured in all the operations of the system. An average 

 family can readily care for 1,000 hens. In fact, Mr. 

 Weeks is now surrounded by hundreds of families work- 

 ing on the basis of 1,000 hens on a single acre, with 

 ample room for the home and home garden, as well as all 

 the green food required for the poultry. Locally, the 

 system has been almost universally adopted. 



Mr. Weeks has an annual gathering at his home, 

 attended by representative poultrymen from all over 

 the Pacific Coast, so that for years his methods have 

 been brought under the white light of publicity and 

 criticism freely invited. It should by no means be in- 

 ferred that everybody agrees with him in all details. 

 On the contrary, many who admire and use the system, 



