The Old Hen in a New Environment 125 



very important to know that the little intensive poultry 

 house is precisely as practical as the little intensive 

 garden and orchard. 



The several systems now contending for popularity 

 differ in their methods of housing and feeding, but they 

 stand together on one fundamental principle, which is 

 the principle of segregation. This principle was the 

 discovery of a Mr. Philo, of Elmira, New York, whose 

 ideas created a furore in the poultry world some years 

 ago. His views were so radical as to arouse the scorn 

 of professional poultrymen, but the promised profits 

 were so alluring as to induce thousands of novices to go 

 into the business in their backyards. The Philo plan 

 provided for a unit of six hens, kept in a pen 4x6 feet, 

 and never allowed to run at large. These units, of 

 course, might be multiplied indefinitely. It was claimed 

 that the plan would result in a very great increase of 

 egg-production as compared with the old methods, with 

 cash profits in proportion. Strange as it may seem, the 

 plan was not disappointing, so far as egg-production 

 was concerned. Hens kept in this way were far more 

 prolific than an equal number herded in large flocks and 

 permitted their freedom. For those who desired to 

 keep but a few hens for home use, the Philo system was 

 entirely successful ; but it broke down when extended 

 to large proportions because of the immense detail and 

 back-breaking drudgery involved in caring for many 

 small coops. Eggs were produced in satisfying quanti- 

 ties, but at a cost which made it impracticable from a 

 commercial standpoint. 



The valuable lesson which Philo taught the world was 

 that a few well-bred, well-fed, well-cared-for fowls, 



