ON AGRlCtJLTtJRE TO DENMARK 107 



to lay the greatest number of eggs weighing as near as may be 

 7| to the lb. In this desire they are following the same lines as 

 the producers of milk. Utility, not fancy points, is the goal always 

 kept in view. The most popular breed of poultry seemed to be 

 the Brown Italian, or Brown Leghorn as we call it, but Plymouth 

 Rocks, Wyandottes, Minorcas, and Orpingtons were frequently 

 seen. At almost every farm the males were of some pure breed, 

 and an evident attempt was being made to improve the breed 

 generally. No doubt in time the number of eggs produced in 

 winter will greatly increase. There can be no doubt that the 

 development of this egg industry has been almost entirely due to 

 co-operation. 



Poultry Farm near Horsens 



At this farm we were cordially welcomed by the proprietors, 

 two brothers, whose energies were fully employed in managing the 

 800 acres of land, with its stock of 200 cows, 470 pigs, and 1000 

 head of poultry — an admirable combination of industries. The 

 poultry runs w^ere situated in the middle of a beautiful wood of 

 beech and pine trees. A clearing of about five acres had been 

 made, and thus there was ample natural shelter on all sides. The 

 felled wood was cut up and used for the construction of the houses 

 and runs. The houses, which were built to hold 12 to 20 

 birds each, had a frontage about 8 feet high, with roof sloping 

 backwards ; they were thoroughly wind and waterproof, with 

 plenty of ventilation, but with no superfluous ornamentation. 

 Separated from the sleeping compartment was a large scratching 

 shed, which also protected the birds in bad weather. Each house 

 had an extensive grass run planted with fruit trees. These trees 

 provided shelter for the birds, as well as increased the income from 

 the farm ; whilst the manure from the birds added to the pro- 

 ductiveness of the trees. This combination of fruit and poultry 

 farming is an ideal one, the busy time with the poultry being in 

 the spring before the fruit season commences. The chief varieties 

 kept were Leghorns, Buff Orpingtons, Faverolles, and Coucou 

 Malines, the last breed being little known in Great Britain. The 

 general idea of this farm, as of similar farms in Great Britain, 

 being to keep the best specimens of the most useful breeds only, 

 no purely fancy varieties were encouraged. The large number of 

 eggs available for export do not come from these large farms ; 

 nevertheless, they exercise a very beneficial influence in keeping up 

 the type and general stamina of the various breeds. They are also 

 educative, and provide a centre from which reliable, well-bred 

 stock birds and hatching eggs can be obtained. At the time of our 

 visit some of the best birds were carrying ofi" leading honours at 

 Copenhagen and Skanderborg shows. There were ten incubators 

 in use with the necessary rearing appliances, almost all the 

 chickens being hatched and reared by artificial means. As the 

 chickens grew up they were removed to the wood, where they 

 matured rapidly and at little cost, owing to the abundance of 



