96 The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



proportion, which the same writer now represents as a discovery, and as opposed to our own 

 teaching.* The plan of building we then recommended we still think the best, and have given 

 it at page 14 of this work. In every main point, in fact, the soundness of our views as 

 expressed in 1867 has only become more manifest with the lapse of time; though the facts and 

 figures since collected, and of which many have appeared in the preceeding pages, present a more 

 satisfactory body of knowledge applicable to the problem than existed years ago. 



Mr. Gcyelin's projects for large poultry-houses and farms undoubtedly did much to awaken 

 public attention to the cultivation of poultry on a large scale, besides enunciating some principles 

 which have since proved of value when more wisely applied ; but, as we predicted at the time, their 

 failure was utter and complete. His plan was to keep the fowls in families of half a dozen, each 

 family having a pen or run entirely under cover, measuring six feet by twelve, divided into an outer 

 and inner run three feet wide. Dry earth, renewed at stated intervals, deodorised all the manure; 

 and green food was of course artificially provided. The runs were arranged on each side of a long 

 corridor, much in the same way as the shedding in the plan given at page 14, which, indeed, we are 

 not ashamed to confess was in this particular suggested by Mr. Geyelin's building, though differing 

 in every other point of arrangement. The long corridor — 360 feet was the length — containing 

 thirty pens or runs on each side, nearly all filled with tolerably high-class birds, formed really 

 a pleasing "show," and the fowls were kept in very good health and condition, taking many prizes 

 at exhibitions whilst thus domiciled. But there were two fatal defects in such arrangements. The 

 first was that birds brought up so artificially possessed no " tone " or stamina, and did not even 

 make good growth; the other — still more important from a commercial point of view — that the cost 

 of labour and interest on buildings, per head of poultry treated in this manner, was enormous, and 

 quite prevented any possibility of profit. The problem was attempted repeatedly. Besides 

 the original establishment at Bromley, another on a similar plan was attempted near Wimbledon, 

 another at Shenley in Herts, and even a fourth in Gloucestershire, on a somewhat smaller scale, 

 consisting of a corridor on Mr. Geyelin's plan about lOO feet in length. The latter was visited by 

 us on several occasions, and afiforded valuable information as to the practical working of the system, 

 which enabled us much earlier than we otherwise could have done to state with the certainty of fact 

 the inevitable result, which, indeed, wa^ an accomplished fact from the very first in the eyes of all 

 actually acquainted with fowls. 



But although thus unsuccessful — even disastrously so — these costly experiments were not 

 useless, and do not deserve to be treated with ridicule, as they have recently been by some who had 

 not knowledge enough to condemn them at the time, when a warning might possibly have been of 

 some service, and would at least have shown some ability of appreciating what was really the 

 problem to be solved. They proved conclusively what the average production of a fowl was ; and 

 that the cost of its food varied from one penny to three halfpence per week, according to the breed 

 and state of the markets. And above all, they narrowed the issue, and showed where the real 

 obstacles lay as regarded the success of any attempts to cultivate poultry (specially) upon a large 

 scale. These may be said to consist mainly of two difficulties, which we shall shortly state as, 



1. The difficulty of maintaining large numbers of fowls in vigorotts health and productiveness ; and 



2, that of sufficiently economising labour and buildings, while securing such effective care and 



* No one can regret more than ourselves that a directly personal reference should necessitate statements which are so 

 unfortunately and diametrically opposite to the sense conveyed in a contemporary work, by an author we can never mention but 

 with respect, on account, especially, of his contributions to the treatment of poultry diseases. We have no wish to say more than 

 that a reference to the first editions of the " Practical Poultry Keeper" and the work referred to, both of same date, will show 

 very simply the true state of the case, and what was the respective teaching of the two at thai time. 



