THE NEED FOR POULTRY 19 
student. One man may take up fowls for their utilitarian qualities, 
for the eggs they produce and for the table delicacies they supply. 
Another may view his birds from the standpoint of the fancy 
breeder. He may wish to breed and rear for show purposes— 
often a most profitable department of the poultry fancier. 
But generally speaking, whether poultry be kept for pleasure 
or for profit—or both—the aim is usually to get eggs, and plenty 
of them. 
Until the outbreak of the war in 1914 this country was import- 
ing some £9,000,000 worth of eggs and poultry every year, and the 
figure was always growing. Russia, Holland, Denmark, France 
and other countries kept pouring in their poultry produce day by 
day. Among other things, the war made us realise how dependent 
we were upon other nations for large portions of our food supplies. 
In some instances, it was inevitable that part of our food, such as 
wheat, butter and cheese, should be grown abroad, but it is 
clear that there was no reason why all the eggs and poultry we 
consume should not be home grown in these islands. The number 
of hens kept per acre in Great Britain and Ireland is fantastically 
low. Since the introduction of the intensive and semi-intensive 
systems of keeping fowls, the numbers might be increased in- 
definitely. Few countries are better adapted for growing poultry 
produce than Britain, and, on the whole, in no other country are 
better results achieved. Of more importance still, England, 
Scotland and Ireland provide the best markets in the world. 
New York is said to consume more eggs and poultry per head 
of population than any other city, but the fact remains that 
London is the largest and probably the best of all markets. 
In an address delivered before the Congress of U.S.A., Dawson, 
of Iowa, paid this tribute to the American hen: ‘ Poets may sing 
of the eagle and artists may paint the beauties of birds of plumage, 
but the modest American hen is entitled to a tribute for her 
industry, her usefulness and her productivity. The American hen 
can produce wealth equal to the capital stock of all the banks of 
the New York Clearing House in three months and have a week to 
spare. In less than sixty days she can equal the total production 
