March 1896.] 



THE BELGIAN POULTRY INDUSTRY. 



411 



Some little time after the opening of the St. Gothard tunnel the 

 Italian fowl was introduced into Belgium. A former attempt had been 

 made to make this race of excellent laying hens popular on the Flemish 

 farms, but no attention was paid to them. In 1885, a firm at Verviers, 

 foreseeing the profit to be realised, began to import these fowls on a large 

 scale. Thousands of francs were spent in teaching farmers the advan- 

 tages to be derived from these incomparable layers and in organising 

 a system of regular, rapid, and cheap transportation. The pullets arrive 

 in truck loads, and can be sent to all parts of Belgium, freight paid, in 

 cages of 25, 50, or 100 pullets, at from 1*. to 1*. Sd. each, according 

 to their age. Taken by the 500 there is a further reduction of 

 about a penny each. It is impossible to raise pullets in Belgium at 

 such prices. 



Until the Italian fowl is acclimatised it can endure neither damp 

 weather nor the north winds. Therefore, the importation is stopped 

 from October until April. The best time is from May until August. 



The Italian fowl is distinguished by yellow feet, and the hen has a 

 large drooping comb. They are of all colours, but the partridge 

 coloured, called brown Leghorns, are most admired and predominate in 

 number. 



After laying for two years, the hens are fattened and then sold on the 

 market at 1^. 3d. to 2s. each. They are much esteemed on acc(5unt 

 of their delicate flesh. 



On the poultry farms the fowls are lodged in large stables. In 

 these, the ground is dug up to a considerable distance and then covered 

 with a thick bed of peat moss. All the perches are movable and placed 

 at the same height. The run is usually tlie large orchard adjoining the 

 buildings. The hedge around it is kept so that no fowl can pass through, 

 and is also made more secure by a wire netting being placed round the 

 lower part. 



Some farmers introduce two or three cocks among the hens to serve 

 as guides. The proportion is 7 to 1,000 hens. However, the eggs that 

 are not fertilised are the most delicate and keep fresh the longest. 



It is rather curious that Italian fowls which have been imported and 

 acclimatised in Belgium lay more and larger eggs than they do at 

 home. Thus, the Belgian eggs that are shipped to England weigh on 

 the average 139 to 141 lbs. per 1,000, while the eggs from Italy weigh 

 only from 128 to 130 lbs. per 1,000. The eggs arrive in London fresh, 

 and the expense of sending them is not great. Besides, the cost of 

 transport is often covered by the sale of the boxes, the eggs being 

 packed in long boxes of a certain size, which are afterwards used in 

 England for various purposes. 



The poultry farmers make direct contracts with the exporters. The 

 average price of eggs is about one halfpenny each. 



The best food for the fowls is maize, wheat, barley, and a little oats. 

 Five hundred hens require 35 kilograms (77 lbs.) of grain per day. 

 As a cheaper kind of food, the residue from starch factories is also 

 used. 



Positive data as to the number of eggs laid each year have not yet 

 been obtained, as this industry has not been established long enough. 

 Sellers say that during the two seasons a hen will lay from 180 to 200 

 eggs annually. The Italian hen is a good layer, even in winter when 

 eggs are dearest. 



In the Hesbaie and Brabant Walloon, farms of 500 and 1,000 hens 

 have greatly multiplied this year, and many small farmers in the 



