Notes  on  Continental  Poultry -keeping . 
189 
more  than  80  eggs  per  hen  per  annum  can  be  reckoned  upon  ; 
and  Madame  Millet-Robinet  considers  90  far  too  high  for 
France,  while  it  will  be  seen  (p.  206)  that  less  than  50  is  the 
result  on  a poultry  farm  in  North  Germany,  where  accurate 
accounts  have  been  kept  for  some  years. 
The  influence  of  climate  upon  the  productiveness  of  poultry 
is,  in  fact,  most  important ; and  if  we  consider  how  very  much 
more  suitable  for  poultry-keeping  is  the  comparatively  dry  and 
continental  climate  of  France  than  the  humid  and  insular 
climate  of  England,  it  will  be  easy  to  understand  what  an 
excellent  basis  exists  for  that  careful  attention  to  details  which 
has  made  French  poultry-keeping  famous  in  this  country,  and 
which  probably  justifies  Air.  Sutherland’s  assertion,  in  a recent 
letter  to  me,  that  “ a greater  measure  of  success  attends  the 
keeping  of  poultry  in  France  than  in  England.”  The  main 
object  of  this  paper  is  to  draw  special  attention  to  the  details  of 
the  practices  of  a few  of  the  best  poultry-keepers  in  some  con- 
tinental countries,  without  attempting  anything  like  an  exhaus- 
tive treatise  on  the  subject. 
Given  a determination  to  keep  fowls,  the  fowl-house  must  be 
appropriately  furnished,  the  run  must  be  laid  out  as  a miniature 
garden  and  farm,  with  trees  and  shrubs,  corn  and  grass  and 
green  stuffs,  and  all  must  be  as  carefully  attended  to  as  if  the 
stakes  were  sovereigns  instead  of  halfpence. 
The  maintenance  of  the  healthiness  of  the  runs  is  a matter 
of  the  greatest  importance.  Fowls  should  always  have  access  to 
grass,  which  they  eat  almost  continually  ; they  must  also  have 
a sandy  spot  available  to  “ fair e poudrette M.  Jacque*  insists 
that  when  the  run  is  small  it  should  be  turned  over  every 
month,  especially  during  the  summer,  to  prevent  unhealthy 
smells  from  the  excretions.  Not  only  this,  but  grain  should  be 
sown,  so  that  the  decomposing  dung  may  be  utilised,  and  the 
fowls  have  an  opportunity  of  scratching  up  a dainty  in  the  shape 
of  germinating  corn,  of  which  they  are  excessively  fond.  He 
even  goes  so  far  as  to  recommend  that  corners  of  the  run  should 
be  temporarily  fenced  off  for  this  purpose  and  used  in  rotation. 
The  interior  of  the  fowl-house  requires  equal  care.  Its  floor 
should  always  be  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  land,  and 
it  should  be  scrupulously  cleaned  out  every  morning.  If  the 
floor  is  of  any  porous  material,  such  as  sand,  it  should  be  com- 
pletely removed  and  renewed  at  least  every  three  months.  Of 
course,  if  the  fowl-house  is  movable  this  can  be  best  done  by 
altering  its  locality.  Disinfectants  should  be  used  liberally, 
plenty  of  air  without  draughts  should  be  given,  warmth  in 
winter  should  be  ensured  by  means  of  straw  often  renewed,  and 
* ‘ Le  Pou’ailler.’ 
