200  Notes  on  Continental  Poultry-keeping . 
strongly  directed  to  the  necessity  of  adding  the  culture  of  fruit 
and  vegetables  and  the  breeding  and  feeding  of  poultry  to  their 
ordinary  farm-practices.  Therefore  it  may  be  worth  while  to 
give  a brief  account  of  an  estate  near  Svendborg,  in  the  south  of 
Fyen,  where  these  matters  are  at  least  as  important  as  the 
production  of  corn  and  milk.  The  farm  itself  consists  of  200 
acres  of  land  cropped  in  the  usual  manner,  but  there  is  a con- 
siderable extent  of  woodland  all  round  it  belonging  to  the  same 
owner,  a Mr.  Weber,  who  was  formerly  a large  merchant. 
Much  of  the  forest  land  has  been  converted  into  orchard  during 
the  last  eleven  years.  To  enable  this  to  be  done  a licence  had 
to  be  procured,  setting  forth  precisely  what  areas  may  be  dis- 
afforested in  any  year  and  under  what  conditions.  After  the 
land  is  cleared,  large  fruit-trees,  such  as  apples,  pears,  plums, 
and  cherries,  are  planted  25  feet  apart,  the  intervening  spaces 
being  used  for  bush-fruit,  nursery-ground,  &c.  As  the  trees 
and  bushes  grow,  the  alternate  rows  of  bush-fruit  and  the 
nursery  plants  are  removed ; and  after  a further  interval  it 
becomes  necessary  to  take  away  the  remaining  bush-fruit.  The 
earliest  planted  orchards  are  now  in  this  condition,  therefore  it 
is  not  yet  possible  to  give  any  definite  statement  as  to  the 
financial  results  of  the  experiments,  if  planting  for  profit  on  so 
large  a scale  can  be  thus  designated.  It  may,  however,  be  said 
that  Mr.  Weber  is  quite  satisfied  with  the  results  which  have 
been  already  obtained,  and  that  he  is  making  more  new  orchards, 
as  he  can  obtain  the  licenses  to  do  so.  Most  of  the  fruit  goes 
to  Copenhagen,  where  it  is  sold  at  remunerative  prices ; but 
it  is  hoped  soon  to  find  a better  market  for  apples  and  pears 
in  London.  The  climate  of  even  this  part  of  Denmark  is 
too  late  to  enable  fruit-growers  there  to  compete  with  French 
or  even  English  growers  of  soft  fruit  on  the  London  market. 
The  winter  of  1879-80  destroyed  a large  number  of  apple-trees 
in  this  district,  chiefly  of  French  sorts,  just  as  it  did  in  France, 
but  this  calamity  is  looked  upon  as  quite  exceptional. 
“ The  poultry-keeping  is,  however,  the  most  remarkable  feature 
of  this  establishment.  There  are  20  breeds  kept,  and  the  total 
number  of  fowls  is  600.  Of  these,  300  are  laying-hens,  200 
pullets  and  chicken,  and  100  cocks  and  cockerels.  Not  more 
than  50  to  60  cocks  are  in  use  at  one  time,  the  system  being  to 
put  one  cock  to  five  or  six  hens.  Of  the  twenty  breeds  kept, 
Spanish,  Houdan,  Crevecceur,  and  most  English  breeds  are 
preferred,  but  Dorkings  and  the  Asiatic  breeds  will  not  stand 
the  snow,  as  it  affects  their  feet.  The  average  number  of  eggs 
is  2000  per  month,  making  a total  average  of  80  per  hen  per 
annum. 
