The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-10-10
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
FattenIng Poultry in England.

Accounts have been given at various times
of the iattening of poultry in the southeast
ern Counties of England, but some further
observations in Sussex and the adjoining
districts, as well as the growing Importance
OF the industry, warrant me in dealing with
this subject at the present time.
so Tar as can be learned, this fattening In
dustry has been carried on in Sussex and
Surrey for very lOngperiod Of time, certainly
more than hundred years, but we have nos
found any record as to its origin. Now very
little is done in Surrey; and in Sussex,
Heathfield and Uekfield are the two greab
centers, supplies being drawn from a wide
area to the two stations Just named. In the
adjoining district of West Kent there has
been a development in this direction. and
now fattening establishments are TO be found
around Tunbridge Wells and Hawkhurst,
and at Marden. Biddenham, AppledOre and
Ham street. Still, the great bulk of the
work is done between Heathield and Uek-
field, the former place producing more in
this way than all the others put together.
In IL months no less than ], $50 tons of dead
fowls were dispatched from the Heathfeld
station alone.
The first thought which naturally arises
is that there must be some specially-favor
opment of poultry rearing and fatteDing in
Sussex, Surrey, and West Kent. No one
who knows the district would deny that it
is good place for poultry. The downs are
strong in eslcareous elements, and thOugR
exposed to strong winds from the English
Channel, are warm, whilst the undulating.
nature of the country affords considerable
amount of shelter. But there are many
other places equally favorable, and it is evi.
dent that force of example and belief in the
business have led to its development, rather
than any other cause. We have thus an
other example of that tendency toward con-
centration which is found in many diTec7
tions, and it may be taken as true that the
fattening business has made the district
rather than that the district has made tbs
business.
To considerable extent the work of rear
ing and fattening are disassociated, though
some of the fatteTs breed proportion of the
birds they finish off. l have only comv
across one person, and this is woman, who
markets her own stock and no more. In
this case the total output is only about ESQ
per annum, but they are of the first quality
and are eagerly sought for by dealers. Fat
tiers, as a rule, scour the district around for
birds to fill their cages, and carts loaded
Win pens Oh kOWl5 LOTm q common 10
be met with on every road and lane. ThS
" higglsrs," as they are called, know just.
where to go and when a supply Of chickens
will be ready for them.
Sometimes we may meet man with o
cage upon his back, as shown in the accom-
panying illustration, which is used for by
roads, and he meets the cart at a determined
point. These back-cages hold q couple of
dozen birds and are built In two tiers.
When loaded it is no light weight for a man
to carry. The reason why fatters depend
upon rearers rather their own breeding is
this:
If we take an ordinary establishments,
with accommodation for 80 dozen birds, and
assume that the cages will be filled during
the busy six months of the year and half
filed during the other six months, it viii be
seen that 23, 400 fowls will be dealt with in
the course of year. To breed this number
would entail labor and oversight which
would alter the character of the enterprises