Commerce: Dartington Hall Poultry Department

DATE: 1926-1948

LEVEL: SubFonds

Commercial records of the Dartington Hall Poultry Department (1926-1945). Records document the establishment of the department by Dr Gustav F Heuser in 1926; the activities, achievements, policies and concerns of Poultry Department managers, Richard Elmhirst (1927-1936), Mable Whittingham (1936-1942) and I V Benest (1942-1945); marketing methods of poultry and egg production; mortality of poultry stock; the case of Dartington Hall Limited v Thames Milling Company Limited; a progeny testing scheme; and the closure of the department in 1945.

The records consist of: correspondence; reports; memoranda; catalogues, pamphlets and leaflets; press cuttings; and plans. Legal documents include a 'Statement of Claim' and copies of 'Proof' in the case of Dartington Hall Limited v Thames Milling Company Limited.

The Poultry Department, started in 1926 by Dr G F Heuser of Cornell University, is developing under modern scientific methods. It is primarily a commercial egg-producing plant with natural additions of education, pedigree breeding and a day old chick business." (extract from a memorandum 'Poultry' by Richard Elmhirst, 1928).

The Poultry Department was established in 1926 under the direction of Gustave F Heuser a Professor of Poultry at Cornell University. Situated on the north side of Old Parsonage Farm it consisted of two wooden laying houses with runs holding 250 birds each, five wooden brooder houses, a straw house and six other houses to accommodate a hatch of 1,000 White Leghorn chicks. His aim was the intensive production of eggs by a vertical unit. In 1927, Gustave F Heuser was succeeded by Richard Elmhirst. In 1930 Richard went to Cornell University to study co-operative production and marketing of poultry and eggs on the Pacific coast and tour poultry farms. Richard continued and developed Heuser's plan for the Poultry Department. He installed a Battery Brooder, electricity, an electric incubator and artificial lights in the laying house increasing the laying time of the birds to 13 hours. By September 1931, transplanting of breeding stock had begun and in 1932, the department was extended to Yarner.

The high mortality of the stock and paralysis of pullets was an important concern. In 1930 there was an outbreak of disease caused by clostridium butyricum causing a fall in egg production, loss of condition and death to birds. In 1930-1932 Dartington Hall Limited entered into and eventually lost a court case claiming for damages against Thames Milling Company Limited in connection with the supply of pellets as poultry food. In 1933 a new practice was begun allowing the birds to graze, but the constant loss of pullet chicks meant that the stock was not strong enough to meet the demands of intensive egg production. In 1936, Richard Elmhirst resigned as manager of Dartington Hall Poultry Department and was succeeded by Mable Whittingham who introduced a progeny testing scheme to improve the quality of the breeding stock. Mable Whittingham resigned in 1942 and was succeeded by I V Benest, but in 1945 due to deterioration in stock and financial loss Dartington Hall Poultry Department was closed.

Information for Researchers

All papers belonging to The Dartington Hall Trust Archive (with the exclusion of Dartington Hall School pupils individual records) are held at the Devon Record Office. All enquiries relating to research should be made to Devon Records Office, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7NL
+44 (0)1392 384253
+44 (0)1392 384256
devrec@devon.gov.uk
www.devon.gov.uk/record_office

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Former pupils of Dartington Hall School wishing to view their records
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Dartington Hall
Totnes TQ9 6EL
01803 847200
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This information is copyright The Dartington Hall Trust