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Pictures of the Schwind Home (Color photos were taken in 2005 and 2012) |
 Lakeland Farm Home of Wm. F. Schwind, Francitas, Texas Photo courtesy of W. R. Joines |
Lakeland Farm Dairy |
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 Lakeland Farm Dairy Barn
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 Lakeland Farm - Home of William F. Schwind
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Below are shown poultry house and laying flock of the Belden Lakeland Poultry farm at Francitas, Texas, owned and operated by Mr. W. F. Schwind and Mr. W. H. Belden.
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That the gulf coast country of Texas is destined to become one of the leading poultry producing sections of the United States, is the opinion expressed by W. H. Belden, a former Houston man, who is making a remarkable success in this industry on his farm near Francitas, in Jackson County. Belden and W. F. Schwind, a successful developer of gulf coast land, own and operate the Belden-Lakeland poultry farm, which is one of the busiest places to be found anywhere in Texas. At the present time the Belden-Lakeland poultry farm has something over 300 laying hens of the Tancred strain, all from cockerels from hens with five generations of 300 eggs and better directly behind them. This particular strain has been trapnested continuously for the past 22 years, and on the Belden-Lakeland farm this same method is being followed religiously because of the successful results demonstrated in the past. Average 240 Eggs The average so far of the Belden-Lakeland flock has been 240 eggs, with the record hen laying 319 eggs within the year. This production is attributed to the careful and modern methods by which the flock is raised. Every effort is being made to increase the flock as rapidly as possible so as to meet growing demands made upon the farm. They now have almost 2000 pullets that will start laying this fall and winter. As the flock increases the owners hold every hen capable of producing nothing under 200 eggs, culling, whenever necessary, those which can not attain this production. Hugh Incubator The Belden-Lakeland poultry farm has an incubator of 4800-egg capacity from which already this season they have hatched a total of 4000 healthy chicks, all the previous hatch having been retained to augment their flock. The incubator capacity of the farm will soon be increased to double or triple if present plans are carried out. Arrangements also are being made to produce winter broilers and fryers, furnishing the city markets a delicacy during what is generally an "off" season in this industry. Plan to Expand Preparations for branching out on the Belden-Lakeland farm are being made by the construction of additional brooder houses, fattening pens and crates to handle the new business. It is believed the new facilities will provide for an outlet of something like 1000 broilers per month. While developing their present business the Belden-Lakeland poultry farm raised during the past spring more than 800 Rhode Island broilers, all of which found a ready market in Houston at 40 cents per pound. Big Demand So encouraging has been this demand that stimulus was given the owners to create additional facilities and increase population, thereby giving them one of the largest and most successful poultry raising plants in South Texas. Previous to establishing the poultry farm near Francitas, Belden had been engaged in raising children for local markets on a 10-acre farm just outside Houston. So successful was he in this enterprise that he joined with Schwind in a greater undertaking, in which both now feel confident they will earn a reasonable return upon their investment.
Matagorda County Tribune,
Friday, July 1, 1927 & Houston Post, June 26, 1927 |
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2012 Photos after outside renovations |
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