According to an initial quantitative assessment by Stefano Franscini, at the beginning of the 19th century poultry farming was insufficient for the country's needs, both in Switzerland (1827) and in Ticino (1833), with some rare exceptions: "However, there is a certain number of hens in the forensic families that provide a good quantity of eggs in all seasons. In general, capons are not fattened well except in the Mendrisiotto and by the maids of some curates and provosts. Pigeons, geese, ducks, and dindi are scarce, and it is up to foreign countries to provide our markets with them".