River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-12-07

old hens, value ...... 49,. ..... 4,OO0,OOO
so 900 900 pullets sold "a, OO0, GOO
Capons and p0ulardes ...... ,20O,O goo
,0o0, 900, goo eggs sold $3.50. .4S,OOO,OOO
Total value .....- ...... .s7S,OOO,OOJ
This is the only statistical account
of the product of poultry that we have
seen published. The very consider
able amount involved would seem to
make some efforts to arrive at know
ledge of the value of our own poultry
product desirable. We may, however.
readily make some estimates for our
selves which may approximate very
nearly perhaps the truth. Knowing
the habits of our people in regard to
the consumption of poultry and eggs,
and something of those of the French
people as to their necessity, on account
of their poverty, of selling in the mar
ket the bulk of what they produce, we
cannot be far out of the way if we con-
clude that our own production equals
at least, if it does not surpass, theirs.
The money value of the French poul-
try is not more than half that of ours;
so that we may consider the annual
value of our product as equal to about
one hundred and fifty million dollars.
If this is nearly correct, it is certainly
worth considering if we gain from our
poultry all that we possibly may or
can. No one who is at all conversant
with the ordinary poultry of the farm,
the manner in which it is kept, and
the value of the improved breeds, can
doubt that by the proper use of the
latter, and better methods of rearing,
feeding and housing the fowls, the
roduct wo uld easily be doubled.
No live stock about the farm is sub
iected to more neglect than poultry /;
with none are vermin and disease
more destructive, and none are more
Iunprolitably managed in preparing
them for market and in marketing
them. Certainly we are beginning to
change for the better in these respects,
thanks to the numerous excellent
poultry journals we now have, the
occasional poultry exhibitions and the
constant attention given to this sub
iect in papers devoted more or less to
agricultural matters. 1t is easy to
observe this in the improved character
of the fowls and the better quality of
eggs exposed for sale in the markets.
But some encouragement should be
hn a
enough to procure costly birds of
improved breeds, in the price of the
eggs and fowls sent to market. Eggs
are sold by the dozen, and enc dozen
is simply "a Dozen" and no more !;
although in weight and value it may
be worth as much as two of another
kind. The large eggs of the Leghorns
and Asiatic fowls bring no more in
the market than the small ones of
the common barn-yard fowls. This
is an injustice that should be remed-
led by selling eggs Ouly by weight, as
is now done in the State of Massachu
sets according to law. If this inno-
walton were once made, it would soon
lead to some discrimination as to the
different values of the fowls for their
flesh. We now have the best varieties
of fowls OF the whole world, which
may be procured at very moderate
prices. By the use of these, both the
product Of eggs and the weight of the
birds can be greatly increased. 1t
only remains to select from among
these better breeds those which seem
most suitable to improve our common
stock and then to make use of the
best methods of caring for and feed
ing the improved fowls.