The Greenville times., 1888-11-24
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.


Il
stories that make the practical pOul-
tryman smile. but which hare calculated
to work an injury to the poultry indus
try by deceiving the uuiuiated and in
experienced. Such stories mislead peO-
pie and induce them to go into the
poultry business filed with great ex-
pectations and erroneous ideas. Then
when failure aud disappointment
comes-as it invariably does to such
beginners-they retire in disgust, de-
nouncing the whole thing as fraud.
and declaring that no money is to be
made out of chickens. Whereas, the
cause of their failure is not because
there is no money in poultry-culture,
but because they took hold Of it at the
wrong end Back of their failure is
also the wrong done them by the
writers of fictitious yarns about the
immense profits in chicken-raising.
Yarns of the kind referred to are
likely to cause people to lose sight of
the value of experience-the price of
knowledge. The man who knows how
TO handle poultry successfully had to
pay something TO find it out There
was a time when his position in the
poultry world was uncertain; when he
was battling the difficulties in the
road, when his disappointments Sc
verely taxed his strength, and he, tired
and weary, was almost ready to quit.
1t was only by hard work and perse-
verance that he reached the point
where the world called him successful.
He knows the cost Of it; the time and
labor expended; the working and wait
ing. He knows also that he has not
struck gold mine, and that the profits
of it are not fabulous. And further,
that a story like the following, which
Is taken from n Southern exchange, is
mostly pure fiction. We select only a
few paragraphs:
"Mr. Dodge, OF Atlanta, last year
fed fifty blooded fowls at an expense OF
$40, using at night handful OF corn to
every two fowls, and in tho morning
mostly wheat bran. meat and pepper.
From these fowls, kept on lot 40x50
feet, he sold $1,000 worth OF eggs and
$40 worth OF manure, thus clearing
thousand less some small expense for
labor, etc"
Reader. do you believe thatp We
don't Now what are the facts. or
rather what are the possibilities under
such circumstances II Mr.. Dodge's
fowls were of the very best laying
strain, they might have laid him about
$50 eggs each in year, or 1900 eggs
in all. The value of these eggs at the
average market price Of cent and n
quarter each for the whole year would
be SSS. IS, or 9ll.25 less than he is said
to have sold them for. But II Is said
that Mr.. Dodge's fowls were
thoroughbred. 1t is possible then,
that he sold some at fancy
prices. We will grant that he had u
trade OF this kind and that he not only
sold some, but that he sold every egg
laid during the three breeding months
March, April and May--at the ratio
OF two dollars per thirteen eggs, or
about seventeen cents each. At that
season OF tho year his fowls would
verage about fifteen eggs per month
each, or forty-6ve eggs each for tho
three months OF fancy trade, total of
1880 eggs. which at seventeen cents
per egg would have brought him
S3S250. Add to this tho value OF tho
other 8, 250 eggs disposed OF at fifteen
cents a dozen, and we are forced to ad-
nit that under the most favorable cir
cumstances possible, and presuming
that Mr.. Dodge is fancier OF such
prominence that he can readily dispose
OF every egg laid in his yard during
tho breeding season at ~ per thirteen,
he could not possibly make over
$44S.12 off OF his fifty thoroughbred
hens. AT the same time we are able
TO point out the fact that II he should
dispose OF his eggs at fifteen cents u
dozen he would realize 1876 for thcm
as at first stated, or $6G.75 net over
and above the cost of keeping his fifty
hens, u very handsome profit indeed,
and yet reasonable one, and quite
possible. Then there comes from the
East the story OF man who kept 600
young hens all winter In building
60x40, sub-divided into pens OF 15x40
feet containing $50 hens each. and that
from the 600 hens this thrifty man
gathered every day in the winter 420
eggs, which were taken up eagerly at
the very door for forty-two cents per
dozen, enabling him to clear eleven
dollars per day in return for few
hours light work. Now let us get at the
facts here, also. While IL is true that
fowls will stand crowding in the winter
better than at any other season OF the
year, yet 1t is equally true that hens
will not lay well when in large flocks
under any circumstances. We never
knew hens to average 10 eggs per
month each in the winter time. and
we never accept any statement that
they will do better, no matter how
cared for While It is the honest be-
lief OF the writer that 150 hens in q
room 40x15 feet would not lay enough
eggs TO pay for their feed. But in this
instance we will give them the extreme
limit and credit them with 80 eggs per
hen for the three winter months, or
$4,000 eggs from the GOO hens. Neither
did we ever sell any eggs at AZ cents
per dozen; but possibly the individual
in question did, SO we shall Ill
low him his pence, which is
81 cents each. This makes IL possible
for him to have sold his 18, 900 eggs for
$500. 1t cost him cents per fowl per
month, or 15 cents each per quarter.
to feed them. This makes feed bill
of 900, which deducted from his $3.50
leaves him $40, a very handsome
profit, indeed, II it were possible, which
we do not believe; and yet, it is $3.50
less than he is said to have cleared on
his hock-s990, or sll per day for ninety
days. Properly divided into hocks OF
10 or 20 hens each in thoroughly