The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-05-15
VOL. XLIV.-NO. 20.

Hay, 4yy tons. 45S,0yN
Wheat, 457, ono bushels. ......... S14,226020
Cotton, 3,l27, go, 233 pounds 57,29s.Sn
Oats, 65o, 200 bushels. .......... 1s6,13a.930
Dairy products (estlmatedl... ...... S80,0000O0
P Pouisry ys p1oaaos is SSSSs
My estimate poultry, say............ 32,0O0.00
Poultry is the fifth product in value.
Poultry stands among the great prod.
ucts, and is one of the greatest food
products for man.
Vast as the product seems, we do
not supply home demand for eggs. In
1872 we imported 5000, 900 dozen eggs.
In 1882, 100000, and in 1888, H..
100000. The statistics of the imports
and the exports at Washington, for
fiscal year from June, 1886, to June.
1887, show we imported 13.936.0 5A
dozen, value IA cents-$1, $3.50, 1896. We
export about SCI, 900 in value, to-wit.:
Import 13636054 dozen. invoice value. 81 $780, 1856
Exports, domestic, 37a, 79s dozen, S6a6se
Re-exports, 1l,758, N.7N ............ 62,41a
Balance against us. .................NS 97,96s
These eggs came mainly from Cana
da, and Belgium partly, about $22, 600.
We are largely an agricultural people.
Fowls are peculiarly an agricultural
product, yet we import an increasing
number of eggs annually to eat. Cana
da mainly, and Belgium partly, supply
these eggs Subjects of Britain an
Belgium feeding the sovereigns o
America This would seem a great re-
Election upon the dung-hill fowl OF
America. But / do not so consider it.
1t is a reflection rather upon the poultry
culture than the fowl of the country.
The dung-hill has done we'll under the
circumstances. He has literally had
to Ego alone" He has roasted in trees
in weather fair and foul. He has
''picked up his living as best he could.
about the dung-heaps. Without much
care of himself or consideration for his
product, he has rivaled and outstripped
every other fostered and carefully
nurtured industry of the country. No!
Nobly done. old fowl of the dung-heap!
We, however, should not only make
home supply, but export largely of our
poultry product To do this We need
improved breeds, fowls bred to high
product of meat and eggs. We need
transportation facilities to carry speed
lily our country product to city markets.
We need education or information as
to points of economy and thrift
in fowl culture. Above all, we
need to be taught the Importance
of this product; the profit it
yields when intelligently pursued.
and the merits of different breeds Of
fowls. In word, we need to be taught
the value of poultry to the country;
the profit OF intelligent culture, and
how to get the greatest output with
least outlay.
There is no danger OF over-produc-
ton so long as we import eggs to eat.
Home demand steadily increases In
1880 we had 55,000,000 population; in
1890 we will have 65, 900, 900, the great
er proportion of increase being nom
producers, needing to be fed by the
farmer. Will poultry payP
Mr.. Felch, in his book, Poultry
Culture" says: "Mr. Mansfield, in
1861, with 100 hens Gree range), SO
bushels corn or equivalent, no chicks
raised, produced 147 eggs per hen.
yielding net profit per hen of $1.S5,
and manure rs cents, profit 81. go. 9th
er similar experiments in Massachu
setts yielded $500, 1925, and $3.50 per
annum. Mr.. Whitman, in 1873, with
81 Leghorn hens, laying IN average Of
207 eggs per hen, and sold at 81 cents
per dozen, made net profit of $404
per hen per annum."
Mr.. Felch also states, and gives the
figures to show it true, that Light
Brahmas and Boston market, and
product of eggs and chickens COM
bined, he can make S. per hen per
annum. Rev. J. 7. Hoyt, Of Bedford,
N. Y, states that in 1885 he bought
twenty-five hens at IS cents-$l8.75-
and sold the coming year 3,O4O eggs
for $63.S0; sold 200 chickens for
| $112,50, and had fifty left valued at
$50; expenses $125, and net profit for
year 500. His coops were small, and
had northern exposure, and in winter
were often filled with snow.
| DR.. T. B. Spalding, in his work,
.Standard and Commercial Poultry
Culture by Artificial Process" says
"that actual and varied experiments
prove that a chicken can be raised
from shell to maturity-say six
months-for a maximum costs 5 cents
per pound, the chick will gain on av.
erage of one-fourth Of pound each
week for the first twelve weeks. After
that the gain is not 80 rapid. He
therefore concludes the greatest profit
: is in sales at four to twelve weeks
The expense, risk and trouble much
less.-Hon. Howell Cobb, in Southern
y Cultivator.