St. Paul daily globe., 1889-05-13
THE EGG PRODUCT.
Some Large Figures and Sugges-
tiOns as to the Breeds Of Hens.

u. w. .Byerlee says: Inc city or new
York consumes in round numbers SOO,-
600 barrels Of poultry per annum and
100000 dozen eggs per day. Philadel-
phiasuses 100000 dozen eggs per day.
and we import over S4O.0OO.OOO worth of
poultry and eggs per annum. The state
of Ohio, the only state in the Union
which has anything like reliable
record of its poultry production, had
in the year 1876 2,4O0.000 fowls, and
these produced the year previous 12O.-
000,0G0 eggs. OF 10000, 900 dozen, which,
if sold at 10 cents. would. make the re-
spectacle sum of 81, 100000. Add to this
the: value of the poultry of the state at
that time and we will have another balf
million, which equaled the combined
crop:of rye and barley, more than half
at the potato crop, more than One-third
of the. cheese q produced, one-fourth
greater than the combined production
S0f sorghum, maple molasses, sugar and
honey Of that state for that year, and
ten times greater than the sweet
potato crop. What is true of Ohio is in
little state of New Jersey, with an area
of only 7,455 square miles, produces
millions of dollars worth of poultry
annually. and raises some of the finest
birds in the world. Such an industry,
then, we should not be ashamed of.
The breeds are SO varied and the birds
have reached such a state of excellence.
that it is certainly an evidence of very
poor management on the part of the
farmer to find his flock without
thoroug ibred bird at its head. There
are two things to be considered in
choosing bird to breed from, namely,
eggs and meat. If it is desired to have
the greatest number of pounds of meat
produced with the smallest amount of
feed, then select the large breeds. the
Dorkings, Cochins and Brahmas. If it
is eggs that is wanted, then choose the
Leghorns, Minorcas, Red Caps or Black
Spanish. But if an all-r6uhd general
service bird is wanted take Langshan,
Plymouth Rock or Wyandotte. do
not think that on an average there is
thoroughbred cock at the head
Of one flock in fifty the United
States over. If, then, the production is
so great from the common fowls, it is
easy to imagine what an amount can be
added to the wealth of the country by
simply improving the breed of our table
of $40,00O,0O0 worth of poultry staring
va IA ViAN AetNOs wv lCSu AOVN uO uuNoOA-
ness regarding the OverprOduction of
that article of commerce. wish to say
to those who have birds. even if only the
everyday scraIch-around-the-b kind.
that it will fully repay them to lay outa
few dollars for a nice comfortable place
for the birds to stay in. with few rods
of some kind of fence that will hold
them in clean, dry place, and few
hours each week to keep the
place scrupulously clean. No
one should be so penurious and
selfish as to deny them their rights after
they have supplied the family with
groceries year after year. Buy a good
thoroughbred cock to head the flock and
furnish them with clean. sound food. /
have not lost bird with the cholera
during the past ten years, and l have
used only one remedy, cleanliness, a
clean:yard, house, feed and water, while
many: of my neighbors have had all
their poultry died with that dreadful
disease. Too much Importance. cannot
be placed upon the quality OF the drink
ing water. There is where nine-tenths
of the disease germs are spread. and l
believe am very low in my estimate
when l say that fully seven-eighths
OF the mortality among young chicks up
to the time when they become interest
ing to the preaching brethren is caused
by filthy water and lice.