Arizona republican., 1891-07-15
THE POULTRY BUSINESS.
Few Men Make Money at It and Many
 others Do Not.

Few hen Make MohcN at. AN anu .NN'''J
 others Do Not.
 On this coast since it's first settlement poultry products have always brought big prices. The prices of eggs at San Francisco run about the same as at New York, and poultry usually much higher. Our climate is generally con- sidered good for poultry. Poultry pro- ducts are usually so high here as to leave a margin of profit over freight charges from the prairie states.
 The best of all grain food for poultry -wheat-is always cheap and plenty here. Therefore the natural conclusion would be that poultry farming should be one of the most sure and profitable of rural pursuits. It is profitable with a very few and occasionally so with others and a constant source of loss or no profit to quite a number.
 Men who have large poultry ranches who have studied the whole business with care and who have been successful for years are ready to say that no one should fail 10 make money in tho poul- try business and if they do it is their own fault. But now and then such men find everything going wrong on their own ranch; and strive as they may their income dwindles down to a minus quantity without any discernable cause.
 The fact is that poultry farming is exactly like other farming One may be the best and most careful farmer in the world and may eliminate every pos sible source of loss and build up all sources of income and yet have periods of failure. One cannot control the ele- ments. the climate nor the worlds mar ket. And only to a limited extent, if at all can he control epidemics and con tagiOus diseases among his stock, crops or trees. Experts may saythat gener- ally all poultry troubles and diseases can be prevented and controlled. This is not true. The poultryman can no more ward off some diseases to his hens than the grain farmer or OrChardist can make it rain when he wishes. He that goes into poultry as a business must expect to meet with unpreventable losses. But he should make every possible effort to prevent such.
 The hen, like nearly all domestic anil mals, has gathered long string of dis eases more or less deadly. Many are contagious. Like the human family she is found in every corner of the world. Atmosphere and water may carry the germs of disease that are fatal to her life and usefulness. She cannot be isO- lated so as to be free from cOntamina- tion with some of these diseases. If we disinfect the best we can and put her where she will be far from others the chances are ten to one that she will car " the germs of a dozen diseases with her.
 Birds in their wild state seldom die of disease. Therefore it is argued that our tame birds should not. But the condi- tiOns are different The wild birds, even if in large floCks, are free to move from place to place and so constantly occupy clean. fresh ground and leave disease behind Many of the rodents are strictly sedentary, living in one place for a long time. If there are many of them in one locality they become lousy and diseased and die in large numbers. If they re- mained in one place they would be ex- terminated. But instinct has taught them to seek pastures new.
 Poultry are gregarious and when con. fined strictly to one environment and tc one small line of perhaps unnatural foods we must expect that times will come when they will not thrive and many die. He who would succeed witt poultry must constantly watch his fowls He must use every possible means tC counteract the unnatural condition. under which necessity compels him tC keep his fowls.
 There are exceptions to the genera rule, that domestic animals have { long list of diseases peculiar to each These are the goose, duck, dove, mult and semi-domestic rabbit. Who evel heard of one of these dying from diseast parasites or old age? What becomes O the old geese and mules?