The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-06-13
SLAIN BY HUNDREDS
BIG POULTRY BUSINESS WHICH Is
DONE AT WICHITA.

as ANY Other Calling - The Poultry
Houses Pay Out Thousands of Dollars
Daly-Ybat a Dealer Had to Say
Wichita is the Center of the Trade.
There will doubtless be many persons
In Wichita surprised to learn that the
Industry which is scattering probably
more ready money throughout the
county than any other is one which IS
generally looked upon as belonging 20
the wives and children and TOO small TO
be given the attention of the heads of
households. This business is nothing
!ess than the poultry and egg trade.
A reporter for the Eagle yesterday
visited the various poultry houses OF
the city, and Of course was surprised
was more astonished when one Of the
proprietors Of one of the houses offered
10 wager a box of 500 stogies against
G5 cents that for the past year the poul-
try trade Of Wichita would average be-
tween s., 900 and s., 900 for each business
cay in the year. To prove his state
ment he went TO his desk and drew
forth his check book which showed that
his firm had averaged for the past
twelve months for each business day
which showed that there had been an
average of $1,0S5.35. Continuing, he
said:
''It must be remembered that there
are in Wichita at the present time five
different firms and l think il would be
a small estimate to say that s., 900 was
paid out for each business day the past
year. This would make $4,000 for the
week or 1896, 900 for the year. Add TO
this amount the sum paid for butter
and milk and it begins 10 look as
though the women folks almost keep
the families. and 1 believe that if we
had some way Of marking the money
which we pay out 1t would be found
that from the poultry yard and churn
Of the handy housewives of the Arkan-
sas valley an exceedingly large portion
o2 the revenue which keeps commerce
in motion is derived from what many
OF US in childhood called pin money.
I'VE have orders for all kinds OF |
poultry, and generally make our ship |
Tnents direct on orders. OF course once !
in while we are forced 10 consign our |
goods 10 commission houses, but this 4
is not often. If you will notice out there |
in the ya--d you viii find a large number /
Of guineaS. These -guineas when they |
are dressed pass right along for prairie |
chickens / suppose that in the east |
80 guineas are eaten out of every 100 |
which is marked prairie chicken on the |
bill Of fare.
THE largest majority Of orders come |
from the west and If the west today was !
what it should be- with all her mines |
in operation, with the idle labor of the |
country given a chance to earn a living, |
that country alone would take every |
OF Wichita, and at good prices also"
1T has been said by politicians that
the removal of the tariff on eggs effects
the price. Can you say whether or not
this is true?" asked the reporter.
1T is true, and 1 can prove the state
ment to any man who will take the
pains 10 inquire into the matter. The
east is the consumers of eggs. Before
the tariff was removed eggs by the ease
were worth one-third more in New
York than they are today. Canada is
the greatest competing egg producing
country that the west has to contend
with. That country without a tariff
can lay eggs down in New York much
cheaper than it can be done from the
west This is reasonable as their freight
rates are much less. When the tariff
was on Canada could not put her eggs
on the New York market for the same
money that the west could do, and as
q consequence 65 per cent of the egg
supply of that market was furnished by
the west. Since the tariff was removed
the west has furnished the New York
market with only about 2S per cent Of
this product consumed
Take il in many places in Oklahoma
today and eggs and butter are unsalea-
BILE There is no market. The only
H,z =, I
day is because of the poultry houses
concentrated here, which is a notice to
the world that the demand can be sup
piled from this place.
Let the poultry business here be
done on g. small scale and there would I
be no orders received in Wichita and
consequently no market. OF course the
large business done from this city has
been the means of securing TO N. ]
houses better freight rates and ac- (
commodations than can be had by a :
place doing a less volume of business. I
The same thing would result to the city
In case the big elevator is secured. Yes.
If the elevator is secured and this city /;
Is made the center for grain it Will be I
far more reaching
Would the free coinage Of silver help I
the poultry business of Wichita? In ;
other words. would il help those who !
have poultry and eggs to sell?" asked {
the reporter.
Protection and free coinage OF silver {
go hand in hand. Open the mines Of )
the west and you open thousands OF
mouths that must be fed. This would I
increase the price paid for poultry alone
double what 1t is today. When the
mines were shut down the price Of /
poultry dropped more than half and at {
least 100 men directly and indirectly in l
Wichita were thrown out of employ
ment" {
How do you. prepare your poultry 7
Tor market?' asked the reporter. a
Come and I viii show you" as he '
ted the way TO the poultry yard One :
hundred chickens, turkeys ducks. | Z
geese and guineas were driven into a
pen, and then began the work of de- /
struction. With a crooked wire the :
fowl was drawn TO the executioner. 4 7
kaife blade was forced into the mouth.
q slight squeeze. a little kicking and \
all was over. When three dozen had
been killed they were placed on wheel q.
barrow and taken into the picking room
One fowl AZ time was picked up dash c
"a into tank OF hot water and with +