The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-07-09
The American Hen.

New York World the other day tha,
ought to be an effective stihener oi
American backbones and a power o.
confidence" Extracts are given be-
low: In 1890 there were in this coun-
try 25S ,S71 ,125 chickens and 26,738,.
3l5 other fowls. In that year the
American hens laid 1886, ,674, ,99z eggs.
There are now 35O,OOO,OOO chickens,
which will lay this year 13,75O,O0O,OOO
eggs. These eggs are worth $165, 600
ooO, and the poultry meat sold during
the year will bring $125, 5000, 900, which
gives S29o,OOO,OOO as a very low estl-
mates OF the earnings of Mrs. Ameri-
can Hen for one year of the great de-
preston.
The 35O,OOO,0OO hens are worth
SlO5 100000 of any mans money, but
we will not consider that, but take
simply the earnings of the hen. The
average length of an egg is two and
one-half inches. The l3,750,00000O
eggs will, therefore, make chain 542-
2lS miles long, while the total weight
OF this production of hen fruit is at
least S53, ,125 tons.
The value of all gold produced in
American mines in 1895 was SAG, ,61o,-
600, and of all silver mines $72,O51,-
600. The value of all minerals, in
Guiding irons gold land silveri; taken.
out of American mines in 1894 was
S2OS, ,l68,76S. Americans are given to
Dragging about our immense mineral
resources, and yet you will notice that
the hens paid for it all in one year
and had enough left to just about pay
the interest on all mortgages!
Mrs. Hen will earna enough this
year to pay the entire state and coun-
ty tax (Which in 1890 was SLAB, 1885,
co., and have enough left for every
cent of pensions that are paid to the
old soldiers.
The average cow weighs 130 times
as much as the average hen, and yet
all the milch COWS in the
a total.,yalue of but $263, ,955, ,545.
Mrs. Hen in one year will earn enough
to buy every cow, and put the entire
tobacco crop in her pocket as we'll.
She could pay out of her years earn
ing for all .the.tea and coffee imported
in one year and all the petroleum pro-
ducts, and have enough left to buy all
the tobacco grown in 1896. The total
assessed valuation of the following
states fall below the hens yearly earn
ings:
New Hampshire, Vermont, Della
ware, Arizona, West Virginia., North
Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, Flor
ida, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Nevada, Nebraska, Alabama. Missis-
sippi, Idaho, Louisiana, Arkansas,
Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, Color
ado, New Mexico.
In other words, Mrs. American Hen
could buy any of these states from one
years egg and chicken money. She
could buy in this way New Mexico,
Arizona, Wyoming, North Dakota,
Idaho and Montana all put together.
The total cost of conducting the
post-office department last year was
500, ,626, ,296.S4. We can pick out 50,-
100000 of our best hens that will
cover every dollar of this outlay in
one year.
The net earnings of the railroads in
1895 were 1923, ,106,454. The railroad
dividends paid amounted to $81, ,375,-
! TIA. The Americcn Hen paid nearly
twice the profits earned by American
| railroads.
The total earnings from passenger
traffic amounted to $261 GAG, ,598, or
less than that of the hens. 1t cost in
1895 slightly over two cents to carry
one passenger mile, .0184 of cent
to carry one ton of freight one mile,
and ninety-one cents to run the aver
age train one mile. One single hen
laying $50 eggs per year, could have
215 days of vacation, and would still
be able to pay for carrying one passen-
ger 500 miles, or for hauling ten tons
of freight 10000 miles, or for running
an ordinary train two miles. 4
One hundred and forty such hens
would pay the salary of the average
teacher employed in the public
schools, while seventy-fye hens would
pay the average pensions to old SOL
diers.
The greatness of the American hen
has been materially recognized during
the past seventeen years, evidenced by
the enormous increase of the hen pop
ulation in recent years. In 1880 there
were l02,00O,0OO chickens in the
! United States; now there are 35O,OOO,-
E00O-more than double the s18SQ. flock
Ohio heads the list in the hen and
hens eggs business, marketing over
57 900 600 dozen eoos annually: next