The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-10-05
The Missouri Hen.

Correspondence St Louis Globe Democrat
SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, Sept. Is. When
the State Statistician at Jefferson City
completed his compilation of the surplus
products of Missouri recently, he discov-
cred that the greatest gain of the year
was in poultry. His returns of shipments
showed that the Missouri hen had cause
to cacklc loudly. One hears great deal
these days about Missouri's booming zinc
and lead industries. All that is claimed
for these wealth producing factors is well
founded. But what tribute is due the
hen when it is realized that the poultry
shipped by rail in Missouri last year ex-
ceeded in value the zinc ore, while the
eggs went the lead ore $3.50 600 better?
Furthermore, in the case of the poultry
and eggs, these shipments were the sur
plus after the home consumption had
been satisfied. And it is claimed that
fully half the chickens and eggs produced
in the State do not find the way to mar
ket by rail
The figures are amazing The poultry
product shipped and sold last year
amounted to over 10000, 600 pounds. 1t
realized the producers at first price ST.
900, 600 The eggs shipped were 80, 935,
600 dozens, and they brought to the PEG
pie who gathered them from the nests
So, 1893, 600. Poultry and eggs together
| yielded to the farmers of Missouri, after
their own tables had been supplied, IS,
2S9, 900. Why The two great items of
agricultural gain for Missouri last year,
cattle and hogs, realized, respectively
S34, 600, 600 and $50, 600, 600 each, only
about four times what the poultry did.
And they consumed the corn crop of 190,
900, 900 bushels, and kept considerable
| AL Of the ia n the State n ~
ing chores from daylight to dark all win
ter. Where is the farmer who can figure
the cost of his flock of chickens? The
poultry product is the ''yelvet' of the
| farm
The poultry product of Missouri gained
10000, 900 pounds last year, which meant
! 81, 800 900. And the product this year,
will score a notable advance, the buyers
and shippers say.
| Conception of the possibilities of the
poultry industry in Missouri seems to
| have come early to the quick witted farm e.
| e1s Of the Ozark plateau. Greene county,
OF which Springfield 1.-The Queen City of
the Ozarks, is the county seat, leads all
| other counties of the State i'll eggs mar
| keted. There are other counties which
| have more people ana raise more corn.
, No other approaches Greene in its egg
production. There are ia counties in
the state, yet Greene supplies all of its
home consumption, including that of the
city of Springfield with its colleges and
varied industries, aud has a surplus Of
eggs to sell amounting to one fifteenth OF
the marketed production OF the State.
| The county sells over $50, 600 worth of
eggs annually Its eggs and poultry sur
plus is nearly $500, 900 One of the lead
ing poultIymen of the State at oedalia
tile other day commented upon this fore
most place in the industry taken by the
Ozark people. He said
Here We have tributary to Sedala a
stretch Of territory which is perhaps the
finest stock feeding section of this State.
These counties along the Missouri raise
immense crops OF corn and feed it to cat
tie and hogs. We ought to have a great
surplus OF poultry, grown and fattened
from the feed lots, but we do not get it,
The trouble is that our Central Missouri
farmers and feeders look at the steer and
never think that a bunch of chickens
grown and fattened on the same feed
would bring them more than the steer.
This is rather a startling statement, but
the poultryman figured it out The gree t
feeding county of Saline sells less thar
100, 900 dozens of eggs and markets over
100, 600 head of cattle and hogs. Down il
Christian County, in the Ozarks, the cattle
and hogs surplus is not one third chat OF
Saline. There is no comparison in the cor
crops Of these two counties. But Christian
sells three times the eggs and p ,ultry that
Saline does. dozen eggs bring as
much as , pounds of hog. while poune
Of poultry is better by e than a pound o.
| l'nllntN fpr ia 70
gion produces more eggs aud poultry thar
tie fertile lands OF the Missouri Valley
with It's greater population and its more
valuable acres. There are many az rk
counties where the eggs sold exceed 250.
O00 dozens and the poultry250 900 pounds
The Missouri River counties reach those
figures When il is taken into considers
ton how iittle care is bestowed on poultry
by the average farmer, and how insiguit
cant is the cost Of production, the casl
item of from $4,000 to 500, 600 realized
by the Ozark counties annually from thi:
source becomes Impressive. Poultrymel
agree that the northern tiers Of counties
and the Ozark plateau lead the rest q
Missouri in the development of this very
profitable industry.
Henry County is good second tC
Greene in the egg industry. While
Greene surplus goes over 2,OOO, O0t
dozens year, Henry sells upwards OF
1000, 600 dozens. In pounds of poultry
marketed Henry leads all the counties o.
the State. The poultry and eggs sold by
the farmers of Henry yield them some
thing over $500, 900 annually.
Clinton in Henry County is one of the
three great central collecting points fol
poultry and eggs The other two are Sc
dalia and Springfield. Greene, Henry and
Pettis Counties are the three leading
counties in the poultry industry of thu
State.
The aforetime egg buyer, sitting in tn,
cellar of his store with lighted candle
before which he holds up an egg at d TIM
to judge of its souDdness, has been super
seeded. He would never come to the enc
of the 80, 935, 900 dozens which the Mis-
souri, farmers wives now bring to tow
in twelve months. The average price pai(
to producers for eggs is about Zoe.
dozen. That was the rate ir what arr
known as the months Of greatest egg pro
duction, March, April and to the 10Th o
May. After that there was a brief perloC
when prices ran as low as &c. 1t was tn,
time Of the highest percentage of baC
eggs. In June and July the life of Tho
egg handler is not a happy one. 1t is the