The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-17
START AN EGG RANCH.
That Is One Good Way by Which to
Make Money in Butte.

8Auho uAohoy III Duttcs
Last year more than 100000 of eggs
were shipped into Butte from outside
markets-9o per cent. coming from Ne
braska. OF this number at least 625, 900
dozen brought 80 cents and the remain
der 20 cents per dozen, aggregating al
most quarter of a million dollars each
year.
From these figures 1t will be readily
seen that mining need not be the only
source of revenue in the great mining
camp. The large amount of money
which is constantly in circulation in
Butte, owing to remunerative prices
paid for work to so many thousands
of workers employed in mines, smelters
and their tributaries. make this a ready
market for so good and healthful a
product as the egg. Therefore a great
and undeveloped resource lies close to
the surface in the city of mines. Here
is q chance for men or women with
small capital and plenty of Western
energy. If fortunes cannot be accunu-
lated, at least comfortable income
with some of the luxuries thrown in,
can be guaranteed and ready and
sure market at hand during all times Of
the year. The merchants of Butte claim
that not 100 dozen eggs month are
furnished them by home producers al
though these eggs bring about SO cents
per dozen all the year around.
The canyons, which are innumerable
in the territory surrounding Butte, are
veritable garden spots for chicken
ranches. Here plenty Of land we'll
watered and affording much natural
shelter can pe purchased at a reason
able price, or leased for number of
years for this purpose, sufficiently near
the city to avoid exorbitant railroad
rates, thus assuring larger profits. This
high altitude gives the poultry man
protection from small "varmints,'
which are the scourge of every Eastern
chicken raiser, often destroying hun
dreds OF valuable fowls in a season, and
makes cholera a thing not to be reck-
oned with. Then the assurance Of be-
ing close to market with a consuming
capacity of 100000 of eggs per year
gives confidence that not enough COM
petitors can spring up in the surround
ing canyons to glut the egg market. So
taken all in all Butte has within its
borders wonderful resource which is
yet undeveloped, and the prospective
egg producer a comfortable income and
not much of the worries of life. The
hen and her output are getting to be
very important factors in this country.
The poultry product is worth more in
a year than the cotton crop, the amount
expended for all schools than all the
minerals and the total of mich cows
of this country.
Herewith is a table giving the value
of the hen which was read in a recent
convention by Hubert w. Collingwood
of New York:
Il wish to call attention to the fact
that there are in this country to-day,
in round numbers, $4,000, 900 chickens
and 100000 other fowls. During 1897
the hens laid Il, 400, 100000 eggs. The ex-
Port price at New York city averaged
Is cents dozen. which makes the value
of the egg crop s165, 000.O 900. Poultry
sold as meat, as brolers, boilers and
ing the total hen crop. at a very con-
sentative rate, $4,000 900. In order
that these figures may be appreciated.
I will call your attention to the follow
ing statistics.