The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-10-11
Brings More Revenue Into the
State Than Even the Fa-
nous missouri Mule
THIRD IN POULTRY RAISING.
Only Illinois and Iowa Produce
More Eggs, According TO the
Last Census 81 Profit
Per Hen Annually.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Columbia. Mo. Oct. IO-The Missouri hen
promises TO become rs famous as the Mis-
. souri, mule. Already the value Of the sur
plus products Of the Missouri hen amount
annually to over 10000 more h the
value OF the mules sold out Of the State.
In 1872 over 100000 dozen eggs were
shipped out Of the State. TO say nothing Of
the thousands Of dozen which found their
way to the breakfast tables OF Missou-
rians.
No other farm product brings in so
much cash 10 the Missouri farmer as the
hen. Missouri is third in poultry raising,
Illinois coming first and low second. This
rating was given by the last United States
census. but since that time a persistent
effort has heen made to encourage the
Erowth Of poultry, and Missouri is expect
Cd. before many months. to climb to sec
ond, or, perhaps. first place in poultry Gull
ture.
The poultry counties Of Missouri are
contiguous to Kansas City. making that
city one of the largest. II not the largest
poultry center in the United States The
annUa production Of eggs Of some Mis-
souri, counties j as follows:
Greene. 3.Sl6.S6Q dozen: Boone, 2,S05.SS0
dozen: Pettis. 25fi.651 dozen; Gasconade.
I.124.SO dozen: Franklin, LIs,e3 dozen;
ANaNlNES. LhttsAg u.LtL. Idlts AtrfsoAt NtL-
en-: Crawford, L6o3.50 DOZEN: Macon. /
1919 dozen: Marion, 1.92.9o dozen; Sulli-
van. l219,946 dozen.
PROFIT OF FOUR DOLLARS YEARLY.
In one years time a hen eats food
amounting TO sixteen times her weight and
lays eggs amounting to six times her
weight. Her food, the whole year. will
cost about l cent per pound. while her
eggs viii bring 10 cents per pound. The
yearly egg product will sell for six times
the cost OF food. These statistics are given
by T r orr OF Beaver. Pa. secretary OF
the American Poultry Association. who
holds the chair Of poultry in Missouri Uni
An average hem said Mr.. Orr. should
produce 24e eggs a year. Her food for the
year Viii cost 80 cents. The eggs viii sell
for ? cents each. bringing $3.50"
In connection with the psultry course
In Missouri University. the State Board
Of Agriculture has Just published the re-
suits Of an experiment carried on By go
PEOPLE In which a record was kept OF
the cost Il feed and net profits OF different
breeds of poultry. The experiment rep
resented ten States and twenty breeds OF
There were a few pens OF cross-bred pull
lets, but most Of them were pure-bred and
Of the standard varieties. OF 1S pens, the
twenty leading pens produce an average
of -4p eggs per year. This was considered
a remarkably large production and was
the result Of scientific feeding. The aver
age cost Of feeding these hens was from
s. cents to $50 per year. The experiment
was made; however, 10 demonstrate tho
egg capacity OF the pullets and not to
demonstrate the cheapness with which
they could be Jed. For this reason the
contestants did not hesitate to use high
priced fancy food.
DETAILED COST OF FEEDING.
Il costs from a 10 So cents a year to
feed a farm hen where they are allowed
10 run at large and pick up much OF
their food. Indeed. many farmers who
raise poultry pay nothing whatever for
food, giving chickens the waste from their
ETanary and table.
A very important part OF the laying
Eens diet is water TwO-thirds OF the
egg is water, the other One-third consist
ing OF solid foods. Here il is that many
smail poultry raisers make a great mis-
take They do not provide a suitable sup
ply of clear, wholesome water.
Professor Orr has prepared what he
calls the yearly bl OF fare for hens. The
amounts named below are for forty-dye
hens and are supposed to keep them for
one year
Three hundred pounds Of
Six hundred pounds Of oats..--.......... 500
Egur hundred pounds Of wheat..---...... 900
lhIee hundred pounds OF kanir corn or
-Four hundred pounds ran...-......::.:. 100
5glr hundrSd pounds loyer.------...... 800
InTee hundred rounds beef scrap. meat
-Four hundred pounds erit and Hne gravel. rs
rnIee hundred pounds o-ster she'll. 2-2
Two hundred pounds cut bone...-......-... 100
FIRST YEAR MOST PROFITABLE.
The total is $500 pounds. at a total cost
Of $50. an average OF eighty pounds Of feed
per hen. at n cost OF 81 cents.
The first year is the most profitable age
for hens. Two pens Of Leghorns averaged
Ia eggs per fowl during the first wear.
the second year the same fowls averaged
l52i2. ana during the third 1861. The per
ccntage Of profit was lSS the first wear. lis
the second. and S7lz the third.
The result Of the experiments IS against
tho popular belief that hens should be
fed Grain In gravel nnl ~aI- - .~--A-L I
for IL. One pen with all grain fed IN a
box averaged liTh eggs per fowl per wear
fed I'm straw averaged I32 G Fxperi-
ments with other pens were made with
practically the same results.
As to the effects OF exercise on food con-
sumption. Il was found that the hens
without exercise consumed as much food
as those w~ithNeXercise.