The Florida agriculturist., 1906-04-04
A Little Journey to Chicken Land.


ever, that you have very little idea of
the extent of the business. A cor
respondent of the Tri-State Farmer
writes a description of what is being
done at that place. which we copy:
When one takes a trip to Petaluma,
Cal. he is disposed to think that he
has reached a new kingdOm-a place
something like those told about by
Gulliver in his travels Here, within
a radius of twelve miles. is the great
est chicken population in the world.
and it seems to the visitor as if there
must be chicken ruler, and all the
human bipeds were there simply for
the purpose Of catering to the wants
of the feathered people.
In the South cotton is king: i'm the
middle West corn is king; i'm Pennsy1-
vania coal is king; in Petaluma the
chicken is king. And a most generous
king he is. too. for there is not bust
ness day in the whole year that he
does not send TO the city of Petaluma
for distribution to his subjects $35, 900
in good hard cash. When it is remem-
bered that King Chicken takes but
half of this sum for himself, it must
be confessed that he is treating his
subjects and servants very generously
indeed
Immediately surrounds the thriving
Immediately surraunds the thriving
city of Petaluma. A population all
dressed i'm white, with just enough
other color to make one more fully
realize the vast number of white dres-
ses to be found. This is busy king
dom, too: so busy, in fact. that few of
the female members of the population
have time to devote to the rearing of
children, and this important function
has been relegated to machinery.
In addition to being the largest
chicken community in the world Pet
aluma has the largest individual chick
en- ranch in the world. This ranch
has on its premises $4,000 laying hens.
besides thousands of young chicks in
the broOders which are growing up
to fill the places made vacant when
the old hens are sold off after their
third year of usefulness. The other
poultry ranches vary in size from those
of 5000 hens TO 1000 hens. within tbe
limits of the city, while a fifteen-min-
ute drive will take you to the ranches
with from 5000 to 5000 hens. These
lie within easy distance of the steam
boat landing. and eggs are Skinned
directly to the dealers or commission
men i'm the city
1t is considered among the Peta1uma
chlcken raisers that the eggs are all
clear profit. BY selling all the hens
winch have passed their third wear
and the young cOckerelS for broiIers
ana fryers. the poultryman is able to
meet all the current expenses of his
rancn and pay interest on his invest
ment Other resources of income are
to be found in those things which the
ordinary chicken raiser usually neg
lects. Egg shells are carefully gather
ed up and sold by the crate Straw
feathers are picked up, and on a large
ranch they make quite an item of in
come The modern pouItryman has to
look out for all these little sources of
income, and the closer attention he
pays to his business the more certain
and larger are his profits.
Poultry raising on a large scale is q
most interesting industry, for there is
as much difference between the man
who raises his chickens by the thou-
sands and the man or woman who
keeps a dozen or so hens, as there is
between the man with one or two COWS
and the man with an extensive range
covered with cattle
Nearly half the eggs and pouItry
consumed in California is supplied by