Albuquerque evening citizen., 1907-04-13
A Modern Poultry f arm

"Onc-half mile to Americas great |
| est poultry farm" SO reads the sign
which confronts the traveller when he
alights from the train at a little VII
| lage In the mountainous anthracite re-
gion of Pennsylvania. AS we traversed |
the winding road that led to the farm, |
my guide told me all about the re-
markable rise of the poultry industry |
He said that the American hen, under |
the careful guidance of the poultry |
! fancier, had developed possibilities as |
a wealth producer that were former |
ly unheard Of Think of selling eggs |
at thirty-five cents EACH = he said |
(which is more for one egg than a |
dozen ordinarily sell for"
In reply to my inquiry if he sold |
very many at that rate, he said. Yes. |
indeed; we sell hundreds of dozens at
that price every season. We are send |
ing orders to Panama Australia, South
Africa. Canada, and to people in all
parts of the Union. These orders are
for Matching purposes We do not get
so much for table eggs, but we supply
the latter in large quantities. We have
a contract for furnishing large hotel
I'm New York 500 dozen every week.
We also have a contract to supply
big firm in New York with 5000 doz-
en- every week, to be retailed in its
the largest contract ever attempted in
this country, more, in fact, than any
! one firm could possibly provide from
} the eggs laid by his own hens. We
have buyers out who gather a large
portion of the supply from the farm
ers of the neighborhood.
The farm consists of eighty-two
acres The buildings and yard of the
immense plant cover over thirty-hVe
acres, and the amount of floor space
under roof is little more than 112,-
| 900 square feet. In addition to being
/ the largest, it is one of the best-equip-
= ped plants ever built in this country
{ or abroad. 1t is lighted by electricity,
heated by steam and watered by a
system of pipes which are fed by an
immense living well on the premises.
a Everything about the place is con-
. duted on a wholesale basis. There Is
r a root and vegetable storehouse,
= where thousands of bushels of beets,
1 carrots, turnips cabbage, etc, are
t stored away every fall FOR winter use.
= This house is built below the level of
, the ground to protect its contents
I from frost
= In one of the buildings there is an
immense food-cooker, which will hold
4 thousand gallons. 1t is two stories
thigh. being loaded from above and
empted from below. Several barrels
= of fresh meat and bones are dumped
in at once, the door bolted down and
Il pressure of seventy pounds of steam
turned into II for thirty minutes, at
the end of which time the entire sub
stance, meat, bone and all, is reduced
to soup. Mule meat is used almost
exclusively in making this broth. The
farm is in the center of the anthra-
cite coal district, so that aged and
lame animals: or those killed by ac-
cident, are easily obtainable. The
soup made from the flesh of the
r mules is used to mix with the food
of the young fowls.
Water is never mixed with their
food from the time they leave the
lincubators until they are sent to mar
ket. They are given plenty to drink,
but the soup from the meat OF the
mules is considered better for them in
y their food. Great quantities of bread
v are fed to the growing fowls. They
. consume from 500 to 1000 loaves
l. daily Shell is purchased by the car
e load and ground by machinery on
the premises. The food is carted
labout the place on a little tramway.
. When the track runs through the
e yards as~it must in some places it
is built on trestles so as not to inJure
a or disturb the young fowls.
) The killing house, where the poul-
floors that incline toward the rear
= wall, so that all water, blood, ETC..
: may be easily drained off after a
e days killing. In the height of the
u season the men go to work at 3
II O'Clock in the morning The live
e birds are brought to the killing house
Is in the cars of the tramway. The ar
n raugement of this house is as complete
II as it is possible to make II. 1t has
II long picking benches, which extend
/ the entire length of one side of the
building. Each operator has a win
/ dow to afford him plenty of light.
= There are scalding watts, feather bins,
Is cooling troughs, dripping racks, pack
- ing benches, feather presses, billing
Is desks, ice breakers, platform and
e hanging scales, and numerous other
little contrivances so that thousands
ls of birds can be turned out with a
" speed that seems incredible.
/ The manner in which the eggs are
taken care of Is departure. The far
mer's wife generally gathers them in
her apron, puts them away IN any
e sort of receptacle that happens to be
d empty and close at hand, and after
l. Ithey have accumulated sufficiently To
II make it worth while, packs them in
n bran or sawdust and takes them to
e the village store. A new and novel
o plan is in effect at this big farm.
q There are 1000 hens in the laying de-
partment. The daily product of this
II immense flock is from 1000 to l,2OO
= eggs At intervals throughout the
: day the eggs are collected, the date
d stamped upon them, then they are
3 wrapped nicely in tissue paper. pack
;: ed neatly in boxes holding dozen
d each, and the chances are that If
II bidy cackles before noon, her egg
e vii be broken that same evening by
y some cook as he prepares the O'Clock
1t meal for the guests in New YORK
e hotel
o Part of the business of the plant
e consists of supplying young ducks
d and chickens to summer hotels, clubs
>, high-class restaurants, steamship lines
l and market dealers who cater to the
n best trade of the big cities. These
broilers command a high price. a
d pair of ducks ten weeks old sell in
o the market for $3.50. An lrishman
al has the reputation of raising the fin
"a est ducks that go into the eastern
lr market Pat came over from the old
l country as a stowaway, got job on
IS duck ranch made study of the
" life and habits of the fowl, and now
n he is a recognized authority on the
N science of producing fine specimens
He knows all sorts of tricks about the
rs business. For instance, just before he
~ sends his birds to market he puts