The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-12-14
MISSOURI HEN
PRODUCES wealth
Increase in Year Equals the Entire
Gold Output Of Two
States.

an enormous Industry IN MISSOURI
that it can no longer be classed as a
side line, ranking next to live stock
in the amount of money it brings an
nually to the farms.
Early last year the state bureau of
labor statistics announced that the
indications were that Missouri held
first rank in the Union for the guam
tity of poultry and eggs which were
placed on the market during 1907,
and proudly pointed to the fact that
the surplus for that year had brought
the grand sum of $44,S66,447, plac-
ing the state ahead of Iowa, Indiana,
Ohio and one or two other common
wealths which had long led the list
of producers.
But now come the figures OF the
year 1908, which were prepared for
the 1909 Red Book" by the bureau
of labor statistics and made public
by Commissioner ]. c. A. Hitler, Ac-
cording to his advance information.
the poultry. eggs and feathers placed
on the market of the large cities of
this state brought to the farmers $44,-
96O,972, which is a gain of $94,S26 in
value over 1907.
While the gain Is not large If COM
pared with the whole total value, yet
gain shows that poultry is now one
Of the leading industries of the state.
OF course, it must be remembered
that the poultry and eggs the farmers
consumed themselves and what they
sold to their immediate neighLurs
are not included in the large valua-
ton just given. All turkeys, chick
ems. squads, ducks, geese and pigeons
which were hauled into the large cit
les and towns and the vast amount
shipped out by rail, boat and express.
make up the calculation. In figures
this surplus amounted to 120,215,S42
pounds Of live poultry, valued at $12,.
021,5S4. and S3,950,622 pounds of
dressed poultry, valued at $1O,O74,O74.
:. Allowing five pounds to each fowl
included in the tabulation and giving
each fowl enough room in which to
move around, it would require an en-
closure covering nearly twenty-five
square miles to hold the 4O,S33,293
fowls representing the combined live
and dressed poultry surplus.
Divided up between the entire pop
ulation of the United States, there
would be enough to give nearly two
pounds Of Missouri poultry to every
man, woman and child
! The surplus eggs of 1907, amounting
to 146,S50,S57 dozens, in reality means
1,762,21O,2S4 eggs. These sold for $22,-
O27,629, which sum was large enough
to purchase all the gold mined in
Colorado, the chief gold-producer of
the United States, in 1907, and still
leave enough to pay for the gold out
put of oregon for the same year.
1t took 4,S95,02S wooden cases, each
holding thirty dozens of eggs, to
transport this enormous mass of eggs.
In pounds the weight was 269 $40,
and in tons 1868.
The 2,094,215 pounds of surplus
feathers sold for SS37,6S6 Made into
feather beds, such as grandmother
uses, means $4,000 of such winter
Injuries.
In nine years the value of the sur
plus of poultry, eggs and feathers has
more than tripled, the large gain COM
mencing with the extra demand Great
ed by the increase in population i'm
mediately before and during the
Worlds fair in ST. Louis. Farmers,
discovering that the industry was
profitable, devoted more attention 10
it from then on, speedily bringing the
business up to its present important
position. From 1900 and including
1908, Missouri has received from sur
plus farmyard products the enormous
sum of $3.50, 4SS,SOS.-St Louis Globe
Democrat.