The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-01
Rich mond Becomes
Chicken Market for
the Whole Country.
BIG MONEY IN THE
POULTRY BUSINESS
Thousands Of Coops Of Fowls
Bought and Sold in Richmond.
Supply Not Equal to De-
mand Big Chance for
Virginia to Hatch
Big Money.
BY FRANK S. wooDsoN,
Industrial Editor.


Industrial Editor.
Some weeks ago I wrote about tins
chicken raising industry in Virginia
and the decided interest that Virginia
people are taking in the poultry bust
ness r believe l said then that the
possibilities OF the poultry farms were
even greater than the corn lands. and
that in the matter Of eggs and
chickens Virginia might in time derive
more revenue from poultry raising
than from corn culture or tobacco cu1-
ture or wheat-growing. have had
several letters from various parts OF
the State. in which some of the writ
ers accuse me of exaggerating little
on the poultry subject. do not think
I overshot the mark. certainly notyery
much. However. am always open to
conviction, and have invited figures
to show that was wrong. No such
figures have yet appeared on the sur
face. and doubt IL any will ever APP
pear 1t Is very easy thing for an
old fogy to sit in his room or his office
and accuse a newspaper man of eXag-
generation. but II is very different
thing to prove the assertions. me
records of the courts are crowded Will
just such cases and just such failures
OF the old fogies to make good.
How the Money Comes In.
knew very we'll that Virginia was
growing the chickens and the turkeys
and the ducks, but I was not so sure
that Virginia was realizing on them
In such shape as set forth TO ne
certain on this point. I have been
making some Investigations the past
week, and 1t must be said that tha
| half had not been told me.
| Down on Cary Street on Thirteenth
| Street, on Twelfth Street and in all
OF that section of the city where the
commission merchants do much bust
ness found ample evidence to back
| stand all have said of an optimistic
character regarding the poultry busi-
/ ness AS matter OF fact. Richmond
| has become the poultry market OF the
South and the distributing point Tor
! the feathered tribe OF all kinds. The
j figures regarding the amount OF bust
ness done here In chicken and duck
! and turkey flesh are simply startling.
! and this to say nothing OF the eggs
/ and the Transactions OF the growers OF
fancy fowls. who get fancy prices for
the eggs to be set and the young
chickens to be raised and the high
priced thoroughbred chickens and
other fowls required to make colonies
and "roosteries" for future improve
ment of the business.
Figures Tint Prove the Case.
propose in this article merely to
use some figures that have come to
me from the Cary street section con-.
cerning the fowl as commercial
proposition pure and simple. leaving
out all fancy figures for fancy fowls.
A we'll known commission merchant
tells me that Richmond stands to-day
at the head OF the list as poultry
market, and has gotten to the head
within the last three years The real
season for the handling OF poultry
commences about the 1st of December,
and continues until the latter part
| of June, by which time all OF tho
| spring chickens are marketed. me
big sales days for turkeys ana ducks
may be said to be from October OF
/ each year until the first OF the new
! year, but I am talking now more es-
pecially about chickens
| Since the 1st of December last up to
| this date Richmond commission mer-
| chants have handled more fowls than
I all of the city handled for the same
| period of any previous three years
\ combined.
/ Since December 1 not less than TO-
900 coops of hens were bought and
| sold In Richmond and shipped hence
! to the big markets of the North, A
| coop holds fifteen full-grown hens, and
| 10000 coops therefore foot up 10000
/ hens. The average hen weighs five
u
| average for 90 cents per pound In
tho feathers. That makes $4,000 for
| hens alone.
Enormous Figures.
Add to this the value OF he turkeys
| and ducks and geese sold in the same
| length of time and the value of the
| spring chickens which have been on
! the market since the middle of Feb
! ruary and bringing twice as much
money per pound as the grown fowls.
| and 1t Is easy enough to figure out
something more than 100000 that
| has changed hands in the poultry
| business In a strictly commercial way
| in Richmond since the 1st of December
| last. This. of course, does not include
1 tho hands of the hundred and Que
! fancy chicken raisers who have
| realized largely on young chicks Just
| from the shell and shipped to all parts
! OF the country as outlined In an
| article 1 had in the Industrial Section
! n few weeks ago. Nor does It M
/ clude the enormous business done IN
eggs Taken altogether daresay the
(. poultry and egg business done In RICH
mond alone for the past five months
/ ran largely over sl.0oo.0oo Add to this
| tho business done In Norfolk, Peters,
burg Danville. Lynchburs, Charlottes-8
VILE, stanton Winchester and other
Virginia cities and towns, ana the ris-
j ures foot up to mammoth proportions.
Dis Things for the Future.
But getting back to Richmond, the
!, now greatest poultry market in tho
/ south. the distributing point for all
/ of the south, the poultry gateway In
4 fact There Is Just now the greatest
activity In the chicken business one
i concern alone, whose books have had
4 a peep at, has shipped TO Northern
markets within the past week between
u $50 and 500 coops OF hens. 10 say noth-
i ing Of tho ducks and turkeys ara
geese aud Spring chickens. ana thn
4 head OF this firm tolls me he has not
4 been able TO supply tho demand tina
81 Ss5