Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1912-04-26


farmers of the city and county.
When the Oregon Agricultural col
lege poultry demonstration car ex-
hibited here, the two youngsters in
charge we're taken 10 see Stein
baugh's poultry farm, being conduct
ed on the Coz ming system They had
never seen anything like it before,
and The Courier printed a brief art
icle on the matter, making a COM
parison Of Steinbaugh's Corning
farm and The taps and the few
scrub chickens brought here by the
college men. Prof James Dryden OF
the department of poultry husban-
dry Of the college wrote The Courier
In reply saying:
TO The Courier.
4 enclose a statement with ref
erence to the demonstration car
which visited you town on Monday.
In fairness to the college and to the
demonstrations on the car, would
appreciate it If you would give this
article place in your columns.
Very truly yours,
JAMES DRYDEN"
The Courier prints Prof. Dryden's
article with pleasure, and also is
pleased to present a comment on It
by DR.. G. D. Wllcoxon, the poultry
expert Of Murphy.
The two articles follow:
To the Editor Of The Courier:
Sir: A copy of your paper Of the
9th inst, containing an article in re-
garl to the poultry demoust ation
car has come to hand.
The purpose Of the demonstration
car Is to stimulate a greater produc-
tion of poultry and eggs In the state.
The quickest and best way to achieve
tlat result is for the farmers of the
liate to increase their nocks, rather
than for poultry keepers to start
large EGG farms" That has been
the stand taken by the poultry de-
partment here ever since it was es-
tablished and the enormous increase
In the production of eggs and poultry
In this state during the past year or
two, has not been due to the estab-
llshmert OF large exclusive poultry
farms.
II we are to send out poultry dem
onstration cars to tell the people that
there is only one way to increase the
production of eggs In the state, and
that is to make poultry-keeplng
special business in itself, our purpose
would be defeated at once Let the
general farmer so out of the business
OF producing eggs in the United
States and there would very soon be
an egg famine in the country, II not
a serious financial panic.
On the other hand we are not dis
couraging the specialist making a
specially OF poultry farming or egg
farming. There are opportunities for /
profit along special lines Of poultry .
keeping under special conditions. II .
he poultryman can produce a special .
article and can command special /
prices for IT, there is no reason in the /
world II he goes at II intelligently. /.
why he cannot make a profit For in /.
stance there is a demand for good |
breeding stock II the poultryman |
can breed mp or establish a strain or
flock of heavy layers he will very
soon have more orders than he can
6ll for eggs for Matching and breed
ing stock at high prices. He must
get higher prices than ordinary mar
ket prices otherwise he could make
no profit Again, some people make .
money by breeding fowls for fancy or
show purposes and selling them at
high prices That is also another bus
mess.
The market however, is limited
for specialtLes OF that kind, and It
would be folly for us to advise every
one to 20 into those special lines. | .
am free to confess that we have kept
more people out Of the poultry bust
ness than have gone into II as an ex-
elusive business have received
great numbers OF letters during the .
past year from all parts Of the state,
as we'll as other states, In which the .
wnters stated that they we're going
into the poultry business on large |
scale, and a large majority OF them
knew nothing Of the business Our /
plain duty was to advise caution, II I
every one Of them had gone into the I
business as they Intended and invest .
ed thoir all In It. it is safe to say that /
there would have been thousands Of /
dollars lost Ia each county OF the .