The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-05-03
POULTRY KEEPING PRoFITAR, !.
Prof. Dryden of o. A. c. Advises I,,..
ers to Increase FIocks.

Oregon Agricultural College. cor
vallis.-"There has been an enormon.
increase in the production of eggs ans
poultry in the state in the mast t t tro
years, but in spite of this the demanS
has far exceeded the supply, and prices
are still as high as ever" said prn
lessor James Dryden of the OreeoD
Agricultural College in discussing fba
object OF the present tour of the nonl
| try demonstration car sent out ove,
the Southern Pacific lines by the col.
lege.
IF the farmers of Oregon would
keep, on an average, 100 hens instead
OF about SO, it would shut out the i'm.
ports and add 100000 or s5,OOOOOO
q year to the wealth of the state.
"The purpose of the demonstration
car IS to stimulate greater production
Of poultry and eggs. The quickest and
best way is to increase the focks of
the farmers rather than to have roll
try keepers start large egg farms. The
demand cannot be met by the estah
lishment of large, exclusively poultry
farms. If the general farmer goes ont
Of the egg producing business there
will soon be an egg famine-possibly
serious financial panic
Though there are opportunities for
profit along special lines in poultry.
keeping, the market for specialties is
limited, and it would be folly to advise
everyone to go into special lines. |
am free to confess that we have kept
more people out of the poultry bust.
ness than have gone into it as an ex.
elusive business. l have received
great numbers of letters during the
past year from all parts of the state
as well as from other states, in which
the writer's stated that they were go.
ing into the poultry business on large
scale, and large majority of them
said they knew nothing of the bust.
ness. Our plain duty was to advise
caution. If every one of them had
gone into the business as they intend.
ed and invested their all in it, it is
safe to say that there would have been
thousands of dollars lost in every coun.
ty of the state, and the poultry bust.
ness would have received black eye.
Poultry keeping is not difficult
business unless we make it so. II
conducted along sane, common-sense
lines, there is profit in it. The two
points on which special emphasis Is
laid in the demonstration car are feed
ing for eggs and housing. Egg rations
are on display, feeding charts show re-
suits of experiments, breeding charts
show results of breeding for eggs, diff
ferent grades and qualities of eggs are
exhibited, marketing possibilities are
der onstrated, and the equipment for
successful Matching and brooding Of
chicks is displayed. The walls OF the
car are covered with signs and charts
containing lessons in practical pouf
try keeping. A knock down colony
house is taken along and set up out
side the car at each stop.
while chickens may be made to
do well in different houses, 1t may De
said in favor of the colony system ana
free range that there is no noted poul'
try district in the United States where
poultry-keeping has been permanently
successful, where the colony mouse
system was not followed. The colony
house, moreover, was the house usea
at the Oregon Experiment Station last
year for the hens that made the high
est egg records ever made in the Unir
ed States so far as official or authentlc
record Is concerned. The demonstra'
tors on the car explain how those mems
were housed and cared for, and answe,
any questions as to their feeding anu
treatment"