The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23
IMPROVING
Constructive Work Con
Quoted by the Canadian
Government
BY PROF. C. ELFORD
Dominion Poultry Husbandman


(Copywright, 1913, by George A. McDevitt
Company
The poultry industry of Canada has
been tremendously stimulated during the
last decade and half by the very prac-
tical work conducted by experts in the
employ of the government
This work has been personal in nature
and, therefore, doubly effective. 1t has
resulted in greatly increasing the poultry
crop. in improving its average quality.
in multiplying local demand and consump-
ton, in making poultry keeping more
profitable.
Professor Elford was one of the pio-
neers in this field, and at present is
Poultry Husbandman of the Dominion.
His accompanying contribution dealing
whit this special work is, therefore. au-
thoritative and contains many facts
which American poultrymen may well
give deep consideration
ANADA is primarily an agricul-
tural country and draws much of
~ her wealth from the soil. AS
nation we have grown tremendously in
numbers, wealth and influence during the
ment is still progressing at an astonish-
ing rate. This is especially true of our
great wheat-producing territory in the
west, where countless towns are SPRING
ing up and unnumbered farms established
on virgin soil which yields banner crops
of the principal cereals.
1t is not to be wondered at that in
sparsely settled regions the poultry in
dttcf ic aulaa cd
vious to the closing decade of the last
century this particular agricultural in
dustry did not amount to much in Can
ada. OF course, it had been developed
in certain sections, especially in Ontario
and Quebec; but taking the country as
a whole, the poultry population was
relatively small. The census of 1891 records
approximately 100000 head of poultry,
but no figures are available regarding
the number and value of eggs produced
or the birds killed and sold. Possibly the
census officials felt that these items were
not of sufficient Importance to make
note of.
Former Prices Low
AT any rate, at the date mentioned
eggs sold as low as 6 and cents per
dozen and dressed chicken at % and 30
cents per pair and even at these figures
they had to be traded out" at the
store. True. these prices may have repre-
the quality must have been poor No
attention was paid the hens. Eggs were
gathered when most convenient and mar
keted when groceries were needed. The
chickens were never especially fed for
fattening. In fact. a large portion of
them never had any food excepting that
they 'rustled' for in farm yard and
field. 1t goes without saying that the
eggs could scarcely be termed fresh and
that the chickens We're lean muscular
and tough.
At this same time dressed poultry was
bringing good prices in Great Britain,
and Prof. j. w. Robertson, Live Stock
and Dairy Commissioner of the Dominion,
began an investigation of thte British
methods of fattening and marketing
poultry, in the hope of opening up an
export trade in Canadian chickens.
Agents visited the chicken fattening
section in Sussex and learned what they
could regarding the methods followed
there and the centers of distribution to
get In touch with market requirements.
1t was decided that these methods could
profitably be adopted by Canadian poul
try growers and shippers and steps