Oxford Democrat., 1913-09-16
Profit or No Profit In Poultry.

Profit or No Profit In Poultry.
Profit or no profit with poultry is Al
important question with many farmer
far more than few years ago, whel
farmers thought nothing Of profits TO
the biddies, considering them as only {
side issue, a sort Of by-product Of tn
general farming. Now it is different
and those engaged in agricultural pur
suits are coming more and more to lool
upon every branch of their business
either as source OF profit or as a source
OF outlay. This is probably the correc
way of looking at the matter, for an ex
act middle course, with expense and
production balancing, is condition
not likely to follow, especially with
poultry.
throw the table scraps and little grain
at the hens of all colors that thronged
the dooryard, collect the eggs and call ii
square. But it was not square, there
was either profit or loss, aud general.
ly it was loss. Now it is very probable
that larger proportion of the farmers
than ever before are making their hens
pay, and many of them are making them
pay extremely we'll. The reason is not
difficult to see. To-day many Of the
farmers-I was almost going to say the
average farmer-keeps nothing but pure.
bred stock in his poultry pens as well as
in his cattle barn. This may be slight
exsggeration. but there has been won
der.ul improvement along this line, and
the farmy ard poultry is improving every
year. This is resulting in greater prof
its each year, and the end is not yet in
sight.
This is due largely to scientific treat
ment Of the birds, their food and their
quarters, but without good stock TO
start with there could be but indifferent
results. OF course, poor stock may be
improved by proper treatment ard good
care, but this even will not make good
stock of that which has no breeding be-
hind it. The man who buys well-bred
stock profits from the years of hard work
of another and skips the same sort Of a
struggle for improvement on his own
part. OF course he must still be careful
IN breeding If he wishes to maintain the
good qualities his birds already possess,
and he should ever strive to improve the
strain of his favorite birds, else he will
soon fiud them going the wrong way.
Well-bred birds carefully mated to
equally good birds not too closely related
may be made TO strengthen the best
qualities of the stock year after year, un-
tIl wonderful record Of prOductiveness
has been made, and then there will be
such a demand for both stock and eggs,
at high prices, that the question Of prof
its OF DO profits has been forever settled.
This is not as easy as il looks on paper,
but it has been done many times and
will be done many times again. 1t is an
enviable condition to reach, and one well
worth fighting for; for poultry thus de-
veloped is as valuable an asset as farm
can well produce, and no other branch
of farming pays better than poultry
kept under such conditions.
The matter of breed counts for little,
except in so far as popularity regulates
demand, and demand regulates price.
There is little difference in the actual
productive value of the different popular
breeds and varieties, but there is great
difference in productive value of differ
ent strains of the same breed. At the
present time the Orpingtons are in great
er demand, it is said, than any of the
other breeds, and for this reason are
bringing greater prices, and for this rea-
son are bringing greater results in the
way of profits than the other popular
breeds, some OF which are not far be-
hind the Orpiugtops. But il is not like
ly that the 0rpingtons are in any way &C
tually superior to equally good strains of
many other so called utility birds.
To make success of the poultry busi-
ness, it is necessary TO adopt one of the
standard breeds, follow scientific meth
DDS of handling them, in every detail,
and this, with constant care, close atten-
tion to the work that goes with the busi-
ness, and good business management
cannot fail to make the poultry an i'm
portant branch of the farming industry
One that will compare wei! with the
other branches when it comes to profits.
H. l.. Goodwin, in Maine Farmer.