The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-19
Produce Profitable Special ties and Sell to Best
 Advantage
By PROF. F. H. sToNEBuRN


 Copyright, 1914, by Matos-Menz Adv. Co,
 Inc)
 In many cases the success or failure of a business poultry plant is largely de- termined by the business methods used. There is plenty of opportunity for the producer of market poultry products to secure larger income through sound selling policy
 A number of actual instances which illustrate this point are presented by Professor Stone burn in tte contribution which follows:
 There are two sides to poultry growing as business. The first has to do with the details of production, which includes the selection of equipment, the purchas- ing of supplies. the economical use Of labor. The other side-and this is too often verlooked-pertains to selling. Right here the poultryman has full oppor- tunity to make the most of his business ability When production costs are fixed. profits are regulated largely by the prices secured for the goods. An ad- ditional cent received for each dozen of eggs or pound of dressed poultry may make the difference between breaking even or making a good profit on the sea sons operations. And this extra amount is secured only through the use of good salesmanship.
 Reduce Production Costs
 Of course, one must study the matter of production; must specialize in those things which are in heavy demand in his mar ket and which bring good prices. It is poor policy to turn out a small quantity of some special article in sections where there is no ready sale and at such dis tance from the consuming center that transportation costs on small shipments consume a large proportion of the re- oeipts.
 The farmers and poultrymen of tho middle west, where the bulk of the out put is handled by produce houses. natural ly devote themselves to the staples as eggs and live chickens. Near the great cities in the eastern section of the coun- try, where the luxuries. the high-priced specialties are in heaviest demand we find whole communities engaged in turn ing out such products and making good profits from them.
 Note the squab-raislng section in south ern New Jersey: the soft roaster district near Boston; the Jersey capon district, the home of the so-called Philadelphia ca pon; the green duck district of Long Is- land. Each of these great local industries started in small way, and few men demonstrated that these specialties could be made profitable under local conditions. Others took up the work, the volume of l the output attracted buyers who, through tcompetition, stimulated prices, and thus great industries have developed. / As a rule 1t pays the beginner who To- cates in prominent poultry ccnters to join the procession and devote his ener- gles to the production of those things for which the district is noted. As he gains experience he may find desirable open ings and devote himself to specaltes which are based on the needs Of his neighbors. He may establish a custom hatchery and turn out chicks and duck lings for the growers. He may qualify as an expert caponizer. and so add to his in come. Or he may develop "a flock of breeding birds which possess unusual business qualities and supply matching eggs and baby chicks to those who are not as much interested in breeding as in the work of growing the youngsters.
 All of these lines are being made profit able in different parts of the country. The whole matter simply returns to the ques- ton of exercising business judgment, watching asthe main chance. and turning the opportunity to ones personal ad- vantage. This may explain why so many of our most prominent and successful poultrymen come from the ranks of those who early in life enjoyed the advantages of sound business training.
 In order to demonstrate the possibilities of the poultry industry when good bus mess principles are applied, we will quote a few actual instances. The writer can ] vouch for the accuracy of the figures given:
 A Profitable Egg for Sale
 During the year ending January 1, 1914, the average price of eggs going to fine trade in Philadelphia was SIS cents per dozen. This is the average price as se- cured by adding together the weekly prices and dividing by the number of weeks. The average as based upon actual production each week. is well below this figure, since the aggregate number of dozens of 20 cent eggs is decidedly larger than of 50 cents eggs. due to low produc- tion during the winter months.
 The enterprising manager of farm in Southern Pennsylvania called upon one of the leading provision dealers in Phila- / delphia and had a plain talk on the mat l ter of egg quality. He pointed out that on his farm the most sanitary condi- tions prevail, that no males are kept and all eggs are unfertilized, that they are gathered daily and can be placed on the counter within "A hours. after they are laid. AS result, he contracted all the brown eggs produced on the farm during the year at a first price of 40 cents per dozen, the buyer paying all transportation charges From present indications the layers in this flock will average 121s dozens of eggs during the year, yielding an in- come of 5 per bird, or about $S.50 above cost of purchased feed. Add to this the value of the droppings, estimated by the Maine experiment station as 30 cents per fowl, and we see that this particular flock will pay handsomely for the time de- voted to it's care.
 Shrewd Selling Swells Income
 That the returns are way above the average is clear, and this additional profit,