Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-02-25
SAYS IOWA LEADS
IN HAM AND EGGS
Figures Show That There Were 3d.
O92 800 Fowls on Iowa Farms
in 1913, and 100000 Hogs
on Jan. 1, 1914.
,17O, O,569,772 EGGS IN YEAR.
VALUED AT $21 ZOO, 900.
Output of the Hens More Than the
Gold Mines of Alaska or
Colorado.

The production of eggs in Iowa in
1913 was greater than the annual
output of the gold mines of Alaska
or California or any other state in the
union, according to statement issu-
ed last week by the Iowa department.
of agriculture. Aroused over the
claims made by Minnesota as an i'm
portant egg producing state, the
Iowa department prepared statistics
showing that Iowa has twice as many
fowls and that they produce twice as
many eggs annually as the fowls Of
Minnesota do. Iowa also lays claim
to being the leading producer Of
ham and bacon, the statement says:
Iowa hens lay LILO, 0,569,772 eggs
in year and take three months
vacation" declares the department.
1T would require the annual poul-
try products of two states like Min
nesota to equal Iowa's annual egg
and poultry output, notwithstanding
the fact that Minnesota is out with
statement that if all the eggs laid
in Minnesota in year were placed
end to end they would reach all the
way around the earth and leave 5000
miles over.
The figures the Iowa department
of agriculture has received from
township assessors show that in 1913
there were 36,092,390 fowls on Iowa
farms and that the egg production for
twelve months amounted to 97,549,-
| 731 dozen. The department esti-
mates that the value of the poultry
and the eggs would be $3S,000,OOO.
The value of the egg output alone
would be $21, 100000 This is more
than the annual output of all the gold
mines in Alaska, or i'm California, or
| in Colorado, or any state of the un-
ion. Iowas poultry and her annual
egg crop would buy $4,000 automO-
biles at $500 each. This would be
one automobile for every thirty-five
persons in Iowa.
mo other state in the union equal
ed Iowa in the number and value of
her poultry the last time they all
were counted. In 1910 Iowa ranked
first, Illinois second and Missouri
third in the number and value of
ed ninth.
The report of the census of 1910
shows the annual production of eggs
all over the United States would give
on an average OF 17.3 dozen of eggs
per capita per annum for the United
States The number of dozen eggs
per capita in Iowa amounts to 44.2
dozen, or the number of eggs per
person in Iowa per annum based on
the 1912 output was $50, which
would give about l " eggs per day
for every man, woman and child in
the state.
Supremacy of Iowa farms in the
production of swine as compared to
other states, together with their SUI
premacy in egg production, make
Iowa the headquarters for the ham
and egg output of the entire United
States. On Jan. /, 1914, Iowa had
10000 hogs. Packers estimate
that 13 per cent Of the live weight
will dress out into ham, and estimat-
ing the average weight of the mark
etable hog at $50 pounds, shows that
hogs on Iowa farms Jan. l would
dress out into 227,500,000 pounds
of ham. They will dress out into an
equal amount of bacon. This would
be 1922 pounds of ham and the same
amount of bacon for every person in
Iowa."