The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-22
TUSKEGEE TEACHES
 POULTRY RAISING
Principal Booker T.. Wash ington Points Out Oppor-
 tunity to Farmers
By A. F. OWENS

Tuskegee September 21.-As a part of it's policy of showing negro farmers how to diversity their crops, to be less de- pendent upon cotton, to raise more food stuffs, and to decrease their cost of liv- ing, the Tuskegee Normal and Indus trial institute is doing much to teach negro farmers how to raise more poul- try. As a basis for this teaching the in- stitute maintains one of the best equipped poultry farms in the south. Here are kept some 2o0O of the best breeds of fowls. The plant is cared for by stu dents who while doing this learn how to become expert poultry raisers. In addi- ton to boys there are each year some 25 girls. who study poultry raising and thus gain knowledge of this very important adjunct of successful farm housekeeping.
 Another important feature of poultry raising at the Tuskegee Normal and In dustrial institute Is the teaching of it directly to the farmers. At the annual short course in agriculture special classes of men, women and children are organ ized and In the poultry yard are taught how to raise chickens and other fowls. At farmers meetings and institute held in the field, talks are given on the im- portance of poultry raising, the care Of poultry and the breeds of fowls best adapted to the south The schools ex- tension workers directly assist the farm CTS with high grade chickens or settings of eggs. In this way poultry raising is being taught in a practical way to the negro farmers in Alabama.
 The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial institute endeavors to base the teaching of all it's trades and industries on actual needs and conditions. It was found upon investigation that there was great need for the teaching of poultry raising, for it appears that much of the shortage of fowls in the south is due to the fact that there are thousands of farmers who are not raising any poultry This Is especially true of many negro farmers. In Alabama alone there are, according to the census, 23000 negro farmers who are not raising any poultry, and in the whole south there are l60,000 such negro farmers.
 Those concerned with the teaching of poultry raising at the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial institute were very much
 interested in the item that appeared some time ago in the press, stating that a shipload of eggs had arrived at Seattle from China. They were not the prover- bial China eggs, but real hens eggs that had been shipped into this country for Americans to eat. Principal Booker T. Washington asked the question, why could not these eggs have been pro- duced in the south and shipped to the north and west? The only reason why this is not done Is that the south, along with other parts of the country. is neg lecting the opportunity of making the most of the poultry industry.
 Those connected with the teaching of poultry raising at the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial institute also made an in vestigation concerning the extent of poul- try raising in the United States. It was found that the south and the west are the sections were poultry raising Is the most neglected. The average number oi fowls for each 1000 acres of farm land is in the north, 468; in the south, 243, and in the west 143. In other words 65 per cent of the poultry of the country is raised in the north, 20 per cent in the south, and 5 per cent in the west It was decided that there is no good reason why the south with her climatic advantages should not produce one-half of all the poultry raised in the United States. Just how far the south Is behind the north in the matter of poultry raising was further found by study of what is being done along this line in Iowa and Alabama Each. of these states has a rural popu- lation of about 1,60000O. The former state has g. 100000 fowls, or IA for each person living in the rural districts; Alabama has 5,O00,000 fowls, or 3 for each person live ing in the rural districts. Iowa farmers have numbers of fowls both to eat and to sell In contrast, three days of ex elusive fowl diet for Alabamians would clean up every chicken, duck and turkey in the state.