Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-06-18
COMMUNITY EFFORT IN POULTRY
RAISING.

II has been evident for some time
that poultry raisers must cease to
work against each other and unite for
the good of the business in which
they are engaged. The time is not
so far distant when poultry associa-
lions will be more than mere organi-
cations for the promotion of poultry
exhibitions. There is a valuable SER
mon for poultrymen in the history of
the berry raising industry in the Puy-
allup valley. No one doubts for
moment that the association of fruit
growers in that valley has made it
real industry instead of haphazard
Improbable existence, where all were
working at cross purposes and each
one trying to prosper at the expense
of his neighbor.
That there is wide discrepancy
between the cost of production of
poultry and eggs and the price re-
ceived by the producer and the price
paid by the consumer, no one who is
familiar with conditions will deny.
That there is remedy the writer is
very firmly convinced. That it can be
applied at once is out of the question,
but the sooner steps are taken to put
the poultry business on the right kind
of basis the sooner will we have a
paying industry and one that Will at
tract the right kind of producers.
Organized Buying and Selling.
Organized buying, organized sell
ing, with high standards Of excel
lence; businesslike methods in all
things-these are necessary for the
permanent advancement of the poul-
try business. What has made the
Hood river Strawberries, Yakima
apples and Puyallup valley berries
famous? Good quality? Certainly,
but it took a lot more than that. Or
ganized effort, high standards of pro-
duction, good merchandising. If
poultrymen as a class are to succeed
largely, they must cease to work in
narrow restricted way. They must
put their efforts, their knowledge,
they ideas into a common fund. They
must buy at the best possible figure,
they must sell at the best possible fig
ure, they must eliminate waste and
poor methods, they must make poul-
try raising business instead of a
casual occupation.
Many things may be done to start
this good work. A few poultry asso-
Citations have seen the writing on the
wall and have made a small start in
the right direction. This last Spring
the poultrymen of Gray's Harbor
county distributed over hundred
settings of pure-bred eggs to poultry
raisers through the medium OF an
auction. The Olympia Poultry Asso-
citation distributed "a settings of pure
bred eggs to the boys and girls of
Thurston county. These steps were
| taken to introduce good poultry to
those who have been keeping indiffer-
ent quality, to interest the breeders
in better stock and eventually to pave
the way for better organization of
poultry raisers.
Community Effort in Virginia.
To illustrate the value of commu-
nifty effort we are publishing the story
of community poultry breeding in
Middletown, Virginia. What this CON-
munity has done can be done here
and elsewhere and the possibilities
are almost unlimited. This story is
taken from the weekly news letter
published by the federal department
of agriculture:
The 80 members of the Middle
town, Va, county high school poultry
club have shipped 1900 settings OF
lpurebred Barred Plymouth Rock eggs
so far this season. The club repre-
sents a new idea in poultry work -
community poultry breeding. 1t offers
great opportunities for the improve
ment of poultry stock, as we'll as the
marketing of poultry and eggs. anc
can easily be adopted by many of the
schools teaching agricultural subjects
Flock of 80 Forms Nucleus.
A single flock of about 80 purebreo
, Plymouth Rocks forms nucleus fol
the distribution throughout the dis
trict of eggs for Matching. The stu
dents have formed poultry club. anf
are furnished eggs from these pure
bred fowls. But the students are no
the only ones to benefit from the
flock. Their parents and anyone
, within the county can obtain set
ting of eggs for Matching, in pay
ment for which they return in the
|, fall one of the chickens Matched from
the eggs. The members of the clul
and other individuals who Obtain