Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-06
Opportunity For a Cash In
come at All Seasons Of the
Year
Start With Standardized
Stock, Maintain Vitality by
Careful Selection
BY Prof. James b. Norman
Former Expert for the United States
Department of Agriculture.

FORMER Expert Tor the United states
Department of Agriculture.
Few farmers take the interest in
poultry keeping that they should take.
This is n great mistake. The pros
poets of profits from this branch of
live stock keeping are excellent.
In 1910 there were 6,S61, ,502 farms
in the United States. Fowls were
raised on 5,5S5,032 of these farms.
The number of fowls kept on farms
were 2s5,sSO.190. The production of
eggs, however, was reported for only
4,S33,759 farms, and the number of
fowls kept on these farms was given
as 273, ,924. The eggs produced
numbered 1,457, 1856, 772 dozen. Since
the males were reported in the num-
ber of fowls, the estimated average
production of eggs per fowl of farm
fiocks in this country was placed at
about six dozen, or 72 eggs per fowl,
a year.
The average price received for the
eggs was 1913 cents per dozen. The
total income from the sale and use of
eggs on farms was about S1.15 per
hen year. If the cost of feed should
be estimated and deducted from this
income it would show a very small
balance of profit for the farmer or
his wife.
when the value of the fowls them
selves is considered. In 1909 the total
number of fowls raised was ASS,
600, and their value was $202,5O6, 900.
This would give an average value to
farm fowls of 40 cents each, which
would indicate either a very small
type of fowl or an exceedingly low
price. Since the Wholesale price that
year ranged from 13 to Is cents q
pound for poultry, it would show that
the average farm fowl is not very
promising product for profit.
Census statistics have been brought
together to show what was being done
by farmers in the line of poultry keep
ing. But the progressive farmer is
becoming alive to the situation. Free
farm range is an economic advan-
tage over the confined poultry yard.
1t is much cheaper to raise poultry on
farms than under city or suburban
conditions. From many years of e&-
perience in raising poultry, 1t is my
belief that poultry keeping offers an
opportunity to farmers for a steady
cash income at all seasons of the year.
When many other lines of work are
at a standstill on the farm poultry
keeping offers a means of profitable
labor, especially during the winter
season. / wish, therefore, to give a
brief chapter out of my own expert
ence in raising poultry for eggs and
meat.
Selecting a Standard Breed
Experts in our agricultural expert
ment stations maintain that the ordi-
nary farmyard fowl is not the most
profitable type of fowl to keep. In
stead they recommend some standard
breed.
Leghorns, Plymouth Rocks and
others have many advantages over
the mongrel fowl which belongs to the
%aT II Il
vantages are: a., better results in
breeding; ca, more opportunities for
selling Matching eggs at q higher price
than eggs for table use; (3) uniform
ity In color, size and shape of eggs,
and 90, a better appearance of the
flock generally.
The most important advantage of
standard breed Is the opportunity
for improvement. The farmer not
only has u good flock of fowls from
which to make Il selection, but he
can always find some other farmer or
poultrykeeper with the same breed of
fowls, with whom he can exchange
males or females for breeding pur-
poses. One of the first objects in sue
cessful breeding of poultry Is to main
tain the vitality of the flock. This
is done by infusing new blood into
the flocks.
In 1906 I had a few pullets which
began to lay earlier than others, 1
began by putting these early layers
by themselves. By keeping q record
of the eggs laid by these pullets dur
ing the winter, l found that some of
tho puilets were better layers than
the older fowls,
This was not the only feature,
Breeding from early layers mated
with the best males was found to pro-
duce pullets which laid more eggs
than tie parent fowl, This led me
to take more interest in the poultry
side of farm work, The result was
large increase in egg production in
winter, With higher prices for eggs
at that season, the flock was kept at
profit instead of at a loss, as had
frequently been the case for several
months of the year.
Records of egg production from my
fiocks have been kept since 1907, Be-