The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-11-08
HENSDO|NCTHE|RS SHARE
THEY GO OVER THE TOP TO
HELP WIN THE WAR
Appeal For Increased Poultry
Production Has Had It's
Good Effect

Minnesota is one of six states to
go over the top in poultry production
this year. This does not mean that
there is tremendous increase in the
stock of turkeys, chickens and eggs
on hand but it does mean that, work.
ing against great odds, the Minnesota
farmers have responded so generous
ly to the food administration appeal
for increased poultry that Minnesota
today holds an honored position in
the country in this phase of food re-
| turns.
"The help given the nation in this
| production by the farmers of Mime
sofa has been remarkable" says w.
'E. Stanfield, United States represen-
tative to Minnesota on poultry pro-
duction. The result is that Minnesota
rapidly is developing into the great
poultry center of the country Seven
| ty- five per cent of our market is
shipped 20 the east and on the New
York market the Minnesota eggs have
the reputation of being the largest
and hardest shelled of the eggs pro-
duced in the country This is because
of our good grains, of course More
over the poultry producers in the
state are rapidly doing away with the
ordinary hen. She lays only some
| sixty eggs a year whereas the pure
bred hen-such as the white Leg
horn-layH frola 40 to $50. At Bar
mum, where ninety five per cent of
the hens of the locality are White
! Leghorns. there are 10000 of these
hen patriots-the largest colony of
them in the universe / guess"
State Is Organized.
| Mr.. Stanfield, who came to Mime
sofa in March, has organized the
state for poultry production. Every
county in the state now has a poultry
committee consisting of from twelve
men helping to further the interest
of poultry production in their vicini-
ty. The Farmers clubs of the state
! likewise have made this phase of
production a special feature this
year.
| According to A. c. Smith, head of
the poultry division at the University
farm, MinnesOta'S returns for this
year would have been even larger if
conditions, incidental to war measures,
had not deferred poultry raisers from
increasing their products.
4 "The United States embargo on
m T. nOultru which nJoood
in April, came just at the Matching
season in Minnesota and that discour-
aged production. Last spring also
there was great difficulty in obtaining
good poultry feeds in the rural COM
munities, particularly chick feeds.
This compelled the farmers to use any
feeds they could obtain from the
general store. Often they bought
oatmeal, rolled oats, steel-cut oat-
meal anything they could buy that
would answer the purpose. To Offset
all this Encouragement the govern
ment held as encouraging features
two points: That there was an in
dication that prices would adjust
J themselves gradually so that the
customers profi.s would be realized
haps be less since the season OF
, cheap production (this is the range
) conditions) was at hand and that
, poultrymen who had been able to OBJ
! tain good egg production during the
2 past year had been able to make their
T customary profits, always, and greater
= profits than ever before in some in :
Stances
Receiving Highest Price.
Virtue having it's reward in thi.
case, the Minnesota poultrymen to.
day are receiving the highest price
ever paid the producer for eggs-fifty
two cents dozen to the producer di
: rect for prize eggs, SO say the au.
thorities. And the same is true OF the
. prices for fowl.
With Thanksgiving coming on
g however, there is discouragin,
, note in he news that there has beer
"a decrease in turkey production
. everywhere. Even the Mississippi
. Valley, which the governmental re
; ports credit with the greatest of tn
. poultry increase, reports turke,
II crop of perhaps eighty per cent o
i that of last year. A wet spring il
the great turkey producing Red Riv
u er Valley and "blackhead," turke
influenza" in the southern section
'l are responsible, largely for the de
e crease.
n, Apropos of Thanksgiving and tn
% turkey market the food administra
e ton is suggesting that no youn
: turkey hens weighing less than ST
pounds and young gobblers of les
than eight pounds be sold. This |
Id because gobbler of ten pounds i
October will weigh twelve or thirteen
Of sixty days later if given little ex
n ira feed along toward the end {
l. that period. A hen in the SAME tim
I'd will fill out from seven pounds to min
re or ten and every ounce of food pos
ID sible must be conserved for huma
l. consumption.
in c. n. johnson of Decoria Holds Rec
ty ord For Production.