Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-25
POULTRY COMES INTO ITS
>enss. OWN AS A FARM CROP
Pre-Wartine Prices No Longer
Subscribe Discouragernent
Standard Stock, Substantial
House, Systematic Care Are
Essentials.
BY PROV. JAMES b. NORMAN

By PROV. JAMKs b. NORMAN
Fu~mcr Expert for the United States Depart
| mont Of Agriculture
| Even with peace. war conditions are
likely 10 prevail for some time. This
b especially true Of pouitry rnisine.
Except on farms, poultry keeping has
been greatly reduced. Where feed
had TO be bought. supplying eggs at a
cheap rate became impossible. But
| the farmer can produce eggs eheaply,
| hence his great opportunity to reap
substantial profits.
Figures are dry subjects, yet they tell
| some interesting. often wonderful, stories
| The reports n The last census show that
| the average value of eggs produced on e.leh
| farm was about s59, and Of poultry sold
| for meat sf2. This gives the average value
| d poultry products raised ON farms at
| about 800. The advantage is that these
products cost the farmer practically
nothing, because most farm poultry are
left to SHIFT for Themselves But If the cost
Of feed were reckoned, how much of this
s,1m would be left to compensate the
farmer for his labor in caring for the flock
| and marketing the products hundred
ttftthH Vbftp bl PttUAfl lIt~ttst6 u fttf
rs not "gct-rich-qtlick" line Of business
But let's have few more figures. Pos-
SILLY The laying qualities of farm fuvh
have something 10 do with this poor show
ing On farms, according tn cersln figures,
the number Of fowls kept was 273. .255, 924
and the egg production ,457 1886, TT
dozen This gives an average production
OF about 6f eggs year for each fowl
Considering the natural advantage the
farm has over other places for keeping
poultry, tho average yield nm farms Is low
As rtIle farmers are VIGOROUSLY ludit-
ferent IN the kind of fowis they keep and to
the fowls egg-ayIng qualities Too often
were 10 not for the women on our farms,
the fowls would have ~ shift entirely for
Themselves and scratch for All their living
The facts alone are enough TO account for
poor egp production nn farus But, II Is
worth while to keep poultry at all, why
no< give the fccks proper care and keep
good laying stock As matter Of fact,
present prices make both these conditions
desirable
rnczs ARE NOT rHovTTssrE.
Pre-wn low prices received for eggs
and poultry hsve become thing of the
past They are not likely 70 return, a.
least not for many years. Commercial
poultry production will come bark The
price of eggs and dressed poultry have
increased Is per cent over last year, and
more than 100 per cent over pre-war
prlcer
The prices now received for poultry
products make poultry keeping on farms
highly profitable 1--we poultry at *
cents pound wholesale and fresh eggs IN
November at 81 cents n dozen wholesale
IN many a our markets are prices which
make farmers slt up and take notsce. Run
your nger upanddown the columns Of the
Crop Reporter issued by the United
Statea Department Of Agriculture. and
what do you find 10 the estimated farm
value ox eggs per dozen and chickens per
pound7 In many States cggs are bringing
more than 60 cents dozen on farms, and
chickens are IS high as Sc cents pound.
These prcen are likely to stay for long
time.
Should farmers keep poultry for sup
PLYING the market with meat? Why not?
The experiment stations have shown that
chickens yield much heavier weight of
meat for the same outlay than any other
kind of livestock In short, If poultry
keeping ON farms under these conditions
cannot be made profitable, no line Of farm
ing can be made 70 pay q profit
WHAT rHE FARMER sHOULD KNOW
Under a system OF education conducted
by experiment stations, poultry keeping
is beginning TO have its proper place as
cash line IN general farming Several Sta
tions have issued bulletins showing what
farmers should do under existing con
didons Briefly, they urge The selection 4
some breed of fowls fer eggs and ueat
10 -, la,.,-r
stock little extra time IN the care Ii
fowls These are simple, practical pointers
Poultry keeping on . larger scSle shouG
commend itself 10 the progressive farmer
It may be successfully conducted on either
of two distinct systems. 4 large number
of fowls may be kept throughout the year
In that case portion OF the farm should
be appropriated IN regular rotation to
their use, the fowls being removed 10 fresh
ground every year. This plan is most
suitable for large farmers with good busi-
ness and administrative capacity
On the other hand, only q small flock
may be permanently kept But from this
stock large number Of chickens can be
raised every year for a broiler trade The
chickens should be placed on range in
small colony houses as soon as it IS safe
to do so. There they will speedily grow
fat at little expense and may be killed
off for the market when they have reached
good size. At present prices for broilers
this outlook Is exceedingly promising
This plan is especially adapted to small
farms.
Either system will not only yield nice
profit, but it will greatly improve the soil
The poultry will not only enrich the
ground, since poultry manure is a com-
plete fertilizer, but the fowls viii destroy
myriads of injurious insects which effect
crups.
SYSTEMATIC WORK REQUIRED.
The bulletins issued BY experiment
stations urge as a condition of success
more systematic work i'll poultry keeping
With the reduction of commercial plants,
the demands upon farmers TO produce eggo
and poultry for meat are enormous To
meet these demands farmers must glvc
more attention TO poultry raising
A few years ago the Kansas Experiment
Station demonstrated to farmers how