The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1921-01-06

hopes to turn out from his lncubators
chicks of number of other standard
breeds. For some time he has been
working out a plan whereby he may
induce the growers of the larger
breeds to supply him with eggs for
Matching. He proposes to superintend
the selection, of their breeding pens,
to advise them as to the proper meth
DDS of feeding and caring for their
flocks, to purchase their eggs at fig
ure above the market price, and to
supply them with chicks at specially
low prices.
Year after year Mr.. Cantwell has
been a tireless booster for greater
poultry production throughout the
Valley and he predicts that the time
will come when the Columbia district
as a poultry producer will rival the
famous Petaluma district. There is
every reason why it should, he says.
At the present time the bulk of the
poultry industry in this state is car
ried on in the wet section of western
Washington. There are thousands of
chickens oyer there where there are
only tens on this side of the mount
aims. The reverse should be true.
The west side poultry raiser faces the
handicap of dark days, rain, mud, and
poor drainage. The Columbia Valley.
poultryman has decided advantage
over his west side competitor. 1t
not only costs him less to equip his
plant, less to maintain his flocks in
laying condition, but he is nearer the
source of feed supply and consequent
ly can buy cheaper than the westsider.
1t is true there are fewer poultry
grown in this valley now than few
years ago. The reason for this is that
many farmers became unduly alarmed
at the mounting prices of feed and re-
duced or abandoned their flocks. Mr..
Cantwell insists that this alarm was
uncalled for. Egg prices have more
than kept pace with feed prices and
the profits during the last few years
have been comparatively larger than
before. He points out that at pre-
war prices it cost $1.75 to raise
pullet to laying age and feed her
one year. With eggs at 30 cents per
dozen the average hen would produce
$3.50 worth of eggs or net profit
OF $1.85. At war prices for feed the
annual cost per hen was increased to
$3.50 and eggs went up to 60 cents
a, dozen. At these prices the annual
profit per hen is increased to 1910.
Or in other words, all the breaks in
the game of soaring prices were in
favor Of the hen and the man who fed
her.
A striking example Of the BIZ
earning powers of flock of &c Egg
pullets is furnished by Carl Matthews
of the Riverside Poultry Farms. Mr..
Matthews, who is a newcomer in the
Kennewick Valley, purchased the F.
M. Cole place. Not only was he new to
the country, but he was new to the
poultry business and never raised a
chick before, but last spring he start
ed in to convert his place into mod
ell poultry farm. He started right by
installing only the very best equip
ment. He erected modern brooder
house 21x24 and a laying house 247xSl
feet. Thus equipped he stocked his
place with 3,1O0 day-old chicks from
the &c Egg Ranch. These were de-
livered to him in April and May. From
these he secured 1,400 pullets. He
received his first egg August 16 and
by September / the daily egg output
had increased to Ga. At six months old
his pullets were making a laying rec
ord of so per cent and to the first OF
January he had received and market
ed 1875 cases of eggs. During the
month of December alone the pullets
produced 80 cases of eggs thus MAIN
tanning an average laying record OF
66 per cent and at times better than
rs per cent.
Not only has Mr.. Matthews, assist
ed by his father, handled the flocks
but he has done his own marketing. He
has found a ready market for his eggs
in Spokane and the mining towns of
Idaho and Montana at an average
price of $1,000 a case. At this price
his pullets to January had produced
So ,41O worth of eggs. The cost of the
Riverside buildings was $500 and the
cost of bringing the puilets to laying
was So, 100 making total investment
of $4,000. At their present rate of
laying these pullets in another month
will have wiped out this entire ex-
penditure with several hundred dol
lars to their credit.
Like the &c Egg Ranch things don't
Just happen on the Riverside Farm.
Every detail in caring for the flock