Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-05
URGES POULTRY
men TO MARKET
PRODUCT EARLY
Gilbert Gusler i'm Montana Far
mer Radio Service Pre-
diets Increase.

That a substantial increase in
poultry production has occurred in the
last two years has been established
beyond dispute, Gilbert Gusler odd
farm radio fans Wednesday night in
the agricultural radio phone broad
casting service of The Montana Farm
err. Montana's leading farm journal,
published at Great Falls. Gusler's
statement was made in an article on
Big Poultry Crop and Its Call for
Early Marketing"
The article continued:
THE department of agriculture is
sues no forecast upon the chicken
crop. but observations made by deal
ers and Others over a wide range of
territory have been convincingly mani
nous upon this point.
The quantity of poultry reaching
the leading markets registers roughly
the changes in production in the coun-
try. Combined receipts of dressed
poultry at the five markets. New
York. Boston. Philadelphia, Chicago.
and San Francisco, in the first 36
weeks of the past four years have
been as follows:
1922, 12S, 12s.1 100 pounds; 1921:
pounds: 1910, 116,S39.056 pounds.
Compared with 1921, receipts in
1922 show an increase of 22.3 per
cent. while they exceed 1920 by pa
per cent and 1919 by 81 per cent.
Heretofore, 1919 was the banner year
in poultry production.
"The supply of eggs reaching the
leading markets tells a similar story
of an increase in the number of hens
on duty. Combined receipts of case
eggs at the same five markets in the
first SO weeks of 1922 and comparisons
with preceding years are shown be-
1922. 13.sO4.553 cases; 1921. 49,
500. 069 cases: 1920. 11,23O,l22 cases;
1919. 12,612.431 cases.
Low prices for feeds and good
prices for poultry and eggs most OF
the time in the last two years to-
gether with unsatisfactory returns on
most other farm products have stlmu-
lated the poultry mainland woman
TO work overtime increasing their
output. But 'cashing in time on
the poultry end is now at hand.
How will the maraket absorb the in
crease which is expected to manltest
itself much more prominently TINS
fall than it has yet done!
Poultry producers well may pom
der how near production has come
TO the maximum which will permit
maintenance Of profitable prices.
The events of the next few months
will furnish a fairly good basis for
the answer Dealers have freely pre-
dicted that they will buy roasters on
the Chicago market this fall at IA
cents a pound on at least some OF
the days Of big receipts.
Urges Early Marketing
Anticipating an enormous run OF
poultry this fall. the dealers are advo-
eating the sale of well finished spring
chickens early in the season-in Octo.
ber-jnstead of from the middle OF
November to the middle of January.
They argue that even though greater
weight is obtained by holding until later
in the season. the price is apt to he
lower and when feed, labor and risk
of loss by disease. thieves or var
minis are considered. the advantages
are on the side Of selling early. ny
a more uniform distribution OF safes
through the year, it rs r~easonaole TO
believe that the average price lever
would be higher. Especially the tact
that spring ROSTERS are couIteu as
stays after December ID and are sold
at n discount. should be considered.
"poultrv price records are not en-
tirelv satisfactory for checking this
suggestion since the average character
of the chickens being sold varies great
ly at different seasons. Furthermore.
the same chicken which would go as
a 'broiler' in June is a fryer, O couple
of months later and a rooster by Octo-
Der. But even with these angles on
sidered, prices in the last five or six
years have shown a fairly well defined
downward trend from midsummer to
late fall or early winter. The decline
has varied from 3 to as much as ID
cents a pound. :.
"AlI in all, il looks advisable to avoid
glutting the market in the late fall and
winter as far rs possible. Also the
practice of flooding consuming centers
at Thanksgiving and Christmas time
with light, unfinished poultry is ques-
tionable. Usually, however, at those
holidays the supply Of well finished
birds is not equal to the demand.
Yearly Cycle In Market
Receipts since March, 1922, held
consistently above the average of the
three preceding years, tumbling below
the average for a short tim around
the end of August.
Gold storage stocks at the begin
ming of 1922 were considerably above
the three-year average. but so great
was the demand that they were cut
down to less than the three-year aver
age early in March and remained be-
low until in the latter part of May.
Since May the increase in consump-
tion hae not kept nace with the an