1902.] POULTRY AS AN ADJUNCT OF THE FARM. 221 



will. To the specialist, the poultry man who has studied the 

 market, there is but one order: " Better poultry, more poul- 

 try; fresh eggs, more eggs; we will take all you will furnish." 

 Dr. D. E. Salmon, in Farmers' Bulletin Xo. 14, U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, of recent date, says: " An increased 

 supply of poultry products of the highest class would un- 

 questionably lead to an increased consumption." Do not 

 the prevailing prices of poultry and eggs the year round mean 

 that the limit of consumption is far from being reached? Do 

 not the high prices of fall and winter mean in part that there 

 may be an increased output to meet that trade? If eggs rise 

 to fifty cents per dozen it does not mean that it costs that to 

 produce them, but rather that there are few of the desired 

 quality to be obtained. 



Poultry keeping is now growing most rapidly near the 

 large markets on the small farm, and for the most part is 

 carried on by those who have to buy a large part of the prov- 

 ender fed. Does it not seem reasonable to expect that this 

 growth will extend to the larger farms, and that the poultry 

 will be used to convert the grains raised, the grass, and much 

 that otherwise would become waste, into meat and eggs? 

 The staple crops are more cheaply grown on the large farms 

 of the West, but poultry can be made to convert a share of 

 the grains grown at higher cost on Eastern farms into meat 

 at a profit. \\'ith every convenience at hand, with insects, 

 grass and seeds going to w^aste in summer time, with grain 

 produced in summer looking for a market, with perchance 

 boys or girls just longing for an opportunity to make their 

 pin money, and with nearby markets paying highest prices, 

 can there be more favorable opportunities for raising poultry 

 than on our New England farms? 



The value of farm poultry as an educator of the young 

 must not be overlooked. It attracts them, and when they 

 are allowed to take either full charge or share in profits 

 makes enthusiastic workers. From the first setting of the 

 eggs to the final rearing of birds which command the blue 

 ribbon of their class in county. State, or national poultry 

 show the care of the poultry demands continuous thought on 

 the part of the attendant. The great problems of life are 

 ever present, forethought for the cares of the day, the season, 

 and even a term of years' work is encouraged; application. 



