54 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF POULTRY HUSBANDRY. 



President David Friday, 



Michigan Agricultural College. 

 Dear Sir: 



I have the honor to submit the following report of the Department of 

 Poultry Husbandry for the year ending June 30, 1922. 



Poultry fanning is becoming one of Michigan's largest and miost im- 

 portant agricultural industries. Numerous reasons can be given why 

 this State is so excellently adapted to this fomi of specialization, but the 

 "hen" is the greatest reason. During periods of depression, such as have 

 been recently experienced, the farm and commercial poultry flock con- 

 tinued to return a satisfactory profit. Michigan 'holds a foremost posi- 

 tion as la poultry state; the poultry land poultiy products of this State 

 have an estimated value of approximately forty millions of dollars. 



The Poultry Department of Michigan Agricultural College is not 

 functioning to full capacity in promoting this great industry. The de- 

 mands for pedigreed cockerels and breeding stock cannot be met because 

 the plant is inadequately equipped for the production of high class stock 

 in quantity. The egg production standard for the State will continue to 

 suffer so long as the combined instruction and extension force is limited 

 to three men. The demand for assistance in conducting culling demon- 

 strations, poultiy certification and demonstration fanns by County Agents 

 and commercial poultry producers would require least at the services of 

 three field men. 



Poultry house plans, numbering approximately 5,000 have been dis- 

 tributed showing the construction of a modern building with special 

 features of lighting and ventilation incorporated, yet visitors are dis- 

 appointed to find the College Poultry Department has no building of this 

 design available for inspection. 



A number of changes have occurred in the personnel of the department 

 this past year. Upon the resignation of Professor C. H. Burgess, Mr. 

 Wilson Newlon was appointed Acting Head, working in this capacity 

 until December 1st, 1921, when E. C. Foreman was promoted from Exten- 

 sion Specialist to Associate Professor and given charge of the department. 

 Mr, Newlon received an appointment as Poultry Extension Specialist 

 from California which was accepted and became effective January 1st, 

 1922. C, M, Ferguson joined the Extension Staff January 7th, 1922. He 

 has had extensive experience in extension work in Ontario and is particu- 

 larly well qualified for this position. An aggregate of 320 students have 

 been enrolled in the classes for the year ending June 30th, 1922. This 

 number includes regular, federal and short course students. Instruction 

 to these students was given by Mr, George Davis, Assistant Lecturei*, 

 myself, and Dr, Chamberlain and Dr, Hallman of the Veterinary Division. 



In addition to instruction given the students the department has a 

 large correspondence and further demands are made to do standard and 



