Poultry Problems and Profits. 407 



"If one has a natural taste for the occupation, is willing to 

 work (every day in the year) and pay attention to details, there 

 is pleasure and profit in poultry raising, but if not attended to 

 properly, better keep out of it as a business proposition." — Miss 

 A. Sargent. 



VALUE OF PURE-BRED BIRDS. 



There is no more reason why the man in the poultry business 

 should raise birds of poor quality than should the farmer raise 

 scrub cattle, sheep or hogs. If it pays to raise pure-bred live stock 

 of one kind, why not of all ? The poultryman who raises beautiful 

 birds, in which he takes pride, will get more profit and more 

 pleasure out of his work than does the man who is satisfied with 

 scrubs. There is value in uniformity. The attractiveness of the 

 flock on the farm often aids in making sales. Another advantage 

 of having a flock of uniform kind and color comes in the marketing 

 of commercial poultry and eggs. We must have pure-bred fowls 

 in order to insure uniformity in color, shape and size of eggs. It 

 is also a decided advantage, when marketing dressed poultry, to 

 have all uniform in size, color and conformation. 



"If all farmers in Missouri knew the value of a pure strain 

 of fowls there never would be a mixed bunch of mongrel poultry 

 to be found in the limits of the State. A little experience of mine 

 will illustrate the point. I culled out of my flock of pure-bred 

 birds, last year, one hundred head of cockerels that were unfit 

 for breeding purposes, and sold them to a local dealer here at an 

 advance of one and one-half cents per pound over the market price." 

 — Gus L. Hainline. 



"I am convinced from my experience that it does not cost 

 as much to raise thoroughbred poultry as it does the common stock. 

 It takes longer to mature the common stock, which means more 

 feed, hence more cost." — Harry Sloan. 



"I have been engaged in the poultry and produce business in 

 this county for five years, and have noticed with interest the im- 

 provement in quality. I have on every occasion that I could, dur- 

 ing these five years, encouraged the farmers and poultry raisers to 

 get the better breeds of poultry, explaining to them how they could 

 raise and keep hens that weigh six to eight pounds as easily and 

 as cheaply as they could keep scrubs weighing only three or four 

 pounds each." — Elmer L. Finch. 



