NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 711 
eggs have as miuli nourishment in them as a pound of meat and will 
prpduce a better development of the human race than the -eating of so 
much meat, especially pork. It is the poultry man's opportunity to sup- 
ply It, and why shouldn't the farmer be the one to do it. 
The price of eggs and poultry will be just what the hens make it. 
Armour or Morrison or any of the large packers cannot rule the price of 
eggs like they can the hog and cattle market, for just when they think 
they have all the eggs in their control the old hen will begin to cackle and 
you soon have plenty of eggs that the meat kings were not looking for. 
Do not be afraid of a corner on eggs and poultry. 
When we learn of the great number of egg consumers in the United 
States and of the millions of dollars sent to foreign countries to pay for 
Imported eggs, we read in Secretary Rusk's report which says the time 
has come when the importance of the poultry interest should be recogn- 
ized in this department, the poultry products of the United States has a 
farm value of $200,000,000. This was in 1899. I was unable to find 
figures of more recent date. No less than 16,000,000 dozen were imporied 
at a first cost of 15 cents a dozen or nearly $2,500,000 while the average 
annual value of such importations the four years previous were $2,216,326. 
Such facts emphasize the necessity for encouraging the increase of 
domestic fowls of all kinds and they further indicate beyond question that 
this industry is important enough to demand special consideration of 
this department and besides the $200,000,000 value of eggs there was 
about $81,000,000 to represent the poultry or $281,000,000 for eggs and 
poultry produced in the United States. 
The consumption of eggs per capita is one egg every three days for 
every man, woman and child. Not so great is it, and yet the United 
States is not supplying nearly all of this, so my brother farmers, do not 
think that the poultry business is overdone. Many of you can increase 
your flock and take better care of what you have and double your profits, 
for in whatever business you are engaged if it pays to do it at all it will 
doubly pay you to do it well. 
CLOVER AS A MEANS OF MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY. 
J. J. GASTOX, WINTERSET. 
(Before Madison County Farmers' Institute.) 
The maintenance of the fertility of Iowa soil at present prices should 
interest every owner and every tiller of the soil. The price of our land 
is based upon the productiveness of the soil. The business of the shrewd 
land agent is to sell you acres, furnishing you a warranty deed, but no 
guarantee as to fertility. If you purchase a piece of land and find that it 
has been systematically robbed and will not produce half a crop, you 
have no recourse on the man who sold it to you. Cannot proceed against 
him for obtaining money under false pretense. What is the best and the 
usual test of fertility of soil? We answer, plant it to corn. Why the 
Iowa farmers dreams of corn, for corn and its by-products may produce 
good dreams and had dreams. Food for man and beast. An Iowa farm 
