CHAPTER VIII. 



POULTRY 



The immense value of poultry is hardly realized 

 by those who have paid no attention to the statis- 

 tics relating to this matter. Nearly every farmer 

 and a large proportion of the inhabitants of small 

 towns and some even in cities raise poultry to a 

 greater or less extent. The total number of birds 

 thus kept for home use is probably considerably 

 greater than the estimates furnished by the Census. 

 According to the most recent figures the total 

 number of chickens in the United States is 233,600, 

 000, of ducks 4,807,000, of geese 5,677,000, and 

 of turkeys 6,600,000. The number of Guinea 

 fowls has not been separately estimated but is 

 probably not less than 500,000. The American 

 hen produces annually about 1,294,000,000 dozen 

 of eggs valued at $144,000,000 besides an annual 

 crop of chickens for meat valued at $137,000,000. 

 The amount of money invested in the poultry 

 business is therefore quite sufficient to entitle this 

 to a position in the front rank of the lines of animal 

 industry. The annual international poultry trade 

 at present amounts to $300,000,000 of which 

 $100,000,000 is in eggs. It is apparent, there- 

 fore, that chickens and other poultry not only 

 occupy a large place in the home and on the home 

 markets but also in international trade. 



The difference from a financial standpoint be- 



293 



