176 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



1896. As offset to the heavy expenditure of this 

 year, I had not much to show. Seven hundred 

 cockerels were sold in November for $342. In 

 October the pullets began laying in desultory 

 fashion, and by November they had settled down 

 to business ; and that quarter they gave me 703 

 dozen eggs to sell. As these eggs were marketed 

 within twenty-four hours, and under a guarantee, 

 I had no difficulty in getting thirty cents a dozen, 

 net. November eggs brought 1211, and the 

 December out-put, $252. I sold 600 bushels of 

 potatoes for $150, and the apples from 150 of the 

 old trees (which, by the way, were greatly 

 improved this year) brought $450 on the 

 trees. 



The cows did well. In the thirty-three weeks 

 from May 12 to December 31, I sold a little more 

 than 6600 pounds of butter, which netted me 

 $2127. 



We had 122 young hogs to sell in December. 

 They had been crowded as fast as possible to 

 make good weight, and they went to market at 

 an average of 290 pounds a head. The price was 

 low, but I got the top of the market, $3.55 a 

 hundred, which amounted to $1170 after paying 

 charges. I had reserved twenty-five of the most 

 likely young sows to stay on the farm, and had 

 transferred eight to the village butcher, who was 

 to return them in the shape of two barrels of 

 salt pork, thirty-two smoked hams and shoulders, 

 and a lot of bacon. 



