MODERN DEVELOPMENTS 19 



per bird. This is due to the short period necessary to hold each 

 individual before selling. 



The capon district, previously mentioned, is made up of thou- 

 sands of general farms in the western part of central New Jersey. 

 Each farmer raises yearly from one hundred to five hundred capons 

 for the Philadelphia and New York markets. The birds are given 

 free range throughout the entire period of their growth, and are 

 allowed to roost in sheds or other outbuildings. The cost for 

 feed is low, as grain farming is practised quite commonly and the 

 birds have the run of the fields 

 after harvest. The profit per . . 



bird under the existing condi- 

 tions varies from one to two 

 dollars. The practice of ea- 

 ponizing is gaining rapidly in 

 this section, owing to the suc- 

 cess of those already engaged 



in thlS WOrk. FlG i 9 ._i ncu bator cellar in the South Shore 



IModern Developments. district, Mass., showing economical construe- 



Recent years have witnessed n E w " SHUS5 " '""" <P " 010 

 great changes in the poultry 



industry. The changes have been toward greater concentration 

 and specialization. There are now many exclusive egg farms 

 scattered over the more thickly populated sections. Many of 

 them have from two thousand to fifteen thousand layers. This 

 specialization has placed the poultry business upon a scientific 

 basis. This development of special egg farms has brought about 

 great improvements in methods of marketing. There is a closer 

 relation between producer and consumer. This is largely accom- 

 plished by guaranteeing a strictly fresh and clean product, for a 

 definite price above regular wholesale quotations. This naturally 

 leads to more care in marketing the products and an endeavor to 

 meet market requirements as they are found in the various sections. 

 The industry has taken on a very popular aspect, and many 

 people who are engaged in occupations other than agriculture 

 have gone into poultry raising in a small way. This popularity 

 has called for and has been met by rapid development in the 

 facilities for poultry education at the various State colleges, and 

 poultry departments have been established at many experiment 

 stations (see Appendix). The work of experiment stations 

 tends to make poultry raising an exact science. Many colleges 



