CHAPTER XV 

 POULTRY 



312. Importance of Poultry. Poultry-raising is often 

 looked upon as a small business. But we are likely to 

 underestimate the value of farm products because they 

 are scattered over so wide a territory and the proceeds 

 are distributed among so many people. A much smaller 

 industry that is concentrated gives the impression of 

 being larger. The total value of all poultry raised in the 

 United States in 1899 was $137,000,000 and the value of 

 the eggs produced was $144,000,000. The total value of 

 these products was nearly equal to the combined value 

 of all the iron, coal, gold and silver that were mined in 

 that year. 1 Yet the value of the poultry products is only 

 sixth among the agricultural products, being exceeded 

 by corn, beef cattle, dairy products, cotton, wheat and 

 swine. 



313. Breeds of Poultry. Turkeys, geese, ducks, pigeons 

 and squabs are of considerable value, but are of small 

 importance when compared with chickens. The varieties 

 of chickens are almost innumerable. There are four gen- 

 eral classes: 



(1) The meat breeds, or Asiatic class Brahma, Cochin 

 and Langshan. 



^Twelfth Census of the United States: Coal, $160,000,000; gold, $33,- 

 000,000; silver, $66,000,000; iron ore, $33,000,000. A large amount of 

 poultry products consumed on farms is omitted from the census reports, 

 as is the value of such products produced in villages. 



(363) 



