Yards at Hopland Stock Farm, California 



California's Advantages 



These are both direqt and incidental. The one is the natural advantage of 

 green food all the year. The other, the indirect gain of slight cost in housing 

 fowls. The flock may be out of doors at all seasons save in time of actual rain- 

 fall. The "green winter" rarely reaches freezing weather and fowls may have an 

 abundance of grass pasture or of tender oats or barley sown for repeated cuttings. 

 Alfalfa is one of the best of "egg foods" and should of course have a corner of the 

 "chicken ranch." It is not simply a filler giving bulk but an egg producer. 

 The winter season generally need not add to the expense of maintaining the 

 flock. 



Location 



There is a chicken belt in California, but it is not well defined and the phrase 

 is seldom heard. 



The term relates in a general way to the coast country, partly because this 

 offers at once the chief market centers, cool summers and relatively little dif- 

 ference between summer and winter temperatures. 



The little city of Petaluma is "famous" as the "City of a Million Hens," and 

 this is only about thirty miles from San Francisco and within the zone of high fog 

 and sea-breezes. But the whole coast region for twenty to forty miles inland is 

 very desirable for this industry, and many parts of the interior show good results 

 wherever plenty of shade and fresh water is provided. 



This should be counted on here the helpfulness of the climate. It is one 

 of the assets of the poultry man. 



Climate and Health 



'A full egg basket is insured only by healthy fowls, and health comes from fresh 

 air, exercise in the open and plenty of green feed. More freely than where closely 

 housed because of inclement weather or zero temperature, large numbers of 



