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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



These show a decided decrease, about 32 per cent for eggs, 

 and 25 per cent for chickens raised. It must be understood, 

 however, that only farm flocks are included in the report, 

 which means that all suburban or back-yard flocks are omitted. 

 What the result would have been had the entire poultry popu- 

 lation of the State been counted is impossible to say; but if 

 the poultry population of the town of x\rlington is an indicator 

 of conditions in our cities and suburban districts, the farm 

 flocks fall far short of making up our total. Arlington, having 

 a population of 16,000 to 17,000 people, had a hen population 

 last year of 18,000. 



Perhaps a word in regard to the subdivision of flocks in this 

 State will be enlightening. In most parts of the country the 

 farm flocks make up practically the entire poultry population, 

 but in this State the small back-yard flocks, the small suburban 

 commercial flocks of from 50 to 200 hens and the large specialty 

 flocks constitute a very considerable portion of our poultry. 

 The general nature of our poultry work is shown by the above 

 classes of producers, and war conditions are the causes of the 

 decrease in this State. We have good evidence that there was 

 a marked increase in production from 1910 to 1916. In fact, 

 there are a number of places that can be mentioned where the 

 number of poultr}^ kept increased from a few hundred in 

 1911 to several thousand in 1916. Wilbraham, Halifax and 

 Townsend Harbor are good illustrations. The decrease took 

 place in 1917, a direct result of the war. In a very short time 

 the price of feed increased 100 per cent, and that of poultry 

 and eggs remained practically the same. This, together with 

 the abnormal wages paid in our mills and factories, caused 

 a wholesale reduction, many closing out entirely and others 

 greatly reducing their flocks. The duck business almost ceased. 



