A. H. BARBER CREAMERY SUPPLY CO., CHICAGO, ILL. 



In the big markets the small fowls and springs are the last thing sold, and 

 at a discount from the larger poultry's price. Call it prejudice if one wills, but 

 the wholesaler is "facing a condition; not a theory. 7 ' Even if the two lots 

 of live poultry mentioned were sold at the same price per pound, the difference 

 in favor of the larger breed would be $7.20. And figuring eggs at 25 cents a 

 dozen, the Leghorns in the example given, would have * to lay in two months, 

 402 more eggs than the Eocks laid in the same space of time to overcome the 

 handicap of the price and weight of the Eocks. 



The wholesaler is very much in earnest in his endeavor to weed out small- 

 sized poultry,- and some dealers, a few years ago, offered tO'^frade any heavy 

 breed cockerel they had for a smaller bird not pound for pound, but 'bird for 

 bird, taking 'the loser's end; and the majority of the breeders offered by the 

 wholesalers were fit to grace any poultry show. 



In conclusion, one should think if the wholesalers have any sentiment at all 

 in connection with any particular poultry breeds, those breeds most suitable for 

 all-round market purposes would have the first claim to their affections. 



STUFFED, SICK, OR CRIPPLED POULTRY. 



All live poultry buyers are agreed that the worst evil they have to contend 

 with is "croppy," sick, or crippled poultry. The following is a composite state- 

 ment of their views: 



"When poultry is brought in stuffed with shelled corn, wheat, or other hard 

 grains, the buyer cannot get the stock back 'on to a regular feed until the 

 "hard feed works out of the craws. The bird is sluggish for days, and if a car- 

 loi buyer takes up: the stock, he refuses to buy them in a croppy condition unless 

 he is allowed a "dock," or weight allowance, which is usually about 5 per cent. 

 This dock often causes a loss to the buyer, particularly if the poultry had been 

 bought on a basis of a small margin of profit, as 90 per cent of the live poultry 

 is bought. 



"It is against the law to stuff live poultry in New York city, where a 

 shipper used 'to stuff it in the old days to keep from going broke; but the 

 raiser is not up against anything like that, as he is obtaining 10 to 1 compared 

 to the shipper's profit, even if the raiser sells with empty craws. 



"It may interest the seller to know, too, that the shippers sustain a dead 

 loss on: Scaly Legged, Swelled Vent, Crooked Breasts, Crippled or Sick birds. 

 This stock is graded as "culls" by dressers, and is always sold far below cost, 

 if sold at all 



" Carlot buyers of live poultry will not put the foregoing class of stock into 

 their 'cars at all if they can be detected before they are loaded; and if, by 

 accident or otherwise, they get into the cars, the inspectors at destination points 

 detect, them, and refuse to allow them to be placed on sale. Even with extra 

 precautions taken at the receiving end, the death loss en route, at times wipes out 

 the profit on the venture .as a whole. " 



A; live poultry dealer does not object- to a small amount of feed in the 

 craws, and where the intent has not been to stuff them; but in any event, it does 

 iiiiot seem to be altogether right to sell $3-a-hundred corn as $18-a-hundred poultry. 

 -It seerns to.be wrong, viewed from any angle. 



Were i ! t not for the many fair customers, the average poultryman would 

 have to, go out of business, and if the "stuffers" and the sellers of nick and 

 crippled poultry understood that the poultry-buyer often has a difficult time in 

 making a living with. No. 1. poultry, it is hard to believe that they would 

 deliberately burden Mm with stock that produces a dead loss. 



PERCENTAGE OF WEIGHT GRADES IN POULTRY: 



No. 1 Poultry, under 3 pounds . 20% 



No. 1" Poultry, from 3 to 3% pounds. 24% 



No. 1 Poultry, from 3y 2 to 4i/ 2 pounds 36% 



No. 1 Poultry, from 4% to' 5% pounds t . 14% 



No. 1 Poultry, from: 5^ and up. . . . 2% 



No. 2 Poultry, all weights ., . 4% 



