PO UL TR r- CRA FT. 83 



Houdans, entitled to mention, (in that section). It will be found that these 

 varieties are relatively more popular in the country tributary to New York 

 city than elsewhere ; the three first named being those preferred by the 

 large egg farmers. A beginner will do better to profit by their experience 

 than to be governed by his personal preferences should they run counter to 

 common experience. 



A market poultryman locating near Boston, will find Barred Plymouth 

 Rocks, White Wyandottes, and White Plymouth Rocks most popular among 

 market poultrymen using thoroughbred fowls. These varieties best fill the 

 requirements of: brown eggs, fitness for market at any age, and ease of 

 preparation for market. He will find other varieties of the American and 

 Asiatic classes often used by poultrymen, but not to anything like the extent 

 those especially mentioned are used. 



The egg farmers of the Pacific coast seem to prefer hens of the Mediter- 

 ranean class, saying their climate is particularly well suited to such fowls. 



The poultryman who wishes to build up a profitable trade must cater to the 

 special demands of his market. If it were not for these demands there would 

 be no business for the special egg and poultry farmer. As has been said, 

 there is more than enough stock produced to fill the demand for inferior 

 poultry of all sizes, as well as for stock of good quality, but not of the sizes 

 and colors in demand. Popular preferences for certain colors cf skin and 

 shell are mere prejudices ; but it is the poultryman's business to supply what 

 the people want, not to try to persuade them to want something else. When 

 selecting his stock he must take varieties that will enable him to supply the 

 demands most satisfactorily, and with greatest profit. 



102. Breeds for Profit, (Economic), on a Small Scale. While the 

 varieties recommended in the preceding section are the best suited to exclusive 

 market poultrying, many, even in the localities mentioned, who keep small 

 flocks of poultry for profit (as an adjunct to another business) find other 

 varieties just as profitable. Then if their taste prefers another variety it is a 

 satisfaction to be able to gratify it without sacrificing profits. In a " brown 

 egg" locality a poultry keeper whose fowls produce white eggs can easily find 

 customers to take white eggs of best quality at the same price as brown eggs 

 but this trade is limited. The same thing is true of Langshan, Houdan, 

 and Minorca poultry, and of the extra large carcasses of Brahmas and 

 Cochins. In every line of poultry production it is a frequent occurrence that 

 a man handling a small quantity of a certain kind of goods finds the trade 

 satisfactory, which on increasing his stock he finds that he has passed the 

 limit of the demand for his produce, and the surplus moves slowly in the open 

 market. This phase of the subject is of most importance to those who, 

 having been successful on a small scale, are about to give their whole time to 

 poultry. If the stock they have been using is not adapted to the market to 

 which their increased output must go, the stock should be changed. 



