INTRODUCTION 



PLACE AND IMPORTANCE OF POULTRY IN AGRICULTURE 



Poultry occupies a more important place in the life and 

 nourishment of the American people than any one kind 

 of livestock. The keeping of poultry is not confined to 

 extensive ranches or even to farms, but is adapted to all 

 sorts of conditions, ranging from the small flock of hens 

 kept in a backyard or a city lot with only a few square 

 feet of available land, through varying sizes of flocks kept 

 on practically all of the general farms in all sections of the 

 United States, to large poultry farms, each keeping from 

 500 to 10,000 or more hens. It provides pleasure, profit 

 and the opportunity to get absolutely fresh table products 

 at all seasons of the year, to every class of people. 



THE VALUE OF POULTRY PRODUCTION 



The estimated value of poultry products in the United 

 States exceeds a billion dollars and the industry is steadily 

 growing. The population of the United States increased 

 about 21 per cent during the census period of 1900 to 

 1910 while the products from most lines of livestock were 

 actually decreasing. Poultry products, however, increased 

 materially during that time, fowls showing an increase in 

 numbers of 17 per cent while their value increased 48 

 per cent. During this period eggs increased in numbers 



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