PREFACE. 



THE exceedingly large and ever-increasing demand for poultry 

 and poultry products, at home and for export, has caused the 

 poultry business to become so profitable, when conducted upon a 

 scientific basis, that no breeder can afford to lack the latest knowl- 

 edge of best methods in all its branches. 



A number of poultry books have appeared during the past few 

 years in response to an insistent demand, some dealing with special 

 branches, others covering the entire subject in a general way. But 

 the great need in poultry literature is for a work which covers the 

 subject in a thoroughly scientific yet practical manner, treating 

 each branch in sufficient detail to give entire clarity, and giving 

 to the reader the results of research at the various experiment 

 stations and the methods that are most successful in present-day 

 practice. 



Such a book has been the aim of the author. In its prepara- 

 tion there has been an earnest effort to help build the foundation 

 for a systematic, scientific, and greater poultry industry. 



The book contains in a systematic and abbreviated form the 

 practices and experiences of the author as student, practical poul- 

 tryman and teacher, together with the teachings of our leading col- 

 leges, experiment stations, and authorities on poultry husbandry. 



Of all live-stock, the poultry flock is most often misunderstood 

 and poorly cared for. In recent years much attention has been 

 given to a special study of the needs of poultry, in order to secure 

 reliable data on the subject. It is largely due to this awakening 

 that the poultry industry of America is bounding ahead in such 

 rapid strides. Remember that in the report of the Secretary of 

 Agriculture for 1905, the total value of poultry products in the 

 United States was estimated at five hundred million dollars. Ii 

 1907 it had risen to over six hundred million dollars, and in 19: 

 it was equal to cotton and was next to corn, which is the leading 

 agricultural product. This rapid increase in production, accom- 

 panied by a more rapidly increasing demand for home consumption 

 and export, necessitates a better knowledge of requirements under- 

 lying production and marketing. 



With these conditions in mind, the text has been written to aid 



vii 



