No. 4.] POULTRY CULTURE. 19 



The grand total value of the annual poultry products re- 

 ported and estimated is almost $800, 000, 000. 



The census of 1 !•()() does not include the poultry under 

 three months old on -lune 1, IHOO, while the census of 1890 

 did include the young chickens, so that it is difficult to com- 

 pare the figures for ascertaining the increase in numbers and 

 value in the ten years from 1890 to 1900. 



AVe can obtain a more definite idea of the advance made 

 by comparing the egg production reported. For the census 

 of 1890 the total animal production of eggs in dozens was 

 819,722,911); for the census of 1900 the dozens reported 

 were 1,293,819,186; this shows 57.8 percent of increase 

 in egg production between 1890 and 1900. 



The average annual production of eggs per fowl, accord- 

 ing to the census of 1900, was 5.6 dozens ; the average value 

 per dozen eggs was 11.2 cents. The number of eggs per 

 capita of population shown by the census of 1900 was 17 

 dozens, while in 1890 the average per capita production was 

 13 dozens. 



In the United States the values of several farm products 

 in 1899 were as follows: dairy products, $281,629,958; 

 sheep products, $170,337,002 ; swine products, $232,027,- 

 707; poultry products, $295,178,035. 



In Massachusetts there were in 1900, according to the 

 United States census, 37,715 farms; dairj'ing was the in- 

 dustrj^ on 14,900 farms; sheep were kept on 1,447 farms; 

 poultry was kept on 30,504 fiirms. The " business hen " is 

 found on over 80 per cent of the farms of Massachusetts. 



The value of the total farm })roducts of Massachusetts in 

 1899 was $42,298,274 ; poultry raised was valued at $1,407,- 

 681; eggs produced were valued at $2,571,341. Poultry 

 and errors made over one-eleventh of the total value of the 

 farm products. 



In a recent contribution to the press, that veteran editor, 

 Mr. A. F. Hunter, gave, as the result of his stud}^ of the 

 reports of the Boston Chamber of Commerce and other 

 sources of information, the following: — 



