CHAPTER XIII. 



Products and By-Products. 



Producing the eggs and rearing the chicks forms but a 

 part, and perhaps the smallest part, of the poultryman's 

 business. In order to make money he must'market the product 

 to the best advantage. It is here, I am convinced, that the 

 majority of poultrymen fail. They are not good business 

 men. They work hard enough, but do not calculate closely 

 and do not sell at the right time or at the right place. In 

 these days when competition is so close and the margin for 

 profit so narrow, the difference between profit and loss in the 

 poultry business may consist in the manner in which the 

 product is put on the market. 



The man who keeps but a few hens and does not make 

 poultry raising his principal occupation, will probably do 

 better to sell his eggs and poultry to his regular grocer than 

 to hunt up private customers. It is true that he may receive 

 a cent or two a dozen more if he sells at houses, but this is 

 more than offset by the loss in time. The grocer is not so par- 

 ticular about his eggs, as long as they are fresh, as is the pri- 

 vate customer, and will take eggs of all sizes and colors. It is 

 true he does not wish to pay in cash, but the profit on his 

 goods is about the only profit he makes on the transaction ; for 

 the grocer is often compelled to sell eggs for just what he gave 

 for them. The grocers are the great buyers of eggs through- 

 out the land. 



The man who keeps hens on a larger scale, and who wants 

 to make the most out of the business with the least trouble, 

 will do well to make an arrangement with a city grocer to ship 

 him a certain number of cases each week throughout the year. 

 The poultryman should go to the city and see the grocer per- 

 sonally. The chances are he will get an order. This is far 

 more profitable than selling to the local grocer. In the town 

 where I live I have seldom known eggs to go above 30 cents 

 a dozen, and they remain at this figure but a short time, while 

 in the cities to the south of us they sometimes sell as high as 

 45 or 50 cents. 



The poultryman who produces a gilt-edged product can 

 often market to private customers to advantage. The hotels 



