NOTED CENTRES OF PRODUCTION 11 
eggs shipped to the eastern markets are classified as ‘‘ westerns ”’ 
and come from this section of the country. This section consti- 
tutes the “ backbone of the egg industry,” and a brief account of 
the conditions is here given (Fig. 7). 
In the Central States production is not continuous throughout 
the year, as climatic conditions affect the laying. In Kentucky 
and Tennessee the season of natural production is from December 
Fic. 7.—Noted centres of poultry production. In California the Petaluma district; 
in Massachusetts the ‘‘South Shore” Roaster district; in Rhode Island the Little Compton 
district; in New Jersey the Hunterdon and the Vineland districts. Darkly shaded States 
are the leading poultry States, lighter shaded ones come next. 
to April. During March and April the supply from Ohio and 
Missouri appears on the market; this is supplemented by eggs 
from Texas and Kansas. Later in the spring the central northern 
States, Minnesota and Michigan, supply the markets with eggs. 
The supplies of both the southern and northern sections of this 
egg belt fail to meet the demand of the consuming public. The 
population in this section is limited, and large quantities of eggs 
are shipped to the centres of population to supplement production 
in those sections. Owing to the cheap price of grain and land, the 
eggs from central sections compete very profitably with those pro- 
duced near large markets, even with lower prices and poorer 
quality. : 
The eggs produced during the early spring are usually of fine 
quality. But they are produced on farms where advantages of 
