32 POULTRY FARMING 
a surer income, year after year, on the moncy invested than any 
other business with which the farmer is connected. The time has 
passed when it was the unanimous opinion that poultry does not 
pay. There are too many men actively engaged in it and making a 
comfortable living, as well as too great a number with yearly incomes 
well up into the thousands, for there to be any doubt in the matter. 
It-has been proved over and over again that failure cannot be laid 
to the business, but to the man at the head of the business. 
There is no danger of the business being overdone for many 
years to come, because the demand is greatly ahead of the supply 
and is constantly on the increase. The United States is compelled 
to import millions of dozens of eggs, besides other poultry products, 
each year to keep up with the demand. There have been times 
when the prices would fluctuate out of season, due to speculation 
in cold-storage products, but with better laws governing the storage 
of products this becomes less possible. There need never be any 
fear of large combines being formed to “ freeze out” the small 
producer, because the industry is composed of thousands of small 
units, and the middleman or dealers must have their products. 
It is possible to make enormous profits from the poultry busi- 
ness, some of our noted breeders making $30,000 or over in one 
year. On the other hand, there are men who, to all outward 
appearances equally as well fitted for the work, have lost that 
much on poultry in a very short time. 
Great mistakes are made by the uninitiated in figuring profits 
on paper. The enthusiastic amateur will usually work it out as 
follows: One hen will lay twelve dozen eggs a year, which at 
twenty-five cents a dozen will bring in three dollars. It costs one 
dollar to feed her, which will leave a profit of two dollars per hen 
per year. If five hundred hens are kept, they will return a profit 
of $1,000, and if one thousand hens, $2,000; and so on until he 
knows he is to be a millionaire. This is not meant to show that 
this rate of profit cannot be realized. In fact many of our experi- 
enced poultrymen are doing better, but it is only after years of 
experience. Therefore, the best advice to the amateur would be 
to start in a small way and find out by actual experience just what 
can be made out of the business. In this way experience may be 
gained without having to pay dearly for it, as would be the case 
in a heavy first investment. 
Profit depends largely on cost and methods of feeding. The 
cost of poultry feed has risen considerably during recent years. 
