WHAT BRANCH OF THE BUSINESS? 
Western frozen: 
Fowls, choice ............cccccceee eee 14c 
Broilers, choice .............ceeeceees 18-20c 
Hgegs: 
Nearly fancy ............20cceeee 26c¢ 
Western choice ............ceeee 174%-18%c 
To complete our comparison I turn to the previous winter 
and find that the best storage eggs are quoted at 19c, when the 
best fresh are selling at 35c. This was a poor storage season 
and a quotation of 22c and 25c would perhaps be a fairer 
comparative figure. We find the per cent. of premium on the 
local product to be: 
Fowls, local over fresh western .......... T per cent. 
Fowls, local over frozen western......... 7 per cent. 
Broilers, local over fresh western..... «14 per cent. 
Broilers, local over frozen western...... 26 per cent. 
Eggs, local over fresh western........... 30 per cent. 
Beggs, local over storage western......... 37 per cent. 
I consider these general facts concerning the failure of 
broiler production, and the logical explanations given, as far 
more convincing than any figures I could give concerning the 
detailed cost of production. Nor am I capable of giving as 
accurate figures as I can in the case of poultry keeping for 
egg production, for I have had neither the desire nor the op- 
portunity to look them up. The following suggestive analysis 
I submit for the purpose of pointing out why the cost of pro- 
duction is too great to allow a profit. We may consider the 
chick marketing as May, the weight as 1%, and the price as 
35 cents a pound, or, putting it roundly a price of 50 cents a 
bird. 
Now, May broilers mean February eggs. If the reader will 
refer to the tables of hatchability and mortality he will see 
that for our northern states this is one of the worst seasons 
for hatching. A hatchability of 40 per cent. times a liveability 
of 50 per cent. gives a net liveability of 20 per cent. Now, 
anyone with the ability to produce high grade eggs at that 
time a year, could get about 40c a dozen for them, which raises 
the egg cost per broiler to about 17 cents. The feed cost per 
broiler is small, usually estimated at 12 cents, and this makes 
a cost of 29 cents. Now, let us allow a cent for expense of sel- 
ling charges and forget all about investment, fuel and inciden- 
tals, we have left a margin of 20 cents. 
Before going farther let us look at the labor bill. Suppose 
it is a one-man plant. Suppose the owner sets a value on his 
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