FOREWORD 



The poultry business, once regarded as of small conse- 

 quence, has coin© to be recognized as one of our important 

 food-supplying industries. Both the flesh and eggs of poul- 

 try have become standard articles of diet. Eggs have been 

 found to be a good substitute for meat ; people of all nations 

 eat more of them than of any other kind of food. Conse- 

 quently, there is a large and steady demand for poultry 

 products. 



Indeed, no other farm products, save, perhaps, those 

 of the dairy, give as great a return as poultry for the time 

 and money invested. Even when no especial emphasis is 

 laid upon the raising of fowls, they prove profitable to their 

 owners. On the average farm, the outlay for food for poul- 

 try is very small. They can be fed, in part, with the waste 

 from the table. They can supplement tliis food with scraps 

 and scattered grain, and with insects picked up about the 

 farm and barnyard. It is a matter of economy for a 

 farmer to keep at least as many chickens as can find a living 

 for themselves; for they do more than supply eggs and 

 meat for family use. As a rule, the eggs and fowls sold 



