VALUE OF POULTRY 9 



termed strictly poultry farms, or where the poultry reared is con- 

 sidered anything more than a by-product. The farms are devoted 

 to other forms of livestock or to other agricultural pursuits, chiefly 

 grain, and what chickens are kept represent small flocks, mostly 

 of indiscrirninate origin. 



Table IV. — Value of Poultry in Ten Leading States, According to 



Census of 19 io 



Collectively these flocks produce over fifty per cent of the 

 total valuation of our poultry industry, the greater part of 

 which is marketed elsewhere. The quality of the products pro- 

 duced in the Mississippi Valley is inferior to the grades pro- 

 duced in the other sections. This is especially true of eggs, and 

 is due to the fact that the average farmer does not give his 

 hens the correct care, neither does he take sufficient pains in 

 marketing the eggs promptly. The bulk of the poultry and eggs 

 produced in this section is sold to local buyers, thence to the city 

 packing houses and wholesalers. 



