118 CHICKS 



ships more first class market chickens into the Boston market 

 than any two other firms. He ships regularly 300 chickens 

 ' a day in season and can triple this output at very short 

 notice. Six hundred to fifteen hundred chickens in prime 

 order are held in stock on this place, ready to supply any 

 hurry-up telephone orders. 



The size of this industry may be calculated when it is 

 known that between one and two hundred thousand dol- 

 lars are paid for this product from this locality in a single 

 season, at wholesale prices. 



The price per pound to the raiser varies from twenty-five 

 to thirty-three cents, live weight, for the choice product of 

 soft roasters at the best season, which begins in April and 

 ends about July first. The last of May to the middle of 

 June brings the best prices. Live poultry at these prices 

 enables the. buyer to count money very fast. 

 One Man's Income is $5,000. 



One man, a carpenter, besides working every day at his 

 trade, raised in one year seven hundred chicks for which he 

 received eleven hundred dollars. The next year he raised 

 eleven hundred chicks for which he received seventeen hun- 

 dred dollai;s. Later he gave all his time to rearing these 

 fancy roasters. Last season Mr. Curtis took from this 

 man's place in one and one half days six hundred thirty- 

 eight dollars worth of this product. During the year this 

 plant produced chickens enough to bring between four and 

 five thousand dollars and has been producing approx- 

 imately this amount in chickens for the past three years. 



There is not an adult hen or fowl on this place. The 

 hatching eggs are purchased in the neighborhood. Hatch- 

 ing begins last of August and the chicks are all in the market 

 before the first of July. This arrangement allows from 

 one to two months to fit up for another season's business. 



Another plant has annually produced about five thousand 

 of these soft roasters and the owner says that the first three 

 thousand will pay the bills. This means that the last two 

 thousand will give him the net profit. This makes it appear 

 that more than two-fifths of the total income is profit as the 

 last two thousand are sold at the best prices usually. 



The greater number of those engaged in this pursuit keep 



