PART VII 

 MANAGEMENT 



CHAPTER XXXIII 



THE POULTRY INDUSTRY 



Poultry keeping, as an industry, is one of the greatest 

 branches of American agriculture, and is recognized as such 

 by the Federal Government. Every ten years the United 

 States Census Bureau makes a careful study of poultry 

 conditions in the United States. The last census, taken in 

 1910, shows that there were in the United States 295,000,000 

 birds, the great majority of which were domestic fowls. 

 Ducks and geese were also found in considerable numbers. 

 The value of these birds was about $155,000,000.00, the 

 average value of a bird being figured at about fifty cents. 

 On 87 per cent of our farms poultry is raised to some extent. 

 On comparison with the census of 1900, these figures show 

 the increase in poultry is 17 per cent during the last ten 

 years. The value of the birds is greater, birds bred to-day 

 being much finer and bringing a higher price than those 

 bred years ago. In the year 1909 the United States produced 

 almost 1,600,000,000 dozens of eggs, which were valued at 

 $200,000,000.00. This was an increase in the last ten years 

 of more than ten per cent in the amount of eggs produced, 

 while the value of the eggs increased more than 100 per 

 cent. These figures show that poultry products are of great 

 economic value in providing the American people with food. 

 They also show that the price paid for poultry products is 

 rising much more rapidly than the jirice of feed which pro- 

 duces the eggs. This is an important point, as it indicates 

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