THE POULTRY INDUSTRY 327 



but buy baby chicks from special hatching establishments. 

 Birds are kept in flocks and given considerable range. The 

 Petaluma district produces eggs of exceptionally fine quality 

 which bring a high price. 



In Vineland, in southern New Jersey, is another intensive 

 egg producing plant. Here flocks of from 500 to 1000 birds 

 are kept, and extremely intensive artificial methods prevail. 

 Most of the poultrymen do their own hatching and rear- 

 ing, and care for the chicks themselves. White Leghorns 

 prevail here as in California. The primary object is to 

 produce strictly fresh, white eggs for the New York markets. 

 The Vineland district is known to be one of the most inten- 

 sive specialty egg producing sections in the United States. 



Meat District. — The great mass of poultry produced for 

 food comes as a by-product from general poultry farms. 

 There are, however, two special districts concerning which 

 the poultryman should be informed. These are the capon 

 district of New Jersey, and the roaster district of Massa- 

 chusetts. Burlington County in New Jersey is primarily 

 devoted to grain raising. After the grain is harvested, the 

 birds are allowed to forage in the fields and in this way some 

 high quality poultry is produced. It finds a ready market 

 in Philadelphia at phenomenally high prices. The roaster 

 district in Massachusetts covers a small area near Hanover; 

 here are a number of small plants which do nothing but 

 hatch chickens and rear them to be sold for meat. The 

 Brahma is the prevailing breed kept. These birds grow to a 

 great size and are of fine quality at maturity. 



Poultry farms in America are of two kinds: First, there 

 are the intensive small farms, which cover only a small 

 area, but do a large business; second, and these are many, 

 the extensive poultry plants, which are scattered over a large 

 area. Along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the intensive 

 system of poultry keeping is the most common. On cheap 

 land far from market, the extensive type prevails. 



