APPENDIX. 313 



curing wild birds' eggs, and selling them at the adjacent 

 ports. 



POULTRY STATISTICS. 



To the Report of the "Committee of Supervision" of 

 the New-England Convention of Domestic Fowl Breed- 

 ers, held in Boston on the 15th of November last, I am 

 indebted for the following extract : — 



" Until quite recently, the breeding and rearing of 

 poultry, in this section of the country, has been con- 

 sidered too insignificant an article of stock to require 

 any, or very little notice. , 



" The rearing of poultry, as will be shown, is certainly 

 not the least important article of stock to the farmer; 

 and the subject is now beginning to assume an import- 

 ance which the committee hope may produce an honor- 

 able competition at our fairs — for the best stock, that 

 stock whichever it may be, that shall give the best fowl 

 — those giving the greatest amount of meat with the 

 least offal — and which shall at the same time give the 

 largest number of eggs, or return in profit, for the 

 amount invested. 



" That the rearing of poultry for market can be made 

 profitable, the committee could produce facts from well- 

 authenticated sources, which should convince the most 

 incredulous ; but they will omit doing so in this report, 

 and confine themselves to a few statistical remarks. 



" The article of poultry is readily converted into 

 money, and is probably, quite as readily prepared for 

 market as any other article of stock produced on the 

 farm. The expense of feeding the best stock is no more 

 than would be the expense of feeding and rearing the 

 poorest dunghill fowl, while the return shows a heavy 

 balance in favor of the large-bodied and fine-meated 

 fowl, with little offal. 



" Our convenience to the London markets, by the aid 

 of steamers weekly, enables the farmer through the egg 

 merchant, to make sale of his surplus" eggs in that 

 quarter. 



'" The amount of sales of poultry at the Quincy 

 Market. Boston, for the year 1848, was six hundred and 

 14 



