98 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODUCTION 



economic importance of "A Revolution in Egg Production," 

 if such a revolution is generally carried on : 



"During the calendar year 1909, 4,256,320 cases of eggs 

 were received in the City of New York. Each case contained 

 30 dozen, hence there were 1,532,275,200 individual eggs, or 

 enough to permit of a per capita consumption per annum of 

 321 ***** According to the report of the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture for 1907, "More than $600,000,000 must 

 be regarded as the value of the poultry and eggs produced on 

 th^ farms in 1907. The amount may easily be larger. This 

 industry has advanced at such a rapid rate that no arithmetic 

 can keep up with it." Again in 1908, he says, "The eggs and 

 poultry produced on the farms are worth as much as the 

 ***** hay crop or the wheat crop," the latter being 

 estimated at $620,000,000 for 1908. 



"In eggs and poultry, then, we have an agricultural pro- 

 duct of enormous money value, considered either individually 

 or by comparison with other agricultural productions. * * 

 * * * -pj^g output of eggs is steadily growing, but the de- 

 mand is growing even faster than the supply, due to the 

 increased price of meat, as well as a preference for eggs as 

 food ; hence, the price of eggs has gone up. In 1899 the farm 

 price was 11.15 cents per dozen, as an average for the United 

 iitates ; in 1909 the average was 19.7 cents. ***** 

 These are the prices to the producer, not the customer. The 

 latter pays from fifty to one hundred per cent more than the 

 producer receives. Some of the reasons for the increase to 

 the consumer will be discussed in this article." 



Averages and Percentages 



There is an old saying that "figures don't lie;" but many 

 so-called average and percentage records are wide of the mark, 

 because they are based on erroneous methods of arriving at 

 results. This is especially true as to the averages and per- 

 centages in egg production. 



When a hen drops out of the race, she does not do so con- 

 veniently at the first of the month, but may ask the poultry- 

 man to dispense with her services, or she may quit by request, 

 at any time during the month. 



