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HE total value of poultry and eggs in the United States during 1912 amounted to $570,000,000. The figures for 1913 are not yet available, but so far as can be determined, the value will be a little greater than for 1912. Because of the scarcity of beef the demand for fowls has been greater and more attention paid to their production. Of this $570,000,000, $350,000,000 was the value of the eggs and $220,000,000 the value of the fowl. This was almost equal to the value of the wheat crop, was greater than the oats crop, and three-fourths the value of the cotton crop. These figures are low. In making estimates of the value of poultry only the country farm poultry and that raised in commercial plants are taken into consideration. There are hundreds of thousands of fowls kept in village back lots and even in the larger cities, so that the magnitude of the poultry industry is not really known.

Now, is there really a profit in keeping fowls? Of course, it depends somewhat upon the man, but on the whole, it is exceedingly profitable. They can be kept on every farm; they can live on feed much of which would otherwise be wasted; they supply very wholesome table delicacies, not only as meat, but as eggs. With the decline of the beef cattle industry, poultry is bound to become more and more important.

What can actually be accomplished in a small way is easily demonstrated. I always believe in giving experiences and to show what can actually be done I am going to relate my own experience with a few hens during the first six months of 1912. What I have accomplished is not exceptional; many others have done a whole lot better. If I can do this well in a big city where feed is largely purchased, does it not go without saying that poultry kept under more favorable conditions is infinitely more profitable?

During the first six months of 1912 I secured from 21 hens on a small city lot in the northern part of Chicago 1,687 eggs. These eggs at then current market prices for so-called fresh eggs in Chicago would have cost $63. The feed I

had to buy, the straw used for nests, the fixtures for the house, the seed oats used for producing sprouted oats for feed cost me $14.80, leaving a profit of $48.20. I happen to have a fine garage, but no automobile, so I made this garage over into a chicken house, and, of course, it is a good one. My mother, who lives down in the central part of the state, sent me 21 grade Barred Plymouth Rock pullets. They were not very early chickens, so I did not secure many eggs up to January 1. I kept no record of the eggs up to that time, but thinking that I would like to know just what I secured and the cost of producing the eggs in the city, I kept a careful account of the money I spent and every day recorded the number of eggs gathered. My egg record for the six months is as follows: January, 115; February, 241; March, 321; April, 408; May, 330; June, 272. This is a total, as I stated above, of 1,687.

In making my calculations, I placed a value of 60 cents a dozen upon the eggs produced during January, February and March, 1912; prices same months in 1913 were lower. This is what so-called fresh eggs were selling for in Rogers Park, where I live. For the remaining three months I have given the value at 35 cents a dozen, which is considerably lower than the same kind of eggs could have been secured in my locality. It will be noted that the heaviest production was in April. After that time some of the hens became broody and had to be broken up. I also set a few of them in order to raise a few pullets for laying the following winter and also a few roosters for eating. The eggs represented more than the money value indicated, for they were fresh every day and were much better than the very best eggs obtained in the Chicago market.

The feed consists primarily of table scraps. We have a family of usually about six, and, of course, there is considerable refuse from the kitchen. All of this is carefully taken care of and fed. Potato parings are boiled, bones are broken up so they can be eaten. Of course, lettuce and cabbage leaves and other refuse of this kind are fed fresh, as they have a high

value. When Mrs. Shamel orders a roast of beef, I always insist that the beef bones, usually taken out and retained by the butcher, be sent along. We usually have at least one roast a week.

The grain feed, consisting of the ordinary poultry mixture, is secured from the feed store. I don't know exactly what it contains, probably a low grade of wheat, a little barley, a little kafir seed with some sunflower seed and probably other grains. This was all the grain they were given, except sprouted oats.

I kept about ten small boxes around my furnace in the basement. In the bottom of each box I placed about 11⁄2 inches of coal ashes and on top of this a good layer of seed oats about one-half inch deep. These were kept watered and I usually had a box of these sprouted oats to feed every other day. In my opinion the oats had a good deal to do with the egg production, although, of course, the variety in the table scraps was also conducive to an abundance of eggs.

For grit, I kept constantly before the chickens fine gravel picked up along the shore of Lake Michigan; also a box full of finely broken limestone, such as is used for ballasting rail

road tracks. Then when the hired girl broke a dish I pounded this up, as it supplied a little different form of grit.

I took good care of the hens. I wasn't fussy about it at all, but at least once a week I thoroughly cleaned the chicken house, changed the straw in the nests, and sprayed the entire interior of the building with a mixture of kerosene and water. This year I am using lime and water. The floor of the house is concrete, consequently I had to keep this pretty well covered with straw. I was careful that the house was well ventilated but not drafty. I put a lot of glass in the south wall, making it possible to have plenty of sunshine even in the winter, provided there was any sunshine. The chickens had the run of a small yard, but did not go out much in the extremely cold weather.

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