Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 April 1904 — Vast Value of Eggs and Poultry. [ARTICLE]

Vast Value of Eggs and Poultry.

Last year tlie poultry and eggs produced and eaten in tlie United States were worth more than all the gold and silver mined in the world duriug the same year. Except for the year 1900, tlie egg product of the country has exceeded in value that of its combined gold and silver output for every year since 1850, which takes in the entire bonanza period of our history. That,, witli the poultry product, also exceeds in value the wheat crop of 28 of the most fruitful States and territories.

Reduced to concrete terms, in 1899 the egg record of this country was 1,290,000,000 dozen. There are 30 dozen to a crate, and 400 crates to a car, so a train of cars sufficient to accommodate the transportation of nil these crates would reach from Chicago to Washington, a distance of 808 miles, and then there would remain several oars of eggs to spare. In 1900 lowa produced 99,000,000 dozen and Ohio 91,000,000, having a value of over $10,000,000 for each State. Of course, tlie incubator has considerable to do with poultry production, but ircubators do not lay eggs. In a single year tlie value of the eggs and poultry of the country has been as high as $280,000,000.