Massachusetts proved that corn was a better food for layers than wheat, and that the prejudice against it was founded on a misapplied theory.
The New York Station at Geneva demonstrated that poultry generally, and ducks in particular, are not vegetarians, and must have meat to thrive and that vegetable protein will not make good the deficiency.
The Maine Station was chiefly instrumental in introducing trap-nests, curtain front houses and dry feeding. The breeding work at Maine will be discussed at length in the last section of this chapter.
The United States Department of Agriculture did not take up poultry work until 1906. The publications issued by the department before that time were written by outsiders and printed by the Government.
The following is the list of the addresses of the experiment stations who have taken a leading interest in poultry work. It is not worth while giving a list of poultry bulletins, as many of them are out of print and can only be consulted in a library.
Maine—Orono.
Mass.—Amherst.
Conn.—Storrs.
Rhode Is.—Kingston.
New York—Ithaca.
New York—Geneva.
Maryland—College Park.
West. Va.—Morgantown.
Iowa—Ames.
Kansas—Manhattan.
Utah—Logan.
Calif.—Berkeley.
Oregon—Corvalis.
U.S. Gov.—Washington, D.C.
Ontario—Guelph (Canada).
Many foreign governments have us out-distanced in the encouragement of the poultry industry. Our Canadian neighbors have done much more practical work in getting out among the farmers and improving the stock and methods along commercial lines. As a result the Canadians have built up a nice British trade with which we have thus far not been able to compete. The work by the Ontario Station on the subject of incubation is discussed in the Chapter on Incubation.
Australia, like Canada, has given much practical assistance in marketing the poultry products, the government maintaining packing stations, where the poultry is packed for export. The Australian laying contests are quoted in the present volume. They outclass anything else in the world along that line.
In England, Ireland and especially in Denmark, the government, or societies encouraged by the Government, have done a great deal to develop the poultry industry. Depots for marketing and grading are maintained and the stock of the farmers is improved by fowls from the government breeding farms.
The Story of the "Big Coon."