HAPPY HOLLOW FARM 277 



could afford to seek a direct and a better mar- 

 ket, by advertising or otherwise. Had we had 

 plenty of working capital it would have been 

 good business to set about making direct con- 

 nections, looking to the years to come ; but that 

 would have absorbed at least as much as our 

 surplus would bring us. There must be noth- 

 ing haphazard in the marketing, if profits were 

 to be realized. That preparation would have 

 taken a great deal of time, too ; and more time 

 would have to be spent in keeping records, in 

 studying good methods, and generally in put- 

 ting the business on a business basis. Yes, one 

 of us would have to give all his time to the hens 

 for two years without any net profit. 



And a considerable working capital was de- 

 manded for other things than advertising and 

 making our market. We hadn't forecast how 

 large an investment we should be called upon 

 to make in feed. Though our small farm flock 

 had cost next to nothing in that way, we should 

 have to feed grain worth $500 or more in ma- 

 turing our five hundred pullets and carrying 

 them over to the next season. We hadn't so 

 much money right then that we felt was avail- 

 able for that use. 



And there was the matter of housing. In 



