62 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



fresh eggs, with the reputation of an honest j)oultryman be- 

 hind them, are never a drug on the market in Massachusetts. 



I know of a young man in this State who five years ago 

 started a 1,500-hen poultry plant for the production of eggs. 

 He had formerly been engaged as head salesman in a city 

 store, so had a general knowledge of business methods, but 

 was without experience in poultry culture or farm prac- 

 tice. The eggs from the plant are wholesaled to the mar- 

 kets in a city of the Connecticut valley, and without excep- 

 tion bring from 2 to 5 cents more per dozen than other 

 strictly fresh local eggs, because all are sorted, cleaned, and 

 marketed in an attractive package. Every egg sold from 

 the place is an advertisement of it, as each bears the name 

 of the owner in indelible ink, which is a guarantee of quality 

 and freshness. 



The man who pays a fancy price for a setting of eggs 

 from a winning pen of Boston or New York White Wyan- 

 dottes, and gets half Brown Leghorn chicks in the hatch, 

 has no words of praise for the j^arty who sold the eggs. 



Another requisite for success, where a specialty is made 

 of producing pure-bred stock, is the liberal and judicious use 

 of printer's ink and the show rooms for advertising. 



One may sit in his hen house for days, admiring the 

 beauties of his birds, without the members of the fraternity 

 knowing of the existence of the flock. Contact of breeders 

 in the shows stimulates competition, creates enthusiasm, 

 leads to an exchange of ideas and the sale of stock and eggs. 

 The winning of a blue ribbon in one of the large shows 

 gives the exhibitor a temporary business acquaintance with 

 every breeder of the same variety in the country. To main- 

 tain this acquaintance, it is necessary that the name of the 

 successful competitor be kept constantly before the poultry 

 people. 



There comes to my mind the case of a small breeder who 

 very unexpectedly captured first prize in one of the large 

 shows, on a pen of birds which at the time were coming into 

 great popularity. From the start thus obtained, by judicious 

 advertising and exhibitions he built up a large and lucrative 

 trade and an enviable reputation among breeders that con- 



