IN QUANTITY FOE MARKET. 47 



a buyer, constantly. I offer nothing for sale. All I can do in 

 the chicken-raising line is disposed of as soon as the birds are 

 big enough to eat. I constantly advertise for eggs in quantity 

 for hatching, and I can always dispose of five to ten thousand 

 at a time, could I procure them fresh and reliable for incubation." 



He now has the capacity for hatching and rearing in a twelve- 

 month a quarter of a million chickens, and he is ambitious to 

 double this production, for he is certain of a ready market 'for 

 them all, as the weeks and months go by, annually. There is 

 no limit to the product, indeed, when managed upon Mr. Baker's 

 system. And, though there be few Americans who wiE ever 

 approach this gentleman, probably, for extent of operation in 

 this sort of enterprise, yet, in a more moderate way, where 

 hundreds instead of thousands of dollars need to be invested, 

 and where the poultry-raiser is contented with hatching tens of 

 hundreds of birds for market, instead of tens of thousands, the 

 example of Mr. Baker may well and profitably be emulated. 

 But it will need brains, patience, culture, tact, experience and 

 ready means, as well as a love of the work, to insure success 

 upon this plan, even on the far lesser scale. 



The magnitude of this splendid undertaking, as conceived and 

 carried out by Mr. Baker, is altogether exceptional in the way 

 of raising domestic poultr}'. There is no establishment like this 

 in the known world, considered either as to cost, extent or mode 

 of management. On a small scale, comparatively, we have had 

 steam-hatched and other artificially incubated chickens, both in 

 this country and in England, in the past twenty years. But it 

 has been left to an enterprising, talented, scientific and wealthy 

 American to achieve this crowning triumph in the " art of hatch- 

 ing and raising domestic fowls " in large quantities successfully, 

 and eventually to good profit. 



This has been accomphshed, however, after long and careful 

 experiments in every conceivable way ; and the skilled operator 

 has not only devoted years of time and constant toil to his work, 

 but he has expended and invested in actual cash upon this enter- 

 prise, what most of us would esteem a very pretty fortune, by 

 itself — seventy to eight}' thousand dollars! 



Although everything about this mammoth establishment is so 

 extensive, the simplicity and economy of the entire arrange- 

 ments are strikingly apparent. Nothing appeal's to be lacking 

 for the oomfort, shelter and accommodation of the fowls, old 

 or young ; and an enormous sum of money must evidently have 



