162 COMMON SENSE 
special plant and considerable advertising. I did not know 
enough about it to warrant me in going into it extensively, and be- 
sides that, I did not want to let anything interfere with my main ex- 
periment; but as I always had more pure-bred fowls and eggs than 
I wanted for my own use, I had no objection to selling the eggs at 
fair prices. I charged $2.00 per setting for my choicest eggs, and 
as I always purchased a few choice breeding birds and raised a few 
first class cockerels every year, this price was not high. I always 
had in my yards cockerels that had cost $10; young birds from these 
certainly ought to have been worth $2.50, which was my standard 
rate. And I readily got it, for Madame Rumour exaggerates 
everything, and it was soon bruited abroad that I was such a fool 
as to give $50 or even $100 for a cock, and that whatever money 
I had would soon be all gone at that rate. When the yards be- 
came a success, the word “fool” was left out, and I was called 
“an enterprising fellow” and a thorough judge of poultry, who 
was determined to have the best, even if it cost a hundred dollars. 
In all which the followers of her aforesaid Ladyship were greatly mis- 
taken, but, nevertheless, it helped to sell my eggs and birds, so 
that I have no special reason to complain, and have no intention 
of suing anybody for slander or libel. 
As soon as the crate system became fully known, I had orders 
for all the eggs I could produce, and none were left for sale in the 
groceries. By-and-bye, however, my production began to: fall off, 
and this was the critical period in the business. It is true that, as 
production fell off the price was raised, and so the number used was 
slightly less. A crate which in the height of the season lasted but 
three days, now lasted four or five, but, even then, the demand 
did not fall off as rapidly as did the supply, for my customers 
were of aclass that cared but little for a few cents more or less 
per dozen for eggs. If they chose eggs they had eggs, whatever 
might be the market price. Now, in failing to supply these cus- 
tomers, I ran great risk of losing them, for most of them had a 
high sense of their own importance, and indeed, I suppose some of 
them thought that if their support were withdrawn Ferniebield 
would be sold at auction. I therefore prepared a circular explain- 
