The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-06-02
The Largest Poultry Farm In the World.

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try farm on an extensive scale, although
profitable on paper, was impraeticable in
fact. In support Of this hundreds Of cases
are cited where many men have wrecked
their fortunes in the vain endeayor 10
succeed in an undertaking Of this descrip-
tion. We are surprised to find, however,
that modest gentleman Of Cresskill, N.
/, has succeeded where his competitors
have failed. Mr.. William G. Baker has
expended in his numerous buildings and
experiments during the past few years
S75, 5,00U, by means ofwhich be has brought
the production Of chickens, ducks and
turkeys absolutely under his own control,
limited apparently only by the number of
eggs which he can procure.
The chickens are produced by artificial
heat through an incubator Of Mr.. Bakers
construction, the capacity of which is now
estimated at l40, 900 chickens per year,
and which the proprietor intends to double
during the next few months. This ineu.
bator is the secret Of success Of this enter
prise. 1t consists in a number Of cases
Of shallow drawers or shelves upon which
the eggs are carefully placed. They are
Matched by means Of heat from hot water
pipes running Immediately on the top Of
each layer of eggs, which is supposed TO
be nearly similar to that conveyed from q
hens body. The eggs in the trays are
turned daily as their natural attendants
would do if on the nest. The heat is most
attentiyely regulated SO as to maintain an
even temperature, the consequence Of
which is that little chicks are pecking their
way out their shells all day long and every
day without the aid of a 'biddy." These
younglings are allowed to remain two or
three hours in their tray after they leave
the shell and are then removed to the
brooding house.
This is building divided into fifty
compartments, covered with glass. In
each Of these compartments one hundred
young chicks are kept until three weeks
old, when they make good sized broiers.
Each Of these pens is provided with
patent hen mother "a pan filled with hot
water and lined underneath with blanket
ing,) fixed close to the ground, underneath
which the young chicks creep for extra
warmth. They are transferred from this
To the laying house unless killed or sold
preyiously,) which is building nearly FIVE
hundred feet long, divided into seventy
five apartments, glazed on one side, aud
provided with nests, roosts, dust baths
and all kinds Of chicken fxings. Each
pen accommodates about twenty hens.
The whole building is heated by steam,
and constantly kept at summer tempera-
turc, Everything is kept scrupulously
clean, and the result is that Mr. Baker is
rarely troubled with sickness of any kind
among his fowls All the eggs produced
in the laying house are given to incubators
in addition to which large number are
brought TO keep up the constant demand
made by the apparatus.
There is also an extensive system for
forcing fowls to become corpulent even
against their own desires. They are con-
fined in boxes, each of which is large
enough to accommodate only one bird, and
are fed by hand from mess tub by means
Of flexible tube which forces the crop
full by single movement. By this pro-
cess the weight of fowls can be doubled in
three weeks
The magnitude of this undertaking is
entirely out Of the usual order of things,
and is certainly unequalled in this country
or England. In France some extensive
operations are carried on, mainly, however,
by natural means. In Egypt the artificial
incubation is managed more successfully
than in any part Of the world, and it has
been supposed that some popularity of that
climate enabled the professors of this art
to succeed, but the eminent results attain
ed by Mr.. Baker lead us to hope that
Yankee enterprise will take the lead in
this as it has in everything else.