The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-04-04
GIVE FRESH EGGS
TO THE FARMERS
Kansas Agricultural College
Plans to Better Stock
Of Poultry.
CAUSES A BIG SENSATION


IN PAPERS ABOUT THE TIME
HEN FRUIT WAS SCARCE AND
PRICES HIGH.
Manhattan, Kan, April 4.-When
the poultry department Of the Kansas
State Agricultural college made the
offer OF free settings Of eggs to the
farmers OF Kansas 1t never dreamed
OF the consequences that this offer
has brought.
The offer was made by little no.
tice In the newspapers to the effect
that "the poultry department OF the
Agricultural college Is DESTROYS OF
sending out over the state eggs from
pure bred poultry free of charge. Any
one wishing to take advantage of this
opportunity to add some pure bred
stock to his present flock should ad-
dress the poultry department, Kansas
State Agricultural College"
starts . Sensation.
Now. that little notice appeared in
the newspapers about the time the
price of eggs was soaring around the
highest pinnacles, and consequently 1t
was read by every one who reads
newspapers, especially as the editors
made II conspicuous by placing 1t un-
der headlines like What, Eggs Free
of Charger" or *. 8. A. G. Giving
Away EGGS" etc.
The ink Of the press notices was
h - ApV, he hA }s1rs - ~
pouring In to the poultry department
concerning those free eggs" From
all over the state at first the letters
arrived. and later this onslaught of
questioning missives from Kansas
was added to from Oklahoma, Texas.
Missouri. Colorado and other states.
Il became q national affair.
The letters arrived at the rate of
shout five hundred day. Finally. as
the number Of inquiries rapidly APP
preached the 1000 mark and as hum
dreds were arriving every day. the
philanthropic poultry department,
realizing that 1t would be almost
impossible to even answer SO many
letters and certainly impossible to
supply 40 many farmers with eggs,
hurried off dispatches to the newspa-
pers stating that the department was
swamped with requests for free set
tings and requesting that no more In
quiries be sent in.
The object Of the department, in
making this offer was threefold:-0
First. to give the farmers q chance
to get start with pure bred chick
ems: second, to enlarge the college
flock. and third, to get the names of
the farmers who are interested in
poultry raising. The desire to get
list Of farmers interested in poultry
raising certainly has been satisfied,
md the prospects for the realization
Of the other objects are bright.
Used Six stsnographers.
Six stenographers attacked the pile
of letters and postal cards. and for
several days were busy with these
1nterrogations. The universal question
was. How can we get them?" and
the department answered this by send
ing out $500 replies stating the con-
ditions under which the free eggs
would be sent out.
It was impossible to answer more
queries except by postal cards tell
ing them that there requests had
been received too late. Farmers who
already have good pure stock will
not be supplied. Here are the condi-
lions that the farmer must agree to
before the eggs will be sent to him:
The farmer must agree to keep a
record OF the fertility and hatchibil-
1ty Of the eggs and give one chicken
out Of every four raised to Septem.
Der to the college.
The majority of the letters received
were from farmers who wanted to get
the free eggs for the purpose Of i'm
proving the stock of their flock, but
many OF those who wrote were mere
" curious and showed q something
Tor nothing" spirit. Some, perhaps,
city dwellers, doubtless thought this
IN excellent opportunity to get eggs
Tor table use. It seemed much more
convenient than paying forty-five
cents . dozen for them, Many letters
were amusing. One women sent her
photograph, for what reason she did
not say. but presumably to insure her
being ION the ground floor" Several
wrtterS asked that they might be fav-
orcd with Thoroughbred college
egge."
The pervereo comsma.
That curious and now stereotyped
6lundsr Of punctuation which gives
- God rest You. merry gentlemen"
% m inferior substitute for the