Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1920-03-11
Miss Reba S. Mastin of Baraboo
Makes Trip to PetaIuma, Cali
fornia---Birds by Millions :
SECTION IS CONSIDERED
THE WORLDS EGG BASKET
Some Of the Coops Are Provided
With Electric Light in Order TO
Obtain More Eggs

We left Chicago on the evering OIL
the sixth, aboard the Sante Fe tram
for San Francisco, and after a plea
SAINT but uneventful ride of tcur days
we arrived at the Terry Duil1ing5,
about eleven o'clock, Tuesday night,
February 10th. We were met by rela
fives and took the Northwestern
Pacific Ferry for Sansalite, wn3re my
brother-in-law's car was waiting 10
give us our first taste of Cai'fofnia's
good roads. From Sansalite, Marion
county, to Petaluma, Sonorna county,
we. rolled over an apparently never
ending ribbon of concrete with scar
cely jolt or a jar for the forty miles.
This road takes you up and down num-
erous long winding hills andd yet the
roadbed is so smooth that the motor
seemed to have no work at all 20 make
the steepest of them on high. We
were at Petaluma in about one hour
with our journey ended, and happy
we were to retire to bed that did not
roll and rock.
Worlds Egg Basket
This is surely the worlds Egg
Besket," for here the whole populdce
thinks of nothing but poultry and
their produce. 1t is practiCa Y the
life Of the community although tne1e
is a wonderful dairy country tributary
10 the city, which is the main source
Of supply and market for tie country
fof many miles around
Have been out with my brot1er-iD'
Jaw, DR.. e. G.. Morris several times
while ne was making his round OF
calls of the numerous poultry ranches,
where he looks after the heath Of
the hocks. This is the main hatch
ing season and they are busy looa-
ing after the baby chicks which the
ranchers are brooding by the thou
sands. We stopped at one place
where they had three thousand day
old baby chicks just getting Ca their
legs and starting to look TOR something
to eat, everyone little yellow puff
balifor all you see is the White Leg
horns, which it seems makes the most
practical commercial hen.
From one point of our trip we
overlook the largest poultry rahch in
the world where fifty thousand hens
are kept. This ranch is no sleW place,
in fact visitors are not permitted to
go througn, but from our vantage
point the immensity of the place is
apparent.
The Biggest Hatchery
We also visited the Pioneer Hatch
cry which produces, more baby chicks
each year than any other hatchery
in the world but is only one Of many
similar institutions in PetalUIla. ex
cept in size. Here several thousand
chicks are Matched daily, OF which the
major part go direct to fetaluma
brooders, while the balance are ship
ped as far east as Salt Lake City and
up and down the cost from Sar Diego
to Seattle.
More Light, more eggs
It seems almost unbelievable, but
within a radius of few miles there
are estimated to be about six million
hens, which make a splendid living
for hundreds Of ranchers. S0-ne of
the hen houses are equipped with
electric lights, which are sprned On
automatically at four in the morning
so as to get the hens at wogk long
before daylight during tna Win5er
months According to stats les those
using this lighting system durAag the
winter months have increased the egg
production fifty per cent.
Trees in BIooom
1t is hard to believe that this is
February as the flowers are all in
bloom and we are enjoying the vege
tables grown here locally. Tie aca
cia trees are in full bloom now, and
while driving about the air is filled
with ther fragrance. The almond an6
early peach trees are also bursting
into bloom.
Although distance separates us
from from our home town, neverthe
less. we are keeping in touch With its
activities by means of the News"
We have several trips planned K
interesting points in the near future
as soon as we are rested from oul
journeys.
Thanking you for the prompt deli
very of the paper, ! remain,
Very respectfully,
REBA S. MASTIN.