Norwich bulletin., 1921-09-30
of Arriving Hartford Conn, After Transcon
 tinentaI al Train Speed.

became apparent. The details were worked out with dispatch. The first problem was the design of the ship ping box. It was found that corru- gated paper box provided the warm est, lightest and cheapest container. In the beginning about 100 chicks were put together in box. Dividing the box into four compartments with 20 chicks ill each was later found bet ter practice. Reducing the, compart-
 ments Iessened the danger of injury to the chicks when the boxes were being handled. After the boxes had been VelI- tilated enough for small chicken needs they were still found to be sui ficiently tight for cold weather protec- ton.
 Petaluma claims the honors for pro- ducing the first satisfactory incubator L. c. Byce began manufacturing them there in 1879. His invention coupled
 with the discovery that baby chicks l could be shipped led to the rise of the hatcheries. One hatchery turned out 974,214 chicks last year. There are three more that can set a quarter
 of 4 million eggs at one time.
 ! The hatcheries operate throughout the year. The mild fall and winter l weather characteristic of California
 makes possible a continuous industry
 as producing eggs for the market. Con seQuently very few poultry farmers in i the Petaluma district hatch their own i chickens. They buy them from the 1 hatcheries just as the hatcheries secure 1 their eggs from the poultry farmers.
 The care exercised by the hatcheries l in selecting their eggs has done much l to improve the industry They restrict i their orders to the farms which are known to produce eggs of the highest ! fertility and best quality. There is a l standard that all eggs must meet. It
 requires that every dozen shall weigh l at least 22 ounces. The hatchery also 1 investigates the breeding of the stock. 1 Frequently it buys high-grade cock
 erels and places. them on the farms from which it is to purchase eggs.
 The existence of Petaluma is a fac tor in the commerce of California. The
 commission houses or San Francisco
 maintain branches there to buy the
 districts products. Some of the poul-
 try farmers ship direct to San Fran
 cisco to Bay City grocers, to buyers l in distant cities and to the general
 market served by the Poultry Produc- CTS of California. The Poultry Produc- CTS organization has 1450 members, the
 majority of them in Petaluma. Through it's branch Repositories eggs are can-
 dled, graded and prepared for ship ment.
 As the fame of Petaluma's industr, began to spread throughout the coun-
 try, the call for PeIa1uma eggs came
 in from points far east of the Rockies To capitalize this demand the enter.
 prising poultry men arranged with the
 railroads for freight service that rivaii
 the passenger train in its speed. Re. frigerator cars travelling on express
 schedules make 1t possible for Petalu.
 ma to deliver strictly fresh eggs t the consumer on the Atlantic coast Petaluma is also active in the buy. ing market. Poultry feed is obtatnel
 in large quantities from the San Joa- putin and Sacramento valleys Tn, scale on winch this buying is donl makes it more profitable for a Peta1u. man to purchase his feed than to rais,
 it. One man, buying for himself alon, ; purchased ST0,0O0 worth of feed las year.
 Peta1uma, ffse1f Is a thriving city For instance. it has the fourth isrgGs retail lumber business in California } Two railroads ana a steamship lin serve it's transportation neeAs.s Fin, 7 homes parks, well paved streets mod. efns schools, churches and libraries pro vide the civic Uae4gTouaA. With 1t, f614 I&eg1 5aiEliGTls in bank resources i Es Ga4d s9 i5e tGe richest city Of 600. population fn the whole country,