The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1921-01-06

] cess as farmer of an irrigated tract
+ One day a hen came within the
range of Mr.. Cantwelps vision. Her
industry interested him. He observed
that the same climate and environ
ment which had restored him to health
stimulated the old biddie to cackle
over new-lain eggs in winter as well
as in summer. 1t was then that Mr..
Cantwell corralled an idea and pro-
ceeded to harness it. Up to that time
his farming had been of the hit and
miss variety. The kind that jumps
around from one crop to another based
on last years markets with more
misses than hits. Up to that time his
chief endeavor had been to make his
land grow something anything. He
was now determined to make his farm
grow chickens, not by the dozens, the
hundreds, but by the thousands and
even tens of thousands.
Since that time the idea has been
kept pulling in the harness and every
year on the &c Egg Ranch has been
one of bigger things and more chick
ems. Old hen houses have been torn
down to make way for larger ones,
larger ones have been made still larg-
er by new additions, setting hens have
been put off their jobs by incubators
which in turn have been replaced by
newer and better incubators, the old
feed bin has grown into store house
that would do credit to a moderate
sized feed store, and the name and
fame of the ranch has spread far be-
yond the boundaries of it's own home
county and state.
Last year Mr.. Cantwell turned out
from his battery of four mammoth
Buckeye incubators, between 100000
and $4,000 day old chicks which he
shipped to hundreds of poultry rails
ers in the states of Washington, Ore
gon, Idaho and Montana. This year
he will hatch 10000 chicks and next
year he expects to treble the present
capacity of the plant. He has scores
of steady customers who place repeat
orders as regularly and as surely as
the Matching season comes. Every
year orders for chicks are greater
than he can fill and already he has
booked orders for the delivery of
thousands of chicks next spring.
Fifteen hundred pure bred, select
ed S. C. White Leghorn pullets and
hens are busy scratching, singing,
laying, not only eggs but the founda-
ton for bigger and better plant.
Today the buildings that accommo-
date the hens cover floor space of
over 5000 square feet Next year
an additional 1000 feet will be added
and the flocks increased to $500 or
5000 hens.
Nothing ever happens on the &c
Egg Ranch. Everything is studied,
planned, systematized and carried out.
according to schedule. Feeds are
purchased in carloads and the buying
end of the business is no small task
within itself. The grains bought thus
in bulk are ground, mixed, compound
ed and are fed in carefully weighed
and balanced portions.
Breeding is conducted on scientific
lines and toward a definite goal. Mr..
Cantwell is breeding toward the util-
ity type of White Leghorn. Year af-
ter year he has not only increased his
flock in numbers but the size Of the
individual bird. He is successfully
combining egg producing qualities
with weight. The goal he has set is
flock of 30O-egg hens which will tip
the scales at not less than four pounds
as pullets. Last year trap nests
We're installed and today there is. no
hen on the ranch that did not lay at
least $50 eggs as pullet. This year
his best breeding pens will contain no
hen that has not attained 300-egg
record.
lain W JIG Duoy AiAhoSSA " eAi0
place and he will tell you that the &c
Egg Ranch is today only in its begin
ming. He has another idea corraled
and he is going to put it to work. The
writer entered the royal palace
through the portals Of which none
but the 3OO-eggers may pass. "See
this hen and that one over there"
said Mr.. Cantwell as he pointed out
two of the flock. s'Those are the
mothers of the future flocks of the
&c Egg Ranch. One Of them laid 16O
eggs from February 16 last to Octo-
Der 1 and the other 1853 eggs from
February 10 to October 1. They are
both fine, big, vigorous birds. l
am going to scour the country for
the very best male bird / can find.
From this mating am going to build
nv future flocks and believe me they