Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-10
Sells Thousands of
Chicks By Long
Distance

Inspired when he was seven wears
oId by a color plate of two prize
WHITE Nyandottes in poultry
journal, {. r. Baker of Abilene. III.
bought his first chickens. These
laid the foundation for the poultrt.
business which last year. brought
MN a gross revenue of approxi-
mately $20,00000.
Here in the heart of America in
one of the attractive rcsidentiaI
districts of Abilene. is the Baker
hatchery where 250,000 chicks will
pe Matched during the 1926 season.
thousands of chickens are sold
over Long Distance and We would
seem LOST without it said Mir. Bak-
en- The Hatcheryman must count
his chicks before they are hafchod
ana DOCK his orders ACCORDINGLY
on a Matching day if the number
OF a certain variety is short we
must call on a fellow hatchervrnan
Tor heIp In turn we received like
Long Distance calls for chicks.
coming from all over Kansas. Mis-
sour, Oklahoma and sometimes
from greater distances"
Two Smith incubators with 2
capacity of 10000 eggs are located
In cement underground room \
Snort distance back of the Baker
nome. The room is kept spotlesslv
clean and one part of il is confined
as an office. where Mr.. Baker and
MS assistants may attend to other
work while looking after the in
cubator Mr.. Baker stated that
Long Distance also enables us to
Keep in close touch with our egg
patrons who help us keep our two
large lncubators going at full capac-
lty Everything is run on schedule
ana delays are exceedingly COSTLY"
Chicks are shipped within few
hours after Matching. An interest
ing thing to note is that they are
not to be fed until the third dav
after Matching. In most cases the
chlcks reach their destination by
that time.
Hatchery Well Laid Out
Across the driveway back of the
hatchery are his breeding and
orooder houses. These houses are
located on a tract of land a half a
block long which extends through
to the next street. There are
twenty pens, 40 by 56 feet. Every
pen contains a little grey house.
Four fine cherry trees are placed
in each pen. These supply shade
as well as fruit. Rose bushes were
recently planted in front OF the
pens. A fence along the driveway
Is covered with grape vines. Be
sides adding beauty to the place.
they are source of revenue.
The pens are so arranged that the
caretaker may make his rounds
without retracing his steps or pass
Ing through the same gate twice.
The yards are cultivated and wheat
or oats have been planted. This
Will supply abundance of green food
for the fowls in addition to keepine
the yards free from weeds. Null
berry trees are numerous within the
yards. The mulberries provide food
for the song birds, so that they will
not modest the cherries.
Careful attention was given to
detail with the purpose to promote
beauty as well as profit in every de-
partment. So attractive has Mr..
Baker made his place that people
from adjacent towns come to see 1t.
1t is becoming known over the
country as much for its UNIQUE
character as for the prize chickens
which are bred and Matched there.
Started as a Bow
Mr.. Baker started chicken raising
as boy, Just two blocks from
where he now lives. He earned the
money with which to buy his first
birds by hauling washings at 10
cents each. The first chickens he
bought were a pair of Bantams. It
was not long afterwards that he