Hard to Beat.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 2 January 1892, Page 2

Hard to Beat.

♦ ■ ■ " Diogenes " in the Press tells the following: — A wel authenticated story appeared in print some months since to the* effect that a party of boys had .made a ''corner" in sparrow eggs. They took possession of a domain and drove away all egghunter?, bo that they deed a seison with a balance of £52, for 74,880 eggs collected at 2d per^ dozen. Not cont nt with supplyi- {A. their own Road Boards, the Sparrow^ Egg Syndicate had an export trade through cousins in other districts. * Capping this story, lam informed , that certain Boards decided to have no more to do with the egg business, but announced an intention to give 2d per dozen for old and young birds. The Syndicate referred to had nearly gone into liquidation, when a 1 sixth standard boy came to the rescue —he had his eye on a machinMto making small birds. Very titnicu^M deputation of two of the compaL^Kf visited an auction mart. Thej^Y looked about nonchalantly enough/^ as though they had no idea, of purchasing. An aged storeman whom they asked if a certain boxedin article was for sale replied, " The boss would give it them to get - rid of the thing." When the I boys went to the knight of the I hammer, he, however, recollected his 7 V commission and storage." and -1 asked 103, and felt surprised to see I the youths fork over the money and ■'! take immediate delivery. "What j

followed was this : They offered their schoolmates a penny per score for eggs, and also collected themselves. They studied out the machine, which was ?.n incubator ! The first hatch ou'o of it gave them 14s worth of young" birds, which they commenced to deliver, putting & dozen or so at a time in old nests. The knowing boy, out of Standard Six, had worked . out the problem. If the Power dometticua hen can hatch out four broods of five eggs each in a season, how many can she lay if the hatch is done for her? Answer: about fifty ! Hence the Sparrow Raising and Catching Co., Limited, expects to hatch off 40,000 to 50,000 eggs and to catch 80,000 birds, obtaining a gross return of nearly £60. Beyond this they propose to have the price per dozen increased or they threaten to turn the young birds adrift. Now talk about your Carbines ! !