The Original and Only, 1903

The Original and Only, page 352

...Suddenly I saw the trap nest in a new light. Before that it had been associated in my mind with big egg stories and line breeding for eggs. But it has no necessary connection with either. One needn't abuse his trap nests to make his hens too prolific for the stamina of the stock, if such a thing is possible; neither need he lie about their findings, neither he tell the truth about them if the truth is so remarkable as to look like a lie. He could keep his mouth shut in that case. There may be such a thing as a 300-egg hen, but I'm not going to be the fellow to say so….

Three Phases of the Poultry Industry, 1903

Three Phases of the Poultry Industry: A Typical "Bred to Lay" Business, Page 481

(A non-fiction profile of Dr. Charles Bricault of Andover, Massachusetts: a doctor of veterinary medicine and breeder of chickens for egg production)

What Dr. Bricault says about the part of his business that you must of necessity take his word for seems to me entitled to respect for its moderation....In the six years he has been breeding for eggs he has made a good beginning--that is all. He has come across some heavy layers. This is not the place to discuss the existence of the 200-egg hen. Doubters may be referred to the recent bulletin of the Maine Experiment Station, which reports thirty-five 200-egg hens in a total of 1000 tested, or three in a hundred. Perhaps it will not be too much to ask the cautious to believe that Dr. Bricault has had and still has his 200-egg hens; that he has bred from them; that he has made something if not the most of them. It is early yet to speak of positive results in breeding for eggs; suffice it to say that Dr. Bricault has achieved enough in that direction to encourage him to persevere.