"For in nature it takes thirty years for two hundred eggs to reach maturity.

But our business is to stabilize the population at this moment, here and now.

Dribbling out twins over a quarter of a century–what would be the use of that?"

Obviously, no use at all. But Podsnap's Technique had immensely accelerated the process of ripening.

They could make sure of at least a hundred and fifty mature eggs within two years.

Fertilize and bokanovskify–in other words, multiply by seventy-two– and you get an average of nearly eleven thousand brothers and sisters in a hundred and fifty batches of identical twins, all within two years of the same age.

"And in exceptional cases we can make one ovary yield us over fifteen thousand adult individuals."

Beckoning to a fair-haired, ruddy young man who happened to be passing at the moment.

"Mr. Foster," he called. The ruddy young man approached. "Can you tell us the record for a single ovary, Mr. Foster?"

"Sixteen thousand and twelve in this Centre," Mr. Foster replied without hesitation.