Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-08-23
COlOred and UncOlOred Eggs.

i'm the cities at q considerable advance
in price over uncolored, and that he has
seen cases of all colored eggs jobbed at
five cents adozen above the price of I'M
colored and mixed lots combined by the
same persons, and to all appearance
like them in every respect but color.
He admitted, however. that he had
never received orders to .pay more for
colored, had never shipped them sepa-
rately. and had never been indicted
into the secrets of the trade; he had
merely discovered the fact that the dis
tinction was made in places where
he had been transactlng other bust
ness.
Some years ago retail dealer told
me that many of his customers preferred
the colored eggs and believed them
richer, and that in order to protect HIM
self he had been in the habit of sorting
the eggs on their arrival. and charging
more for the colored ones. and | have
known of cases where country buyers
sorted them before shipment. Since my
attention was called to the subject by
the person first named. | have made
some effort to ascertain the facts in the
ease. and the effects of the discrimina-
ton upon both producers and con-
sumers. lx.-sE
The facts in regard to the matter are
that the notion-for 1t is nothing more
than notion-is widely prevalent, that
it has been extensively propagated. that
its propagandiSts are persons in the
trade. and that they alone are profited
by it. There is not the slightest foun-
dation in fact for the theory that the
color of an egg affords any clew what
ever to its quality. If the eggs of diff
ferent species of fowls are compared, it
will generally be found that white eggs
are the richest. But in speaking of the
eggs of commerce without qualification.
the eggs of the common hen are meant,
and this discussion is limited to them.
The color of eggs depends wholly up
OR, breed. 1t is an Unborn characteris-
stic,s as much as the color of the feathers,
and is.eyen less liable to variation. But
the color, does not depend altogether
upon the breed of the hen. The breed
of the cock with which she is mated has
:, very marked effect. though perhaps
not as marked as her own. On the 9TH
er hand, Hle quality of the egg depends
almost ehfraly upon the feed given the
hen. OF course & here are certain limit
ations toAhe, etiett of feed The hen
must have enough feed of quality
adapted to egg production before she
will lay st all, so that an absolutely
poor egg is out of the question. The
ran@e of quality then can only be mar
row at the farthest. If the quality de-
pended upon the breed. as the color
theory necessarily implies, the chances
are very much in favor of the quality of
white eggs being better than that of the
colored. The egg is but the embryo
fowl, and may be supposed to possess
the same general characteristics. 1t is
admitted that there has grown up with
in a few years quite a demand in all the
principal markets of the country for vel
low-legged and yellow-fieshed fowls.
But this is not an epicurean taste, and
in refined circles they aresjustly regard
ed as coarse and rank. A rich and nu-
trlclOuS fowl Is not necessarily either.
The Dorking and other flesh-colored
fowls. and indeed some of the darker
skinned ones, are almost universally re-
garded as greatly superior to any of the
yellow skinned, and are worth very
much more in those markets patronized
by families Of means and taste. The
eggs of all these are white, land if there
is any choice in eggs upon any consfd-
Grafton of the merits of the parents,
it must be in favor of the uncolored.r,
The size of eggs has an indirect bear
ing upon the qualify. A hen that is not
well fed and well cared for will often
lay few understood eggs, and it is
generally the case that such are of a
very low quality. On the other hand,
however we'll hen is fed and cared for,
her eggs will not be very much larger
than what may be called her individual
normal size. But they may be a good deal
better than those OF the underfed hen.
Now if person cares to take pains to
study up the characteristics of the diff
ferent breeds of hens and their eggs,
there is not the least doubt in my mind
but that he can 90 into the market and
pick out an extra quality of eggs. But
the only test of quality of eggs that is
worth a cent dozen is that of a full
and healthy development, which is in
Dictated by full size and a good thick
shell. -. -..,.
Flavor is often an important consid-
Grafton in feeding hens. Hens are rather
gross scavengers, and there are many
things which they will eat if permitted,
which always affect the flavor of both
flesh. and eggs injuriously. If 1 were
buying eggs for my own family, would
not hesitate a moment about paying five
cents dozen more for eggs when 1
knew the hens were scrupulously kept
away from everything harmful and Of
fensive. though know as well as any
body else that their facility for appro-
priating what is. good and rejecting
what is bad is greater than that of most
other domestic animals. do not care
Il rush about the color fan egg or of
a fowl; but do care a good deal what
they are made of. ''
As travelling mani acquired the
habit in early life. of. eating what was
set before me without asking any ques-
tons. and have seen. all sorts of fowl
and eggs that ever found their way to
public tables, and feel quite sure that
my opportunities for: studying the fowl
and e@g question have been quite as
broad as falls to the lot of the average
dealer.-O. S. Bliss, in " !. En-
ulOiUPr