St. Landry democrat., 1889-08-17
CREOLE EGGS
Which are Fcndly Credited With re
rennial Freshness.

WHERE THEY ARE GROWN AND BY WHAT
PROCESS THEY ARE PRESERVED
FEW TRICKS OF THE TRADE THAT ARE
WORTH KNOWING.
An egg has ever been a mystery. just
now the housekeepors of this city are
facing the twin mysteries of price anu
freshness. There is an old time connec-
tion between eggs and Easter, but 1t mas
never yet been explained why it is that
lust when Easter approaches, whether tha'
memorable church feast strikes the sharp
chill days of early March or fingers along
in the balmy days of latter April, there is
a. sudden drop in the price of eggs, ana
shop keepers vie with each other in work
ing up big figures for the quarter dollar
which seems TO be the standard measuring
coin for dealers in that commodity
In conversation with prominent whole
sale egg merchant in the city, who desls
in every available market in and out of the
State, a States reporter was enabled, IN
Quiet way, to obtain much information
with reference to what is called 'Creole
eggs" and eggs generally. =,
Shop keepers in New Orleans, he salo,
have long been in the habit of marking
over their alluring figures the false legeno
that the 'hen fruit on sale is ''fresh' and
"Creole" Therein. continued the mef-
chant is a prevarcation. There is nothing
fresh about the whole business but the
purchaser and the eggs in the generality
of instances are the product of the farms
in Ohio, Mississippi or some other or the
States of the Union. Hens afar OFT IN ONO
are following the dictates and impulse OF
nature, but their product is hardly entltleo
to be STYLED fresh laid'' and "Creole
The shop keeper will of course say he buys
fresh eggs SO he does, as they are known
| in the trade in contradlstlnctlon To
'.limed" eggs but when he puts up a
| flaming poster of fresh laid Creole eggs
he gives the confding public to under
stand that they are direct from the ws1n
| nest of the mother hen. A trade fresh egg
may be of very uncerla ain age. 1t re,
mains fresh so long as the specu latlVe
dealer dares to hold on to it for higher
price. He keeps it as cool as possible and
as quiet too and then by frequent "cand-
! ling or examination of the individual egg
with strong light, he manages to pIck
out those eggs, which he is convinced
would not pass muster, being themselves
musty. The "otf-color" eggs, these
against whose integrity he Lad strong
grounds of suspicion, the dealer sells tt
the cake makers, who declare that an egg
of this character is far better for their pur
poses than the fresh product. The mar
at breakfast however, demands an egg
which has that peculiar flavor which Cal
only be found in one not worn smooth
with much handling, nor preserved by
any of the tricks and lodges OF the trade
from actual disintegraticn.
There is an enormous speculation, con
tinued the merchant, in eggs; and they
are held for future" delivery, and solo
before product in, short and long, just al
cotton grain, or any other food products
used in the gambling exchanges.
In New York and the Western cities
where the egg trade is made a specially
the past has not been q very prosperous
one for this sort of business to those wh'
have been on the "long" side. The ex
pected high rates just before Easter las
did not come and large stocks of thes'
fresh eggs which were held over had t
be closed out before they emphasized thei
presence.
Just now Western eggs in this marke
range az price from IA to Is cents Pc
dozen and the Louisiana or Creole pro
duct from II to IS cents so that when
eggs are consumed in this market regularl
every week, and that judging from tn
signs displayed throughout the city, nearl
all are Creole eggs, the fearful strain
on the average hen that is so unfortunat
as to have been boiI "Creole," can readi
" be appreciated N 0. States.