Iron County register., 1891-04-16
The Price of Eggs.
From the National Democrat.

| We wish that some of our readers whC
keeps hens-and many of them do-ant
who also keep accounts, would write to
Us and tell us what they got for eggs a
this time last year and what they are now
getting.
The Mckinley tariff put duty of five
cents dozen on eggs in order to catch
the votes of the farmers. Ir didn't get
| so many of those votes as were needed
last fall. The Republican papers are now
engaged in telling their city readers that
the new tariff has not raised the price oil
eggs and their country readers that it has
raised the price.
1t is compai atively simple matter to
| find cut what the man in the city pays
for eggs, but it is little difficult to fiji d
| out what the man in the country gets for
eggs, and so we wish our farmers readers
would send us some information.
II they got more for eggs the latter part
of March, 1891, than they did in the lat
Ter part of March, 1890, it may be due TO
the Mckinley tariff and it may not. The
approach of Easter always sends up the
price of eggs, and Easter came earlier
this year than it did last. This may
make a good deal of difference with COM
parative statements. And then the wealth.
er the past winter was very different from
that of the winter year ago, and this
also makes difference. In an article on
the price of eggs, the Philadelphia Ledg-
er Il few days ago said: s'Last winter
the weather was mild and open and eggs
were comparatively low about this time
ID and l6 cents being the ruling prices
There is always very heavy consump
ton OF eggs during the Easter holidays,
and the fact that that event comes a week
earlier this year than it did last year,
is considered an additional incentive to
increased prices.''
Speaking more particularly the prices
for the latter part of March the Ledger
said: The prices of eggs have fluctuated
largely within the past ten days. Under
a short supply and the close approach Of
Easter, eggs advanced to 2G cents, these
figures being reached on Saturday. That
was two weeks ago to-day. con Mon
day continues the Ledger, ''there was a
break and the price continued to fall un-
til Wednesday. when 1t reached IS cents,
but advices from othern Eastern cities re-
ceived yesterday Thursday before Easterl
indicated scarcity and Philadelphia
prices advanced to 10 and 20 cents.
The same paper mentioned a dealer III
the city who ''sbowed the reporter let
ter from Il party in Iowa-whO, about
| this season of the year, usually ships
East from to ) carloads of eggs week
under date of March Goth, that he has
no eggs at all, the cold and snow prevent
ing the hens from laying and the farmers
from getting their production TO market.
The Philadelphia market being short OF
eggs the price advanced rapidly, until it
got above that at other Eastern points.
and then came the reaction, which it is
said, was fastened by parties who had
| contracted for future delivery"
The New York Times of last week :,
somewhat more anxious than The Ledger
to make point against Major Mckinley.
said:
The wholesale price of eggs toward the
end of March, 1880, was about IA cents per
dozen; but this year the price is over %
cents per dozen, a difference of ovar cents,
which in the retail business means a differ
ence of from 10 to 10 cents per dozen.
Formerly Boston and other New England
cities drew heavily on Prince Edward Island
and Newfoundland for eggs, but this year
no eggs can be obtained from those sources
because the tariff has been practically pro-
hibitory, and the Eastern cities have been
obliged 20 get their supplies to great ex-
tent from the West.
This new demand from the NeW England
States has tended to keep up prices, aud It
has been reported that Chicago spectators
have already offered to pay Western farmers
Il cents per dozen for egg for the remain
der of the year.
We should like to know whether the
farmers who keep hens are really getting
the increased price which the New Y ork
ers are paying. If they are it may be due
to the unusually early Easter, or to the
difficulty of getting the eggs to market,
but the first and most important question
is, how much more the farmer gets for
EGGS than he did last year.
The following ingenious story from the
Tombstone. Arizona, PrOspcctor, is inter
esting, but we are not sure that it Is eX-
actly true:
Since the duty on eggs has been the rule
many devices have been thought of for man
ufac,urpg them. The idea of Nogaies
man is, however, the only feasible scheme
up to date. His proposition is to feed hens
on the cheap grain OF Mexico and have them
lay in the United Statess For this purpose
a long building will be placed on the line.
half in Mexico and half in the United States
They will feed and water in the Mexican end
and when they want to lay they go to the
further end of the building, and in that way
escape paving the duty. The protector Of
this enterprise came from Maine.
Tho Craat Tariff Year,