Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-10-31
ANCIENT HEN FRUIT.
ONLY KIND FOR WHICH NEW YORK.
eRS ARE WILLING TO PAY.
A Pouitrymnn Declares That the
DwelIers In the Metropolis VIII
Not Give Up the Price Necessary Ia
Secure Newly Ind ERga.

"New York doesn't want fresh eggs
said a poultryman who knows to a group
Of city friends. They profcsscd to doubt
what he said, which moved him to re
mark:
III you don't believe that is true, you
try and furnish fresh egg to the New
Workers who are just ycarning for them,
as | have done, and sec if the yearners
are willing TO pay you n price that will
enable you to buy your daily bread, to
say nothing Of the butter. You all like
fresh eggs, Of course, and perhaps you
will pay a half way decent price fol-
them for a short time during the win
ter. but what about the rest of the year?
"Have you ever stopped to think that
the man who is able to supply you with
fresh eggs during the winter has had to
spend a great deal Of time in studying up
that particular subject? Are you aware
that he has been obliged to breed n lot
of hens during the spring and early sum
mer and that he has had TO feed and care
for them for six months without getting
one cent in return? Have you stopped
t. think that he must carry n stock
throughout the year in order to have the
fowls laying when you want eggs, and
~ III nplS us lUN - Ill warm anu
cXpensively built coops? And, above all
else, understand when ! say a fresh egg
| mean an egg that is no more than a
day old when it is served to you.
How many times have you eaten an
egg here that was not more than n day
old? Why, there are people in the coun-
try who make a specially of sending
into New York what they consider fresh
gtrrg which nwp ppUvvhnrn frnrn thr.a
days to three weeks old.
Il think you ought to understand that
the eggs sold in New York as strictly
fresh are any old age. The farmers
wife saves them until she has a goodly
number to sell at the local grocery or to
make a fair showing when the egg col.
lcctor comes around, for there are men
who make a business Of gathering eggs.
They have routes laid out through Ger.
tain territory. and they traverse them
once every two weeks. Thus, as you can
see. the eggs are at least two weeks oil
on the average before they get into the
hands Of the collector.
The collector keeps them in a cellar
until he gets enough together TO justify
him in making a shipment to the city,
which may be anywhere from one TO
nttNo' hNl'hhiiS VII Nv AAAAlf ~
year. Then when the commission man
receives them here he keeps them n few
days until they are sold, so that your
fresh eggs come dangerously near to be
ing a month old. That's why l can I'M
derstand that the egg dealer-and he
happens to be one Of the biggest men in
his line in the town-said he considered
every egg fresh that didn't hatch while
in transit to the city.
"Now, let me tell you why I believe
New York doesn't want fresh eggs at n
fresh egg price, if 1t wants them at all. |
shipped eggs into the city that were not
more than three hours old when they
were placed in the hands of the consumer
here. | suppose you never before heard
Of eggs so fresh as those getting into New
York? It's a fact nevertheless. When
the eggs left my place, many Of them
had only a few minutes before been tax
en- from the nests and were still warm.
The trip on the cars occupied a little
more than an hour. and within another
hour or so the express company had de-
livered them at their destination.
Those We're fresh eggs. gentlemen
not strictly fresh nor guaranteed fresh,
but plain fresh eggs.
Il found any number of people who
needed those fresh eggs to round out
their lives. They were the one thing
m~issinr-until they received the bill for
them. and then there was a time.
.NIind Won. ,hcv were charged no more
than M cents q dozen in the coolest of
winter weather for the only fresh eggs
in New York. and how they did go
on, MANY of -hom who had been most
entbrsiostic over the eggs before the bills
were sent ont refused to paw the bills on
tho grour1 ,bo+ tho eggs wore inst the
vvoret stoIo ola ogcs thar oyer had been.
whereas mono Of the eggs was more than
a hours old. and many of them, as |
have said. were not more than three
hours old.
.Whan T cornered them on the fresh.
- IVA o,,s tLoso warmers made ou
IN. nv +no,tIr
Win tbom was thot thov wanted the
orrs. but didn't want TO nav for them.
So they went back to fresh eggs from
tho cold storage nIants-hack 70 eggs
,bot ,roro six months oId-on1 were han
nv. 7 hone.
81 had one customer who bought tbs
er-s NV advice OF a physician. This mar
had tw, children who were convalescent
after an attack Of scarlet fever. The
man was In fairly comfortable circum.
stances and the physician told him the
eggs were doing his children more good
than ANYTHING else he could get. We
were selling him the eggs at 40 cents a
dozen. and when the price was raised &c
40 cents q dozen this man was up in