The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1909-11-26
UNTOLD riches
IN eggs.
Agriculture Bulletin Tells How to
Increase Profits in Poultry
Industry.

William E. Curtis writes the Chi
cago Record-Herald from Washington
as follows:
In his report last year Secretary
Wilson asserted that the eggs and poul-
try produced upon the farms of the
United States are worth as much as
the wheat and cotton crops, and that
the income from henhouses of the
land was one of the four or five i'm
portant sources OF the wealth of the
nation. This surprising statement is
confirmed by circular No. 40, which
has recently been issued by the de-
partment of agriculture, entitled The
Egg Trade of the United States" by
Milo NJ. Hastings, scientific assistant
animal husbandry office.
The bulletin contains about all the
information that could be gathered
concerning eggs. and the author dis
cusses the question of quality as we'll
as quantity. He tells how TO deter
mine the quality in eggs and how it
is impaired by carelessness, by Zine
| and other influences. The me, hod Of
marketing the eggs and the route
by which the egg travels from the
producer TO the consumer is describ-
ed. A chapter is devoted to cold
storage and other methods Of pre-
serving the "hen fruit" and the va
rlous REQUISITES for the production
of good eggs and improvement of the
crops in the hen house and in the
poultry yard are defined and descrlb-
ed with general Observations upon
the subject that is Of a personal in
terest to every breakfast cable.
The loss of wealth in this country
due TO the actual spelling of eggs"
Mr. Hastings asserts, constitutes an
enormous waste which could in a
given reasonable care from the time
of laying until they reached the con-
sumner"
This is due, he says, to two main
reasons: Lack d realization Of the
importance OF the egg crop and (2l
of caring for them. Under our present
the individual stOre-keeper have no
inducements for exercising greater car
and are not held accountable for care
lessness or even actual dishonesty
The store-keeper who receives eggs in
exchange for merchandise reckOns his
profit on the goods rather tEan tht
eggs, and knows that he can d spC.4
of the eggs az markc price whether
they are good or bad. Therefore he
does not encourage the farmer t.
improve the quality Of their eggs, and
by the advantage of his peculiar posi-.
ion, keeps other buyers from doing
so. Thus, Mr.. Hastings argues, the
present methods is on a false basis
and is detrimental to the progress of
one OF the most important of the
branches of agriculture.
The remedy, he thinks, Is to be
found in cooperation. The farmers
should organize TO control the egg
market and compel buyers TO estab-
lish agencies where the eggs can be
sold at prices regulated according
to their quality. At present the
best eggs are in demand at prices
ranging from one TO two cents double
the ordinary market price. In the
large cities soda fountains, clubs. high
class hotels and many private families
viii pay as high as rs cents a dozen
for The best quality, but the farmer
who has shipped them derives no ad-
vantage and the profit goes entirely
to the retailer. Under the present
system all grades, good, bad and in
ddfferent-bring the same price in
country stores, and therefore
there is practically premium on care
lessness.
Mr.. Hastings gives us an idea Of
the items that make up the cost of a
dozen eggs. Assuming that they