Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-13

eggs. 1t is predicted by expert author
tiles that the early crop will be short
because far seeing packers, anticipating
later price of 45 cents a dozen, and
encouraged by last seasons good prices,
are beginning to store eggs.
Few products have increased SO rap
idly in value as have eggs. Where the
1900 census showed a poultry and egg
valuation of something under $500 ,O00,-
900, the latest census of the bureau OF
animal industry of the national depart
ment of agriculture shows that this
valuation has reached 100000 900. OF
this Kansas alone produced Sl0,0OO,OOO
worth. The price in that time has gone
from 111a cents to 1917. Eggs furnish
over per cent of the total food of the
populace and with every tuberculosis
patient encouraged to take at least
dozen a day, and every soda fountain
mixing egg drinks for every twentieth
customer, the demand will doubt
less increase to a phenomenal degree
this year. Chemists show that it takes
a pound and a quarter of beef, worth
at least rs cents, to equal in nutrition
five eggs worth 10 cents. On this basis,
the housewife often pays two and half
times as much for a meal as she might
If she understood better the values of
food.
According to the best authorities care
of poultry for egg production is most
remuneratiVe occupation, and the
principal requisite on the part of the
person who launches the enterprise is
good common sense. The average an
nual production of eggs in the United
States is only sixty-five eggs to each
hen, though enterprlsing Maine hens
have raised the average for their state
to 1O2. II the poultry standard is raised
among the farmers by means of study,
the reading of literature or the attend
ance of lectures on the subject, there is
no reason, according to experts, why
the American hen may not be brought
to lay 200 eggs year. and eggs of a
large size and good quality. Pullets
are the best layers, and all egg layers
should be killed when 31a years old to
make room for younger and better
ones. Massachusetts is trying to get
the legislature of that state to appro-
pirate sum of money for educational
work among poultry and egg raisers
just as Iowa has done for dairy work
ers, $4,000 having been appropriated
for this purpose in that state.
That the breed can be improved is
noted from the fact that eggs from the
poorest southern farms, chiefly from
games and Hamburgs, weigh only
nineteen and one-fifth ounces a dozen,
from the poor strains of Leghorns that
constitute the chief poultry population
of Tennessee and Texas farm yards the
eggs weigh two ounces more, while
Southern Iowa sends eggs from the
pure bred farm flocks that weigh TWEEN
ty-four ounces to the dozen. Selected
brands of imported Danish eggs-and
the United States imports largely from
Denmark-weigh a fraction under
twenty-nine ounces to the odzen.
It is in Denmark that the ideal
method OF collecting and shipping eggs
is found. There are $4,000 or more
farmers enrolled in the Danish Egg
association land eggs are collected on
the farms every day or three times a
week Eggs from each farm are
marked with letters and numbers, so
the goods of each consignor is known
at a glance. The eggs are "candled,"
or examined under a strong light to
test their quality. If one bad egg is
found in farmers consignment he
is fined for the first offense and for
the second offense in one year he is
expelled from the association and must
thereafter get his eggs on the market
through his own efforts.
In the United Kingdom like efforts
have been made to protect the public
in the matter of egg buying and at