Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-14

tributes a little to that end. but is in the
main merely changing moe dollars.
The use Of eggs as a drawing card for
trade works in the favor Of inferior
produce, and the loss to the farmer
through the lowering OF prices thus
caused is much greater than his gain
through the forced contributions OF his
neighbors. But the general storekeeper
does another thing-he bids up the price
Of eggs by the case count until the 'loss-
of" buyer cannot do business.
These evils would be eliminated IL the
suggestions Of the Department of Asrf-
culture should be adopted not only in
Kansas. but all of the United States. The
establishment of a cash market for the
farmers eggs Is the first suggestion.
Cash buyers are at present to be found
in many large towns in the Mississippi
valley and they are rapidly becoming
more numerous. The cash dealer, buying
under the 'loss-off' system. Is stil bet
ter. but he is rarely found today west OF
Indiana, except in Kansas. where tie
government has got in its work. Another
way Of improving the egg supply would
be an agreement by the merchants to
turn all egg buying over to the men who
buy general farm produce. This has
been successfully done in a few instances
but Ii has the fault that when the egg
buyer Is given a monopoly he Is tempted
to lower the price to the farmer and Jug
gle 1t at the other end to the loss Of the
consumer.
=
Cooperation among the farmers might
also cure the evil They have been pretty
SLOW in getting together in this country
as compared with other countries About
one-half of the egg business Of Denmark
is handled by cooperative egg export So
cieties which proves that such a method
or handling can be successfully carried
on. The other half of the Danish egg
trade is handled by private dealers. who
are equally severe in rejecting bad eggs
and maintaining the quality, from which
it may be judged that the system OF egg
handling by private dealers is also capa>
Bile OF putting out a high grade of eggs
Facts show that there will always be
a better market and higher prices for
high grade eggs than poor ones. Many
city retailers OF eggs receive high bids
for strictly fresh eggs from soda foun-
tains Of drug stores and first-class hotels
and restaurants. So particular are many
of these buyers that they will take only
eggs shipped direct from large poultry
farms. The figures at which such eggs
are purchased are frequently at a given
premium above the market quotation or a
year around contract price for a given
number of eggs each week. This premium
may range from cent or two in western
cities to double the market price In New
York and Boston. An advance Of 10
cents over the quotation for extras, or Q
year-around contract price Of 35 cents .
dozen, might be considered typical Of such
arrangements in New York city.
The profits Of the city retailers are BY
far the largest item in the marketing OF
eggs. An approximate idea of the profits
of the various handlers Of eggs may b
obtained from these figures, which repre-
sent an imaginary summer shipment:
Cents.
Paid the farmer in Iowa NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Is
Front or country store. Recommendations.
Gross pront or shipper. -
Freight 10 New 1ork rs
Gross profit Of receiver Observation-Disclosures
SSrOss pront 10 1oODer IA
Loss from handling. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Cost to consumer. .
All the eggs of the cheapest grade are
taken by bakeries and low-class restaur-
ants. An egg when cooked with other
food may have its flavor and appearance
so disguised that it may be safely used.
whereas If served alone ii would be very
repulsive. Measures have frequently been
taken by city boards of health to stop
the sale of spot rotS' and other low
grade eggs, but 1t has been found to be
very difficult to enforce such regulations.
That embryo chicks and bacterially con-
taminated eggs are consumed by the mil
lions cannot be doubted. according to the
government experts.
Copyright. 1911. by the New York Herald O..
All rights reserved1