The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-12-26
THE EGG PROBLEM
To the Editor ocala Banner:

% the Edltor Ocala Banner:
The price of eggs is exciting much
comment at the present time, and
many ridiculous cartoons are appear
ing in many of the papers. At the
same time there is general condemna-
ton OF cold sorage, the one thing that
has heretofore equalized egg prices
between summer and winter.
II is in my recollection, just before
the general adoption of cold storage
for the preservation of food, products,
that during the spring and early sum-
Der, eggs would be worth to 10 cents
per dozen. Then in the midst of an
ordinarily severe winter, the price
would go up to so or IS cents per doz-
en-.
After cold storage had been proven
effective for preserving eggs, the price
soon became equalized. ranging from
Between 10 and % cents per dozen
the year around, with feed about half
the cost of the present time.
So long as il is possible for any fam
fly In town or country to keep one or
two dozen chickens in the backyard,
with little or no expense for feed or
care, II is no more possible for any
person. corporation or combination to
corner the egg supply than it would
be to corner the bread supply, so long
as there is -four for sale in the mar
ket, and housewives willing and com
petent to turn it into bread.
With the present high prices for
feed, there is little or no profit in
eggs at 80 cents per dozen, except in
the case of the backyard flock, fed
principally from table and kitchen
scraps. Here it is most all profit,
and II is surprising that more people
do not put in a few hens instead of
consuming an ancient product and
kicking about the price.
Eggs will continue to be eggs, and
win steadily advance in price just 80
long as people continue to do two
sAings: First, sell their eggs during
spring and early summer, because of
good prices, instead of Matching and
raising more chickens. Second, avoid
the small expense and labor incident
TO the keeping of small home flock. !
There is no complaint from those
who keep chickens about the high
price of eggs. Such complaint comes
exclusively from those who do not
raise chickens, who don't want to be
bothered with them, who want some |
one else to do it at a price less than
the cost of feed.
For several years there has been /,
an increasing demand for eggs and a |
decreasing supply-the latter due to
high prices for grain and other feed, !
unsuitable breeding and Matching sea- !,
sons and good egg prices that tempt |
cd the selling of eggs for culinary pur-
poses rather than their use in incuba- |
ton.
What is good fresh egg from well
fed, healthy stock really worth? If we
have been accustomed to paying 10 j,
cents a dozen, then we will consider
% cents dozen as extraordinary and !
inexcusable. If, however, we have
been used to paying 81 dozen, then
we would consider 60 cents a dozen a !,
downright bargain.
Personally. / would much prefer
couple of good fresh eggs at 5 cents
apiece, rather than 10 cents worth of
beefsteak. But then, preferences do
not count. We have to pay a premium
if we want goods of any kind that
are scarce, and just so long as the
great majority of home owners pre-,
fer to consume rather than produce,
then just so long will eggs maintain !,
or advance in price.
DAVID H. KIRKLAND,
Oklawaha River Farms.