Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-09-11
PULLETS ARE
WINTER LAYERS
The Coming Winter Fresh Eggs
Will Be Abnormal
Iy High
EGGS At SEVENTY FIVE CENTS
Farmers Should Form EGG clrcles
Stamp Their Eggs, and Have One
Person For Sales Agent.

The time Is now approaching when
considerable number of West vir-
ginia farmers will begin to market tho
chickens which they have raised this
season. In former years large mum.
bers of pullets have been disposed OF
at practically the same price as cock
erels, This year every vigorous.
healthy, we'll grown pullet In West
Virginia should be retained on the
farm for the purpose of producing mar
ket eggs, and In place Of selling these
pullets the old hens should be dis
| posed 81. Early Matched pullets make
better winter layers than old hens
The most profitable period of egg pro
| duction Is during the first year.
During the coming winter eggs win
be abnormally high In price, due to va
rious factors At present large, clean,
FRESH white eggs are being sold al
| wholesale In New York City for aa
high as forty-four cents per dozen. and
| ~ 10 NohhuVAti5 plcuiStGd Ny tuuSc Wna
are In close touch with the egg mar
ket, that the highest grade of fresh
eggs will wholesale for seventy-flve
cents per dozen before they are low
err. SO instead of selling OH the pul
let's at the relatively low prices thai
they Will bring now, they should be
made to produce these high priced
eggs,
Many Of those who have small flock,
Of fowls may say that they do not pro
duce enough eggs to Justify their ship
ment to big market, but If the farm
ers in certain locality combine to
gether and form a little marketing as
ISOLATION, selling their eggs co-opera
lively, they can be shipped In case lots
and sold to advantage
There Is no better poultry country
In the world than West Virginia. Oui
winters are mild and almost ideally
adapted to winter egg production, and
In place Of eggs being shipped into
our cities during the winter, the farm
ers Of the state could. with great profit
not only supply the local demands, but
thousands OF car loads should be ship
ped into the great consuming centeIs
The express rate from practically
any section Of West Virginia is only
about seyenty-seven cents per case OF
thirty dozen, or practically 2.6 cents
per dozen. This small charge Will dc
liver eggs to any hotel, restaurant
club, or private dwelling In New Yorl
City.
There Is no form of farm activity
that pays better In West Virginia thar
the keeping Of good flock of hens fol
the production Of eggs. On the farm
the feed, even at the high prices which
now prevail for grain, will not cos
more than 800 per fowl per year. l.
pullets are given reasonable care anc
attention, one can expect at least tel
dozen eggs per fowl for the season
These should net the farmer, II the,
are marketed intelligently and to besl
advantage. at least thirty cents doz
en-, or an average Of $500 per fowl 70.
the eggs. Deducting the cost for feed
there remains profit of $500 pei
fowl. and the farmer has the fowl left
III the emu Oh tne year.
Our farmers should build more and
better poultry houses They should
keep more and better fowls, and they
should feed more literally and intelli
gently, for there Is money in it.
There are being organized now in
certain sections of West Virginia what
are known as egg circles The pur
80 c,,t, T..
ket the eggs Of the members TO better
advantage. A board of directors IL
elected and sales agent appointed
Each farmer is provided with small
rubber stamp. This stamp contains
the name of the egg circle, and the
stamps are numbered consecutiyely
All eggs sent out are stamped by the
farmer who produces them, SO that ev
cry egg can be traced back to the orig
inal producer. The sales agent, then
is In position to guarantee every egs
to the retailer, and the retailer In turn
can guarantee every egg to the con
sumner. If the consumer finds any bad
eggs they can be traced back to the
original producer, and he can be fnee
according to the rules Of his local egs
circle. The very fact that all eggs car
be traced back to the original producer
causes each producer to be more care
full In gathering them. II a nest o.
eggs which has been overlooked
found, these eggs in majority oil
cases, will be consumed on the farm
and will not enter into the regular
shipment Each farmer is provided
by the sales agent with cardboard car
tons, all Of the same style. These are
packed in the ordinary thirty dozer
egg cases, and then shipped away
Egg circles have seen in operation
fl certain parts of Canada for the pas1
two or three years, and they have beer
the means of increasing the produc
ton and getting more money for tbs
eggs.