Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-09-03

use those which are irregular In
shape, unusually long or thin-shelled
Containers that have been badly
stained by broken eggs should be re.
placed by new ones and the package
wrapped as neatly as possible. In
short, every effort should be made 70
deliver as attractive a package as pos
sible into the hands of customers. The
extra expense will be little and the re.
turns in increased trade great.
The larger the shipments that the
producer can arrange to make, the
cheaper can he afford to sell his
eggs. Within the first and second
zones of the parcel post service, a
package costs five cents for the first
pound and only one cent for each ad-
additional pound. Ordinarily eggs
weigh about one and one-half pounds
dozen. which, with the additional
weight Of the wrapping and container.
would make a package OF a dozen eggs
weigh between two and three pounds.
The postage on this would be seven
cents. II another dozen eggs were in.
cluded in the package the postage
would not be more than nine cents, or
four and one-half. instead OF seven
cents dozen eggs.
To the value of the eggs and the
cost of postage must be added the cost
Of the container and the wrapping
For two dozen eggs this may be esti
mated at eight cents. With postage al
nine cents. IL would, therefore, cost IL
cents to market two dozen eggs, or
eight AID one-half cents a dozen. BY
shipping in ten-dozcn lots. it is esti
mated that the marketing cost can
be reduced to At cents n dozen.
Where the ccntairer can be used
more than once. this cost can, OF
course. be somewhat reduced. Large
lied containers will stand from tive
20 four trips; smaller ones three "a
I've: so that 1t viii pay the producer
o induce his customer to return the
containers periodically.
although it is obviously advantage
GUS both to the producer and consum
1r that the eggs be shipped In large
Quantities and consequently economi
cally, it must be remembered In TAX
I ing orders that the supply of eggs un
/ acrroes the greatest fluctuations. In
ines OF scarcity Il is not good policy
or the producer TO send all his output
- one customer, ncElecting his Other
.rionds. nor in times of plenty can he
':pcct TO dispose of his entire stock
. ! IS regular customers.
EGGS are scarcest and highest In the
: all. Chickens should, therefore, be
A2tched early enough to begin laying
, 1T this season. Moreover little diff
Guilty will be experienced then In dis
posing of the entire output, and II
will in consequence be Improbable to
divert any OF the supply to home pur
poses. This difficulty can be over
come by preserving eggs in the spring
when they are plentiful and cheap. A
solution of water glass. which can be
obtained at drug stores for rs cents q
gallon. should be used for this pur.
pose, each quart being diluted with
ten quarts of water which has been
boiled and cooled. The eggs should
be packed in stone jars or crooks and
the solution poured over them. or
they may be carefully placed in the
solution each day. Eggs kept In this
way are perfectly good. but naturally
they do not command the prices OF
those newly laid. The shells some
times break In boiling, but this may
be avoided by puncturing the end with
pin just before they are dropped into
the water.
The only drawback to marketing
eggs by parcel post appears to be the
time and trouble involved in packing
them. This is compensated for by
The extra price that can always be OBJ.
tanned for products that are absolute
ly reliable. At bottom, therefore, the
shippers success depends upon the
care with which he safeguards the rep.
utaticn of his products. Satisfied Gus.
toners will soon build up his bust
ness for him. Any post office will fur.
nish complete Information in regard
to regulations and rates, and. as al.
ready stated. the several state expert.
ment stations have information in re.
card to the various types of shipping
boxes. The results of the United
States governments investigation OF
the matter have been published In
Farmers Bulletin No. 5si OF the de-
partment of agriculture. which win be
sent free on request