West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-07-09
EGGS 5T PARCEL POST
A System OF Marketing That Ouera
Possibilities OF Better Prices for tho
Producer and Freshor Articles Tor
tho Consumer

by parcel post, and that this method
frequently secures n better price for IN,
producer and a frcshcr article for the
consumer, has now been demonstrated Il
the satisfaction of the experts i'm the de
partment The department conducted
tests that covered period of five months
At the end of that period IL came To In,
conclusion that the parcel post was o.
particular value 10 the man whose tlocl
express service to permit him TO ship hi,
eggs in the regular commercial case,
which holds 30 dozen eggs.
In the course of these experiments the
department shipped o, lSl eggs in 400 lots
OF these S27, or slightly less than 3 q PEI
cent. were broken, but only 200, OF
slightly less than 2.3 per cent, were abso.
lutely wasted, The others, though broken,
could be used. The percentage OF break.
age, moreover, will he greatly reduced,
it is said, when the employees of the
post office become more accustomed to
handling such fragile matter.
That the eggs should be properly pack
cd is, of course, essential. This implies
time, care, and some expense, and IL one
reason why no attempt should b. made TO
market 10y parcel post any but the finest
quality of eggs. for they alone will bring
remunerative prices. Moreover, If the
customer who buys i'm small lots finds
that any considerable proportion of his
| a. IL
tive in appearance, he will not trouble
To ask for deductions on that account
he will simply discontinue his orders,
The producer, therefore, must sec TO II
that all the eggs the postman delivers are
what he represents them TO be.
THIS can only be done by Gambling
them. Gambling. "the process of testing
eggs by passing light through them 30 az
to reveal the condition of the contents" "
is omitted by many producers, who rely
on care in collecting to eliminate all bad
eggs. 1t is, however, impossible to avoid
an occasional accident, and candling il
therefore advisable as an extra precau-
ton. A simple outfit can be made out
Of a small hand lamp and an ordinary
pasteboard box sufficiently large to be
placed over the lamp, after the ends have
been removed, without risk OF fire. In
order 10 supply air TO the incosed lamp,
which the box rests. A round hole is
then cut in the box at the level OF the
lamp flame and the Gambling done 10y
holding each egg against this hole while
the rest Of the room is i'm darkness The
light from the lamp reveals the contents
of the egg, and those that show any de-
feet can be rejected.
III possible, only inlertile eggs should
be sent to market. Fertile eggs deterior-
ate rapidly in warm weather and are the
cause OF much loss. A broodY hen ON
the nest or accidental exposure to a high
temperature may start incubation and
cause the egg to spoil and injure the
shippers reputation. IL is advisable,
therefore, TO retain the fertile eggs for
home use or dispose of them in some
other way than through parcel post.
This is also true OF soiled eggs. Eggs
should never be washed when intended
for high-class trade, since the process
removes a natural mucilaginous coating
and opens the pores Of the shell.
After this thorough elimination OF the
unfit, the eggs that remain should be
carefully packed in a container OF cor
rugated pasteboard, metal, wood, or
other suitable material. The post-olIice
regulations require this container 10 be
so wrapped that nothing can escape from
the package, and each egg in addition Ia
be wrapped separately in excelsior, cot.
ton, or some such material. Any soft
paper serves the purpose quite well. As
for the container itself, there are many
kinds on the market, and the Depart.
ment Of Agriculture investigators have
not attempted 10 decide which is the best
Instead, they refer inquirers TO the vari.
Gus State experiment stations which have
available information on this question.
In packing eggs il is well TO sort then
as far as is practical according TO size ant
color and to keep for home use thos,
which are irregular in shape, unusuall,
long, or thin-sheiled.
Containers that have been badly stancC
by broken eggs should be replaced by
new ones and the package wrapped a.
neatly as possible. In short, every egor
should be made to deliver as attractive &
package a. possible into the hands Of th'
customers. The extra expense will b,
little and the returns in increased trade
, great.
The larger the shipments that the pro.
ducer can arrange 30 make, the cheaper
can hc afford 10 sell his eggs. Within
the first and second zones Of the parce
post service, package costs . cents foi
the first pound and only ! cent for eacl
additional pound. Ordinarily eggs weigh
about ] = pounds a dozen, which, Will
the additional weight Of the wrapping
and container, would make a package o.
dozen eggs weigh between 2 and
pounds The postage on this would b,
cents. n another dozen eggs were in
cluded in the package, the postage woul,
not be more than cents. or ~ instea,
Of cents a dozen eggs.
To the value Of the eggs and the cos
OF postage must be added the cost OF th