The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-28
USE PARCEL POST
IN SHIPPING eggs
Hints and Suggestions to PouI4
try Clubs and Chicken
Raisers.
GOVERNMENT WILL HELP
Farm Demonstration Agent Has
Talk With Boy and Girl
Workers.
BY j. c. HUNTER.

| Nearly a year ago I wrote upon
poultry keeping, but especially the egg
production branch OF the business, as
an industry for girls on the farm and
q means of furnishing them with
profitable employment. thus enabling
them to help in the maintenance Of
tho home and giving them Il feeling of
usefulness and Importance; also TO
keep them satisfied with the homo 1ifo.
but above all to make it unnecessary
for their breaking OF home ties and
| going to the city to work in offices
| and stores.
Since then a large number Of Girls
| Poultry Clubs have been started by
tho famcrs' demonstration agent under
| tho L. S. Department OF Agriculture,
| throughout tho country. 1t is for their
benefit and instruction. as well as
others that I am writing this.
n had not myeslt. for moro than
| twenty years. successfully conducted
such an industry as I have before dis
| crioed. high-class egg production for
high class trade, and induced and as
sisted others with advice principally)
to take 1t up, l could not write with
as much confidence and assurance as
[ do.
SOME OF THE PROBLEMS
HAVE BEEN SOLVED
You will recall, MIR. Editor, / advised
the production OF hish-class eggs for
boiling. to be broken on the breakfast
| table. OF, so fresh and reliable that
thoy might be used for this purpose
with absolute confidence. This neces-
states frequent shipments and protec-
ton from the heat. TO manage this
where small fiocSs arc kent, and often
n considerable distance from an ex-
press office has always been a prob
lem and often the reason for IN {Jure
Now. with the parce. post convent.
ent even to the most isolated, this is
no longer problem. Realizing the
possibilities and advantages to be
gained by using this means OF rapid
transportation. the United States De-
partment OF Agriculture has published
in it's Weekly News Letter an article
from which l Will select paragraphs
that apply to conditions affecting the
poultry clubs and others.
'I--sTtie Weekly Letter saSs:
That eggs can DO marketed sue.
cessfully by parcel post, and that this
method frequently secures a better
price for the producer ;.nd fresher
article for the consumer, has now been
demonstrated TO tho satisfaction OF the
experts in the department. The de-
pa; tmcnt conducted tests that covered
Il period OF five months At the end
OF that period 1t came to the conclu-
sion that the parcel post was Of par
ticular value to the man whose flock
was too small or who lives too far
| from express service to permit him to
ship his eggs In the regular COM
mcrcial case, which holds thirty dozen
eggs.
'In tho course Of these experiments
the department shippca ?,ISl eggs in
466 lots. OF these 327. or slightly less
than &c per cent. were broken, but
only 200. or slightly less than 2.3 per
cent. were absolutely wasted The
others. though broken. could still be
used. The percentage of breakaGe
moreover. will be greatly reduced, It
is said, when the employees OF the post
ONCE become more accustomed to
handling such fragile matter.
THE KIND TO PACK
AND HOW TO PACK THEM
That the eggs should be properly
pack0f is. OF course, essential. This
Implies time. care. and some expense
and ls one reason why no attempt
should be made to market by parcel
post any but the finest quality of eggs
for they alone will bring remuneratiye
prices. Moreover. if the customer who
buys in small lots finds mat any con-.
siderable proportion of his purchases
Is undesirable or even unattractive in
appearance, he Will not trouble to ask
for deductions on that account: he will
simply discontinue his orders. The
producer, therefore. must see to IL
that all the eggs the postman delivers
nre what he represents them to be.
II possible, only infertile eggs shoulo
he sent to market. Fertile eggs deA
| toriorate rapidly in warm weather and
arc the cause of much loss. a broody
hen oil the nest or accidental expo-
sure 10 high temperature NAV start
Incubation and cause the egg to spoil
and injure the shippers reputation. IL
| is advisable. therefore, to retain tho
| fertiie eggs for home use or dispose,
OF them In some other way than
| through the parcel post. This is also
| true Of soiled eggs.
| After this thorough elimination Of
| the unht. the eggs that remain should
he carefully packed in Il contsiner of
corrugated pasteboard, me.0i, wood, or
other suitable material Tho post-of-
f! fce regulations require this container
to be so wrapped that nothing can cs-
cape from the package. and each egg
| In addition to he wrapped separately In
excelsior. cotton or some such mate
| rial. Any soft paper serves the pur-
| pose quite well. AS for the container
itself. there are many kinds on the
market, and the Department of Agrf}
| culture Investigators have not aA
tempted to decide which is the boat.
| Instead. they refer nquirors to theSyu-
rious state experiment stations which
have available information on this
| question.
| In packing eggs 1t is we'll to sort
them Az far as is practical according
| to size and color and to keep for home
use those which are irregular in shape.
unusually long or thin shelled. Con-
| tainers that have been badly stained
by broken eggs should be Replaced by
new ones and the package wrapped AS,
| neatly as possible. In short eyervf.
effort should be made to deliver az MI :
tractive a package as possible into fsI
hands of tho customers. Tho 4A
expense will be little and tho re- i+g
| In increased trade great. Il
| The larger the shipments -
| producer can arrange to m W
| cheaper can he AFFORD to se1 sH i
Within the first and sece =,
Continued On Fiff Eys
4