Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-07-10
EGGS BY MAIL NOW.
Result Of Experiments by Depart
ment Of Agriculture.

Isystsm Of Marketing That Offers Poe.
abilities Of Better Prices Tor Pro
Queer and Frsshsr Articles for
the Consumer.
Walhington.--That eggs can %
uarketed successfully by parcel post
and that this method frequently Sc
cures better price for the producer
and fresher article for the consumer
Has now been demonstrated to the sat
isfaction OF the experts In the United
States department of agriculture. Inc
department conducted tests that Gov
cred period of i've months. At the
end of that period 1t came to the con-
clusion that the parcel post was OF
particular value to the man whose
flock was too small or who lives TOO
far from express service to permit MIN
to ship his eggs in the regular COM
mercial case which holds 30 dozen
eggs. 1s .,-.a.
In the course OF these experiments
the department shipped s,1S1 eggs IN
1866 lots. OF these 327 or slightly less
than 3.6 per cent we're broken, but
only 2O9 or slightly less than % per
cent were absolutely wasted. The 9TH
ers, though broken, could still be useo.
The percentage OF breakage, moreover
will be greatly reduced, it is SAID
when the employees of the post once
become more accustomed to hanoilng
such fragile matter.
That the eggs should be properly
packed is OF course essential. This
implies time, care and some expense
and is 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 remunera'
tive prices. Moreover, II the cnsto-
mer who buys In small lots finds that
any considerable proportion of his pur'
chases is undesirable or even unat.
tractive In appearance, he will not
trouble to ask for deductions on tnat
account; he will simply discontinue
his orders. The producer, therefore,
must see to 1t that all the eggs the
postman delivers are what he repre-
SCENTS them to be.
This can only be done by Gambling
them. Gambling, "The process OF test
ing eggs by passing light through
them 80 as to reveal the condition OF
the contents" Is omitted by many pro-
ducers who rely on care In collecting
to eliminate all bad eggs. 1t is. how
ever, impossible to avoid an occa-
sional accident and Gambling Is there
fore advisable as an extra precaution.
"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 to supply air to the en-
closed lamp, notches should be cut IN
the edge on which the box rests. A
round hole is then cut In the box at
the level OF the lamp fame and the
Gambling done by holding each egg
AGAINST this hole while the rest OF the
room Is in darkness. The light from
the lamp reveals the contents OF the
esg and those that show any defect
can be rejected. r........-
II possible only infertile eggs should
be sent to market. Fertile eggs deter
iorate rapidly In warm weather and
are the cause Of much loss. A broody
hen on the nest or accidental exposure
to q high temperature may start In
cubation and cause the egg to spoil
and injure the shippers reputation. 1t
II advisable, therefore, to retain the
fertile eggs for home use or dispose OF
them in some other way than through
the parcel post This is also true OF
soiled eggs. Eggs should never be
washed when intended for high-class
trade, since the process removes
natural mucilaginous coating ana
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
corrugated pasteboard. metal. wood or
other suitable material. The post Of
fice regulations require this container
to be so wrapped that nothing can es-
cape from the package and each egg
in addition to be wrapped separately
in excelsior. cotton, or some such ma
terial. Any soft paper serves the pur-
pose quite we'll. As for the contain
er itself, there are many kinds on the
market and the department Of sagri-
culture investigators have not at
tempted to decide which is the best.
Instead they refer inquirers to the va
rious state experiment stations which
have available information on this
question.
IN packing eggs it is well to sort
them as far as is practical, according
70 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 every ef-
fDrt should be made to deliver as at
tractive q package as possible into the
hands OF the customers. The extra
expense will be little and the returns
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
lthe parcel post service, package
jonets fiye cents for the first pound and