The Delta independent., 1914-08-21
Good Price. for Fresh Eggs.

The question, Which benefits the
method of buying eggs has been
asked frequently the past few weeks.
i should say it depends upon who the
farmer is. If he is man who col
lects the eggs once a day or there
abouts and markets them only half as
often he is not averse to slipping in
eggs that did not hatch in the incuba-
tor, or the nestful he discovers mid
den under the granery or on top Of the
strawstack. thinking that they will
get lost in the shuttle. II anything he
can find that is in a shell and will pass
for an egg goes into his basket, why
of course case count is the thing for
him because he's getting some hing
for nothing.
If on the other hand he is a nan
who does not market an egg unless he
knows it to be fresh, who keeps his
male birds from his laying floc2 and
collects the eggs every day, who even
goes so far as TO gather them twice
day during hot weather, puts them
in a cool cellar and takes them TO
town three times a week well 7ro-
tected from the sun, why of course ne
welcomes loss off because the loss
comes off his shiftless neighbor. DID,
ring the past year or more the loss
off system OF buying eggs has been
~ tho
state. have been making consider
able inquiry to find out If possible
what the effect has been.
have talked with dealers and had
exception the report has been that the
quality Of eggs in those sections has
been greatly improved. This has had
its effect upon the output of eggs as
whole from our ranch districts to
such an extent that the price has
kept up steady and strong despite the
everlasting invasion from Kansas and
the free eggs from China. The coun-
try merchants around the state who
negotiate most Of the eggs from the
producers are becoming more partic-
ular in their buying and this IS having
very good effect in the quality. ! want
to see the quality of our eggs improved
until we lead every state in the Union.
believe that buying by the loss off
system will help bring this about But
what ] want to see even more than
this is a system so arranged that the
ranch man or farm wife who takes
the pains to market only first class
eggs shall get first class price for
them.
As a general rule under the case
count system the man who markets
a half case of eggs that contains three
dozen rots gets exactly as much money
as his neighbor who turns in the whole
half case without bad one. The few
Denver dealers however who buy M
der the loss off system are not get
ting as many eggs as they would like
for the producers do not care TO sell
that way. Under a stringent loss off
system. the farmer with good goods
would go home with more money than
the neighbor with poor eggs. The
first step in securing a good price for
good eggs is to see that worthless
ones cannot be sold at any price.
When any dealer in any line has to
figure on a certain loss in his business
he has TO make that loss by getting it
back somewhere or go out OF business.
II the loss is from bad accounts the
good ones must make il up.
This means that his goods must be
sold at higher price. If it is from
bad eggs the price on good eggs must
be made low enough by the buyer TO
offset the bad eggs. In either case tie
man who is on the square is the one
who suffers. In the one case the NAV
who pays his bills also has to help
pay his neighbor's shortage. In the
second. the farmer by taking a lower
price for his eggs in reality helps 10
pay for the spoiled ones of his neigh
Dor Good prices for good goods are
better for the producer, the dealer and
the consumer. Even the consumer
who pays good price for fresh eggs
is better satisfied than the one who
pays low price and gets stale eggs.
w. A. Lippincott