The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-25
EGGS BY PARCELS POST.

That eggs can be marketed success
fully by parcel post and that this
method frequently secures bettes
price for the producer and fresher
article for the consumer has now been
demonstrated to the satisfaction of the
experts in the United States depart
ment of agriculture The department
conducted tests that covered period
of five months. At the end OF that
period it came to the conclusion that
the parcel post was of particular val
ue to the man whose flock was too
small or who lives too far from eX-
press service to permit him TO ship his
eggs in the regular commercial case
which holds 80 dozen eggs.
In the course of these experiments
the department shipped 9,131 eggs in
466 lots. OF these 327 or slightly less
than SO per cent were broken. but
only 200 or slightly less than 2.3 per
cent were absolutely wasted. The
others, though broken, could still he
used. The percentage of breakagc,
moreover, will be greatly reduced. it
is said, when the employees of the
postoffice :. come more accustomed
to handling such fragile matter.
That the eggs should be properly
packed is. of course, essential. This
implies time, cnre 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 remunerative
prices. Moreover, if the customer
who buys in small lots finds that any
considerable proportion of his pur-
chases is undesirable or even unat-
he will Of
trouble to ask for deductions on that
account; he will simply discontinue
his orders. The producer. therefore,
must see to it that all the eggs the
postman delivers are what he repre-
sents them to be.
This can only be done by Gambling
them Gambling, 1.-The process OF
testing eggs by passing light through
them so as to reveal the condition of
the contents" is omitted by many pro-
ducers who rely o. care in collecting
to eliminate all bad eggs. 1t is, how
ever. impossible to avoid an occasional
accident and Gambling is therefore adj
visable as an extra precaution.
If possible only infertile eggs should
be sent to market. Fertile eggs de-
teriorate rapidly in warm weather and
are the cause of much loss. A broody
hen on the meet or accidental exposure
to q high temperature may start in
cubation and cause the egg to spoil
and injure the shippers reputation. 1t
is advisable, therefore, to retain the
fertile eggs for home use or dispose /
of them in some other way than
the parcel post. This is also
true of soiled eggs. Eggs should new
er 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 I
the unfit, the eggs that remain should
be carefully packed in a container of
corrugated pasteboard. metal, wood or
other suitable material. The postof-
flee regulations require this container
to be so wrapped that nothing can
escape from the package and each egg
in addition to be wrapped separately
in excelsior, cotton or some such MAJ
terial. Any soft paper serves the pur- !
pose quite we'll. AS for the container
itself. there are many kinds on the I
market and the department of agri-
culture investigators have not at t
to decide which is the best. /
Instead they refer inquirers to the /
various state experiment stations |
which have available information on /
this question.