Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-01-13

4
OF these experiments 9.131 eggs were
: shipped in 46s lots. OF these 327 eggs
. were broken: but a very small per
centage OF the whole was absolutely
wasted.
On this point the officials of the de
partment of agriculture give valuable
advice in the way of marketing eggs
by mail. First OF all. proper packing
Is essential. This implies time. care
and some attention, and in their opin-
ion no attempt should he made TO
market by parcel post any but the
finest quality OF eggs. for they alone
will bring remunerative prices. This
can be done only by Gambling them.
\ Thus the drawback to marketing eggs
i appears to be the time Snd trouble
In packing them: but there is com
pensation In the extra price that can
always be obtained Aor products that
are strictly fresh and absolutely re-
liable.
The shippers success in selling by
parcel bost depends upon the care
with which he safeguards the reputa-
ton or the products Satisfied custom
ers will soon build up the business for
him Naturally the larger the ship
ments the producer can arrange to
make the cheaper he can afford to
sell his goods. In the case of eggs.
for instance, "a package of one dozen
would require seven cents postage
for the first and second zones. If an
other dozen were included in the
same package the postage would be
about nine cents. or four and a hall
cents. instead of seven cents. a dozen !
As eggs form staple commodity fol
which there is always great deamnd. |
their sale by parcel post particularly /
lends itself to the individual whose /
flock of hens is too small or who lives |
too far from express service to per-
nit him to ship his eggs in the regu
lar commercial case that holds so
dozen eggs.
Along with their reports the post
masters transmitted 10 the depart
mert hundreds of newspaper clip
pings. which make il clear that public
opinion in the larger cities Is strongly
supporting the farm-to-tabie by-pos'
idea In a few localities some of the
reports show the farmers and truck
gardeners have set back the expan
sion of the service to some extent by
naming prices that. Iby comparison
with the prices quoted in the local
markets, have been considered too
high by city buyers. As Postmaster
Harry p Sampson OF Rock Island de
scribes IL. 1T seems that each wants
he whole amount of the savings. the
producer asking the city retail price, /;
while the consumer expects to buy at :
he prices current in the country mar {
sets. II has even been said that I
certain farming interests imagine that !
he new service practically brings the {
consumer TO their doors. and there 5
ore have fallen into the mistaken 7
lotion that they are at liberty TO S
harge what they please" I
But in other localities the farm-to- {
able system Of exchange has alread! c
,ecome an important factor in reduc I
ny the cost of living; whether this b
10 construed as meaning so many r
ents saved on each dollar spent. or b
rhe;her IL means better goods at the il
rice of local inferior articles In 9th 4
r words. il means lessening the eN- If
,enditure. or living better without q
Increase in cost Postmasters are
unanimous in SAYING that direct ser o
ice by parcel post will provide the a
ity family of moderate circumstances a
18th that grade OF farm produce which a
as heretofore been available only to d.
nose TO whom the cost of FOOD was fl
o object. p
In order 10 popularize the idea post II
iasters are devising all sorts o. p
,ings in behalf of the public. The M
postoffice. for instance e'
as issued a bulletin known as Farm Cd
roducis by domestic Parcel Post
IL Postmaster Otto Praeger eX IN
aims some things that are of value -
any person of any postoffice in the IN
,untry. when you have found a te
tisfactory farmer TO deal WITH ne Sc
VS.. shopping by parcel post be nj
mes a simple process OF sending OF
mr. market basket to the farm with u
letter telling what you want The III
81 of that process is just little ie
e than Il YOU boarded n street car IN
"A rode to market and back. ana tiV
At n tribe more than IL you ordered IN
rat Won wanted over the telephone ta
M can mail your empty basket al iai
= drug store postal station. The
ree, most brings the filed basket TIN
YOUR door. The simple process OF OF
nding an ordinary strong market tn'
sket TO the farm has been found u .rs
entirely satisfactory for shipping iar
,rt distances. say fifty TO one nun PEI
"A miles. Several such baskets are
~ going empty and returning hhed 4
ekiy through the Washington post pa
ce- ~,
who wish TO deal with I'M
. farmers direct will realize thar 'ho
netimes they may not be able &c a
ke an entirely satisfactory arrange eei
mr. the first time. any more than oee
" may md satisfactory the nrst sue
dealer they may try. Therefore day
will be found advisable to select con
m the list at random the nance I'M
~ t.rna-s to write to Il a