The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-11
People s Forum
The Egg Boycott.

Editor Virginian:
sir.-Is the boycott fair to the pro-
Queer of the new-laid eggs? In view
OF the fact that people are being urged
to put boycott on eggs as n pro-
test against inflated prices, feel 1t
my duty to place before the egg buy
ers OF Richmond and vicinity few
facts In regard to the boycott.
In the first place the whole aim
Of the movement Is TO force specu-
lators with large quantities Of eggs in
cold storage awaiting war prices, TO
place their eggs on the market at
something like a reasonable price or
lose out entirely
While | am heartily in sympathy
with any movement TO stop inflated
prices on any class of necessary foods
/ can see no reason for giving the egg
y hackeye because certain spectators
wish TO get rich quick a the public's
expense During this campaign all
the talk has been against spectators
iii cold storage eggs, vet the public
/ ls asked to stop buying eggs of any
kind. Why should we be made to
suffer to have our ncw-laid eggs go
S.att ON our iihlltlS ptGaO use 5I'f9t =
in cold storage eggs were holding out
for an unfair profit?
In Justice to producers the public
should be informed little more fully
IN this matter. AS the investigating
committee is finding out the specu-
/ iators buy their eggs III the spring,
when eggs are cheap and plentiful.
when the hens are laying heavily,
when the feeding problem is made
easy by the fact that the birds go out
on grassy range and. TO quite an ex-
tent. feed themselves they buy from
farmers who usually keep monde
script hocks and feed them little or
not AT all so that their eggs gathered
when they have time are, therefore.
anything from a few hours to fcw
weeks old cost them little and can
be sold FOR low price. These cheap.
/ nondcscript eggs OF an uncertain age
and food value are put into cold
storage 10 be sold in the winter when
eggs are scarce So far SO good.
People must have eggs in winter when
Egg production has dropped way down
so cold storage eggs, gathered In the
summer when the egg markets are
glutted, through over-production, must
he used. The trouble lies IN trading
the eggs back and forth while in
storage, and thereby increasing the
price to the ultimate consumer
What / wish to bring out Is the
difference between cold storage eggs
and new-laid eggs AS mentioned
above. the cold storage eggs the
speculators are now asking a fancy
price for, were bought last spring
when eggs were plentiful and cheap.
when 1t cost the farmer little or
i " NJ IN n rrnIhrp Va
eggs now being laid are entirely diff
fercnt. They are being produced
principally In poultry plants, where
special facilities must be had, where
birds that lay them must he scien-
tifically cared for IN order to get eggs
in sufficient quantities to make a
business pay, All the various kinds
Of grains and feed necessary to carry
the birds through the developing and
producing stages are away up. more
than so per cent Increase in price over
last year.
Another important item which
makes for the high cost Of winter-laid
eggs ia the fact that the birds can
not get any seeds. insects. etc. from
frozen or barren grounds, SO all their
food must be given them and they
must he fed heavily to get them to
lav in winter
To sum up. the eggs that should he
rightly boyCotted is the cold storage
eggs that are being held for war
prices. not the winter-laid. really
fresh eggs. that cost a great deal more
tn produce. In Justice to local egg
producers. 7 ask that due publicity
be given this matter, 30 that we may
not be forced TO suffer for the short
ComlnRs OF others.
JOSEPH ROSSENBACH
Poultryman.
Drewrys Blum. Va