The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-14
Hens Killed Off Because of
High Price of Grain,
Say Dealers
LOCAL WHOLESALERS
GIVE THEIR VIEWS
Unable to Get Supply from Storage =
Poultry Highest in Years - Grain
Statesmen Called In Because They
Have Nothing to Sell

In the old days men attained wealth by
buying a parcel of real estate outside the
limits of a town or city and sitting down
and waiting Tor the influx of population to
increase the price Of that parcel a thou
sand fold. Then he sold it and bought an
ocean going yacht and a garage full OF au-
tomohiles
Today, the real way to attain wealth
and fame Is to have a small parcel of land
on which to grow a snack OF oats, a shock
OF wheat and a stack OF corn, install a
small flock of hens, establish a strong guard
and laugh at hard times and high prices.
The Reformer asked Jesse f. Haynes,
manager Of the local house Of Swift x Co.
and y i. Dewitt, head Of the Dewitt
Grocery Co, today what the egg situation
was. Both replied that there were no such
, things as eggs. They have become ex-
tlnct, like the dodo bird, according to those
men who should know
Then The RefoImer wanted to know why
! this was so. Both replied that the high
price OF grain had made it too expensive
to feed hens and hens had been killed off
and when hens were killed off the egg sup
ply is hamstrung.
Mr.. Haynes said that he had been offer
ing for weeks 46 and f. cents a dozen foI
native eggs and what few he was able to
get served only to irrtate the trade He
said that the Swift company had not Had
eggs III storage since Jan. ID and that ii
had been four weeks since he had been
able To get any from the headquarters.
This led to a question about the cost q
poultry and he said that - cents was the
price for poultry. the highest ii has beel
in years. As poultry comes from eggs, ant
eggs come from poultry, it Is perfectly oh
vIous that il the poultry is killed off t,
save the cost Of feed, eggs are bound 10 b.
scarce, and ii all eggs laid are eaten Their
IS bound to be shortage Of poultry.
Mr. HAYNES predicted 60 cents a dozel
for eggs before Easter, as a minimum. II
could not be induced to see even a glim
mer Of silver lining in the dark cloud Q
high prices in that line.
Mr.. Dewitt said that storage eggs j
Boston were quoted at 50 cents a dozen i
wholesale lots. Native eggs he Is unabl
to get in quantity sufficient to be Of an
use in helping out the market Like Nj
Haynes, he secs no relief in the immediat
future
The grain dealers claim that the hig
price Of grain is due to then inability t
, get shipments from the railroads Crosb
: & Co. have been down to bed rock fC
weeks. They manage 10 keep the loc;
= trade supplied by cars that occasional
dribble IN from the long string Of thel
that are somewhere in transit, spendir
/ most of the time on sidings. AS for Who'll
: sailing, there is no chance. for there
G nothing for the salesmen to sell. Crost
a & Co s salesmen have been called in
i The interloekirg system OF railroad
i grain, hens and eggs, to say nothing
d coal, makes il perfectly obvious that Il
r easiest way to live is to die without ph
4 sician, for they have joined in the gener
i habit Of increasing prices