Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1912 — POULTRY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POULTRY

SELL ONLY FRESH EGGS Some Farmers Deliberately Impose on Small Merchants by Giving Goods Known to Be Stale. (By A. G. PHILLIPS, Kansas.) Selling eggs is one of the handiest ■ways for the farmer to get a cash or trade return for his produce, during all parts of the year, and if he cah Increase the efficiency of the machinery which produces and handles these eggs he is putting into his pocket good hard cash. Almost every housewife who is compelled to buy eggs constantly clamors for some which she may pursue in ordeiytw always get fresh eggs. There is no housewife who has not some time or other had the great displeasure of handling spoiled or rotten eggs. This almost constant occurrence, with the possible exception of the winter months, practically compels those who lecture and carry on experiment station work to plead ’with the farmers who produce the eggs to put onto the market better produce. The egg loss bach year is enormous and is beyond all reasonable justification, and the blame lies, at least in part, with the farmer for the following two reasons: First, some few farmers deliberately take to market eggs which they know are not fresh, because they know

that the merchant is compelled to take them or lose their trade. Second, and by far the greatest reason, is because of ignorance on the part of the farmer as to what and how to sell eggs. When the hens on the farm are producing enough eggs to warrant the farmer’s taking them to town, arrangements should be made to handle all of them properly. .* convenient and clean place should be provided wherein the hens can lay. The natural tendency of a hen is to go off in the weeds ar l make her nest. This should not be tolerated and any eggs found in such places should be marked and kept at home. When the clean, fresh eggs are bathered they should be put in a clean, dry, cool place until marketed. Even though the place is clean and cool, if it is not dry, molds, etc., will commence development and the eggs will soon spoil. If the eggs become damp and they happen to be in contact with any colored material they will immediately become stained. Good egg cases in a cool, dry, clean place, kept up off of the floor, make an excellent receptacle in which to keep eggs previous to marketing. Before these eggs are set aside for market, they should be gone over by the farmer as he collects them, and all small, stained, dirty, doubtful, incubator and rotten eggs should be removed. Small and dirty eggs, if used immediately, are just as good as large clear ones, but they will not sell well on the market, and if sent in with good eggs will spoil the trade. Therefore, they should be kept and Used at home. No eggs should be washed, for the packers claim they will not keep well. All eggs from stolen nests, whose freshness is doubtful, and all incubator eggs should either be thrown away, boiled for the little chicks or used at home. They should never be sent to market. Rotten eggs need not be discussed. Any person who will send one to market deserves all the penalty possible from the pure-food law’.

When eggs have been properly gathered, handled and kept previous to taking to market, the question of the number of trips to town should be considered. In hot weather the eggs should be marketed two or three times per week, and oftener if possible. If that number of trips cannot be made, co-operate with a neighbor and have him alternate days in the trips which must be made. In the fall and spring eggs should be marketed at least once a week. Many buyers have had trouble in November with eggs classed as “held eggs.” These are common, because" most farmers believe that after frost eggs will not rot so quickly, but nevertheless they do evaporate and the air cells in them show the candler that they are stale. Therefore, the more qften eggs are marketed, the greater are the chances that they will be good.

Eggs Should Be Packed in Neat Cases.