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A BREEDING STATION. 



Such a poultry house which has been so effectively used as a Demon- 

 stration house may also serve the purpose of what in European countries 

 would be called a Breeding Station. The house should contain well-bred 

 utility hens, that the eggs and offspring therefrom would be of such a 

 character as to effect improvement in the farmer's flock. If the farmer 

 or poultryman who has the management of the station is at all successful 

 in getting good results he should have no difficulty in finding ready sale, 

 at moderate prices, for eggs during the hatching season and for male 

 birds in the fall of the year. This line of work is most essential as a 

 part of a poultry improvement campaign. In fact, one cannot hope to 

 make poultry educational work effective unless there is provided some 

 source from which farmers may secure improved breeding stock. 



CO-OPERATION IN THE MARKETING OF EGGS. 



The egg trade requires a marketing system, the working or selling 

 principle of which is based upon quality. What is known to the trade as 

 the " loss off " system should be adopted in place of the " case count " 

 system which is now so universal. So long as the latter system prevails, 

 proper and sanitary methods of production and care of this very perish- 

 able product will be discouraged. As a matter of fact, the present 

 method amounts practically to the placing of a premium on careless and 

 dilatory methods. By reason of this basis of buying eggs, educational 

 work is rendered difficult if not very largely fruitless. The farmer is 

 repeatedly advised to improve the breeding of his poultry stock in order 

 to weed out the small Qgg, to keep his poultry house and nests in a clean 

 and inviting condition in order to reduce the number of stale eggs through 

 hens stealing their nests, to gather the eggs twice daily, to keep them 

 stored, preparatory to marketing, in a clean, cool place, and to market 

 them more frequently. To follow this advice is most essential if it is 

 the desire to produce eggs of the highest quality. But it entails some 

 little care which the poultry department of the average farm is not in the 

 habit of receiving. Therefore, when given such advice, the farmer 

 naturally asks this question: "What are we going to get for it?" So 

 long as the " case count " system of marketing continues, the answer 

 which must follow is, " Practically nothing." The system is at fault, 

 therefore the system must necessarily be changed. The price paid for 

 eggs should be based upon the quality of the product at the time of sale. 

 Such a system would, by the encouragement of better methods of caring 

 for and marketing the product, very greatly assist in preventing the 

 heavy loss which the Canadian egg trade now sustains. 



The produce of all Co-operative Marketing Associations (which are 

 commonly known as " Egg Circles " where eggs only are handled) is 





