330 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



EGGS. 



I make special mention of this subject owing to the important 

 position which this state holds as a producing center of high grade 

 eggs and the necessity of stabilizing the market by an effective in- 

 spection system. 



The great bulk of our egg crop goes on the market during the 

 •nonths of April, May, June, July and August. During the first 

 three months, due to the cool season, the eggs are of uniform good 

 quality without any special care being exercised by the producer. 

 As the hot weather of July and August appears, the quality oi 

 eggs falls rapidly and unless precautions are taken to see that none 

 but sound fresh eggs are marketed, the price paid the farmer falls 

 with equal rapidity. Farmers never did, nor never will, receive 

 pay for the bad eggs they took to market. When buyers find that 

 the eggs marketed in any locality are not good they immediately 

 lower their quotations to compensate them for the loss and expense 

 of handling the bad eggs. The}'' base their price in such a way 

 that the farmers receive compensation for the good eggs only, less 

 the cost of candling, crates and transportation charges incidental 

 to shipping the bad eggs to market. As the cost of crates and 

 transportation is as great for bad eggs as it is for good ones, ship- 

 pers will generally quit buying when the quality falls very low. 

 Small producers in these loealities can then find no good market for 

 their product ; if they do find a market they must sell at a price 

 below the cost of production. 



Situations similar to the above are prevalent in states which do 

 not maintain a system of inspection which will protect the buyer 

 from deliveries of stale, bad and incubated eggS; the condition 

 prevailed in Iowa prior to 1915. 



Early in 1915 and again in this year wfe instituted vigorous cam- 

 paigns, the purpose of which was to secure a steady market for 

 Iowa eggs during the months of July and August by preventing 

 the entrance into commercial channels of low grade eggs. The de- 

 sired result was brought about by prosecuting the wilful offenders 

 and carrying on such educational work as would teach better meth- 

 ods of gathering and marketing. 



The result of this work was that during the year 1915 Iowa farm- 

 ers received an average of one to three cents per dozen more for 

 their eggs than did the farmers of Missouri and Nebraska. In the 

 jobbing trade the Iowa product brought from 75 cents to $1.00 per 

 case more than did shipments from northern Missouri. 



