10 Jan., 1919.] "A Penny Over Top." 53 



As a result of the first single test competition at Burnley the world's 

 record was produced, Mr. C. E. Graham's Black Orpington, Eecord 

 Queen, actually scoring 335 eggs for the year. An offer of £50 for 

 this fine hird was refused. Whether this score will ever officially be 

 exceeded is a question for the future, hut there is no reason why other 

 breeds, whether light or heavy, should not produce their own 300-egg 

 representative. 



"A PENNY OVER TOP." 



To secure a penny over highest market price for eggs generally 

 seems to be the height of the average poultry farmer's ambition, and 

 he rarely takes much practical interest in the factors which are respon- 

 sible for bringing about the market price. As a matter of fact, the 

 bulk of the highest class of new laid eggs do not reach the so-called 

 market at all, as they are not consigned to the middlemen, but are sent 

 direct by the producer to the grocers, hotels, clubs, cafes, and the like. 

 Consequently, most of the supplies consigned to the " market " are 

 sent in by country storekeepers who labour under certain disad- 

 vantages. Firstly, they have virtually to accept all eggs offered to 

 them at the risk of losing other and more profitable business, which 

 means that stale eggs, indifferently collected eggs, fertile eggs in hot 

 weather, &c., are all included, which usually have to be paid for in cash, 

 no matter how much may be owing for groceries; and, secondly, the 

 price the storekeeper pays is based entirely on the probable " market " 

 returns. Such practices result in an indifferent price being paid for a 

 more or less indifferent article, a penny or so more being paid for " new 

 laids," and this forms the basis on which the price is fixed — genuine 

 auctioneering being conspicuously absent — for the enormous number of 

 new laid eggs of the best quality. During the past twelve months 

 Is. 6d. per dozen was being paid in "Wangaratta for new laid eggs on 

 a Thursday; the metropolitan papers announced on the Friday that the 

 Melbourne " market '' price was Is. lOd. a dozen, and on the Saturday 

 Brighton grocers charged 2s. 6d. a dozen retail. Comment is super- 

 fluous. Another important influence is brought to bear on the market 

 price by the sale of chilled eggs, which are foisted on the public by 

 unscrupulous dealers as new laid, unjustly depressing the price at the 

 time when there is a real scarcity of the genuine article. The bulk of 

 the year's profits on the egg farm have to be made during March, April, 

 May, and June; the high cost of feed, interest on capital, depreciation 

 on buildings and equipment, together with eggs required for hatching, 

 (Src, leaving little over a bare margin of profit for the rest of the year. 

 Eggs are cheap during the hatching and rearing season, a time when 

 expenses are greatest ; consequently, very few can afford to wait for the 

 money from the sale of eggs which would be involved by chilling and 

 holding over till the autumn. The result is that this business is almost 

 entirely in the hands of the speculators and others, who are pecuniarily 

 interested in depressed prices during the spring, and are able to compete 

 unfairly against the genuine article. Co-operation is, of course, the 

 best remedy, and reams of paper have been used to explain how admir- 

 ably this is done in other countries. Quite so. But it must not be 



