432 MARKETING THE PRODUCTS 



No doubt there is much speculation in the business; yet this 

 occurs in all branches of commerce. There are hundreds of sharp- 

 ers who make a living by sending out cards offering attractive 

 prices or false quotations to shippers; they scour the express 

 offices and hang around delivery wagons, getting the names and 

 addresses of the shippers. Such is human nature. Many of the 

 shippers who receive these false quotations immediately send 

 their next consignment to these " pikers," as they are called. 

 Not until the lapse of weeks with no returns do they realize their 

 mistake in not looking up the standing and reputation of the 

 consignees before giving them the goods. (See New Jersey Sta- 

 tion Report, 1911.) 



Points in Collecting. — The method of handling market eggs 

 has much to do with their ultimate selling price, and the system 

 and manner of collecting is of vital importance. Clean houses 

 help to keep the birds in healthy condition, just as a clean nest 

 will help to keep the eggs in good state. Nests for laying should 

 always be clean, for nesting material is cheap, and it is much 

 easier to change it occasionally than to cleanse the eggs. Washed 

 eggs spoil more quickly; therefore they should be cleaned by dry 

 brushing with a stiff-bristled brush. The eggs should be collected 

 regularly, once, or, if a special fancy product, twice a day. A 

 covered pail with strong handle is the best receptacle for them, as it 

 holds a large number, and there is no danger of crushing them, as 

 there might be in a basket, the weight making it sag at the sides. 



Selecting and Grading. — There should be a regular system of 

 selecting and grading eggs, to insure uniformity and high quality. 

 Before discussing the principles of grading, some understanding 

 of commercial grades will serve to illustrate the importance of 

 home grading. The general classification of eggs in all large 

 markets is as follows: Extra hennery white; extra hennery brown; 

 first hennery white; first hennery brown; first hennery mixed; 

 seconds; thirds; dirties. 



The extras must all be of large and uniform size, perfectly 

 clean, with chalk-white shells, not tinted in the least, and only 

 a few days old. The firsts must be clean and of uniform color, 

 but need not run quite so large. The seconds are smaller or of 

 varying size, and the thirds still smaller. Fresh eggs are often 

 sold for half price because they are dirty. 



Large wholesale markets classify according to degree of fresh- 

 ness. This classification, given below, was evolved by the egg 



