FIRST LESSONS IN POULTRY KEEPING. 165 



breeding season. December, January, and, February will see the most of his sales, and he need 

 not feel discouraged if he finds no demand until well on in January. The class of trade he 

 will get at first does not buy freely until signs of spring begin to be in evidence. A few warm 

 days at any time after New Years is apt to have a marked effect on inquiries for stock. 



Selling Eggs for Hatching. 



Like the trade in stock, the egg trade is for most poultrymen limited to a short season. 

 Comparatively few shipments of eggs are made until the season is far enough advanced to make 

 it likely that the weather will be somewhat settled by the time the chicks are hatched. 



If one sells eggs he should sell from the same matings he uses himself. He may occasionally 

 reserve a few birds in special matings, but even so, these special matings should be experi- 

 mental rather than in the way of reserving the cream of his stock, unless the eggs sold are 

 offered at a price away below the value of eggs from the birds reserved. 



Many breeders who hatch large numbers of chickens for themselves make a practice of 

 dividing the eggs equally day by day, reserving half and using half to fill orders. Others 

 whose egg trade is larger in proportion to their ability to supply it, find it necessary at times 

 to ship all or nearly all of their eggs just at the season they most want them for themselves, 

 or else return many orders. A breeder who sells himself short of eggs at the best hatching 

 season runs the risk of crippling himself for stock at the end of the season. 



Whatever practice is followed, the seller must be fair to bis customer, remembering that it 

 is chances the customer buys in eggs, and giving him " a square deal" both with reference to 

 himself and to other customers. 



And whatever breeders of reputation may do about sending out inferior looking eggs from 

 fine specimens, the novice in the business will find it his best policy to send out none but 

 good looking eggs. 



In the matter of guaranteeing fertility, most breeders do not guarantee fertility, and replace 

 eggs that fail to hatch only when from what they know of the way their eggs are hatching 

 they feel that they ought to do so. Some guarantee a certain per cent hatch, if the infertiles 

 are returned to them. 



For shipping eggs the boxes and baskets made especially for that purpose are, all things 

 considered, most satisfactory to use. 



