8l8 READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



firms. Finally, during the last summer, a shift was made to a 

 retailer in another primary market. The best results seem to 

 have been secured from shipments made to retailers. With them 

 the prices have been such as to cause general satisfaction among 

 farmers. The main difficulty encountered at Askov came last 

 spring when there was a surplus. To unload this it was necessary 

 to go to the jobbers. These, however, did not care to take the 

 eggs unless they were to receive all eggs shipped out by the 

 association. Moreover, the regular retail customers did not want 

 the eggs sold to other retailers in their neighborhood. This made 

 it practically impossible to unload the surplus by an extension of 

 the retail trade. It was finally necessary to sell all the eggs 

 to the jobbing firms. A little later the egg business which had 

 been handled in connection with the farmers' co-operative cream- 

 ery was given up by the butter-maker because of the pressure of 

 other work. Since then it has been taken care of in connection 

 with the farmers' feed business. 



The average net price per dozen received by the farmers each 

 month from July i, 191 1, to July, 191 2, is shown by the dotted 

 line in Diagram V. On the same diagram may also be seen a 

 continuous line indicating the average price paid the farmers by 

 the private creamery described above. It will be noticed that 

 there are greater fluctuations in the price received by the farmers' 

 co-operative association at Askov than in the prices paid to farmers 

 by the private creamery. These greater fluctuations at Askov are 

 to be explained partly by the changes made in markets. In any 

 case, however, the variation in prices paid by the private creamery 

 would be less abrupt because of the policy of leaving the figures 

 untouched for regular periods regardless of market changes. 



The third example to be cited in this connection of a local 

 community which has practiced successfully the direct method 

 of egg-marketing is that of the farmers at Dassel. Here, as at 

 Askov, the first form of co-operative effort was the organization 

 of a farmers' club. Two years later, in 1909, the carton egg 

 business was started. Rules similar to those already mentioned 

 were adopted regarding the care and handling of eggs. At first 

 eggs were stamped individually. Last year, however, this was 



