POULTRT-CRAFT. 187 



271. Good Stock is Sometimes Hard to Sell. This, those who have 

 something to sell only at irregular intervals soon find out. A man may go 

 into the best market in the world with a first class article in good demand at 

 the time, and experience some difficulty in getting rid of it ; because while the 

 supply as a whole is unequal to the demand, very many buyers will have all 

 they need, and no sale will be made until a consumer is found who has not 

 been supplied. One condition of selling to the best trade is to be able to 

 supply stuff regularly. The producer who can do that, having sold one lot 

 that gives satisfaction, finds that this sale brings him a standing order. 



272. When to Sell Eggs. As a rule, producers realize most on eggs 

 by selling them while strictly fresh. Not one in a thousand is in a position to 

 preserve eggs, or could make anything by doing so if he were. The profit 

 on preserved eggs is for those able to handle them in large quantities, by the 

 best cold storage methods. Perhaps the only time it is to the producer'* 

 interest to hold eggs for higher prices, is when prices are rapidly going up. 

 Then it may be worth while to hold any not needed for a regular trade for a 

 week or so not so long that they cannot be honestly sold as fresh eggs to 

 get the few cents per dozen he would gain by holding them. One who is- 

 supplying a regular trade, especially family trade, should give his customers 

 all they want at current prices, regardless of the few dollars possible profit to- 

 be made by holding them back. It pays to favor good customers a little when 

 eggs are high. There comes a season, every year, when eggs are plenty and 

 cheap, and what favors are going come from the customer. 



273. How Eggs are Sent to Market. Eggs in quantity are shipped 

 mostly in thirty-dozen cases, (though thirty-six dozen cases are sometime 

 used). Such cases are put up for sale in knock-down bundles. There are 

 several styles. The cheaper ones, with pasteboard fillers, are most used- 

 For small lots of eggs, half-cases, or cases holding ten dozen each, are often 

 used. For the family trade, which takes only two or three dozen eggs at a 

 time, pasteboard boxes of suitable sizes are desirable. Such boxes can be 

 purchased of paper box manufacturers, or of dealers in poultrymen's supplies. 

 They are very convenient for delivering eggs from wagons ; are sometimes 

 used to deliver market eggs by express, though the proportion of transporta- 

 tion to value on such small packages is too large for the practice to become 

 general. However sold, eggs should be clean, and assorted according to size 

 and color. One should never attempt to work off the small eggs with the 

 others. If there are more than can be used at home, they should be sold for 

 what they are cull eggs. Everywhere medium to large eggs sell best. 

 The preferences of different localities for eggs of different colors, were given 

 in ^ 101. 



274. Shipping Eggs to Commission Merchants. There are many 



