TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE FACILITIES 581 



transit is still discouragingly high to the shipper who loses stock, 

 the railroads which pay claims, and the consumer who ultimately 

 foots the bill for both. 



It costs just the same amount to collect, pack, ship, grade, and 

 market a stale, dirty, or otherwise low-quality egg as it costs to per- 

 form a like service for a high-grade egg, though the former must sell 

 for a lower price, and the five millions of rotten eggs that get to New 

 York in a year represent just as much of an outlay of money as is 

 expended on the five million dozens of good eggs. The wholesaler, 

 who weeds out the rotten eggs, spreads the loss over the rest of the 

 eggs in the lot, and the price to the retailer goes up accordingly. 

 Then the retailer increases his price to the consumer, and the con- 

 sumer being the last on the list, pays the price and wonders why 

 the cost of living has increased. 



What can we do to prevent egg deterioration all along the line, and 

 thereby give the consumer a better product and increase its value to 

 the industry ? 



First, the farmer must learn to select good breeds of chickens and 

 take more care of them, that eggs may be larger, cleaner, and more 

 plentiful on the farm. He should also kill off all the mature cocks as 

 soon as the brooding season is over. The education of which the 

 farmer is in need in the gathering and care of eggs after they are laid, 

 and the prompt delivery of them to the next person in the marketing 

 chain, is self-evident from the recital of the farmer's present methods. 



The country storekeepers and small produce buyers are, next to 

 the farmer, responsible for the number of low-grade eggs marketed. 

 They must be taught to buy "loss off" instead of "case count." 

 Buying "case count" places the good farmer and the poor farmer on 

 the same basis, and is grossly unfair to the good farmer. The pro- 

 ducer of good eggs receives less and the producer of bad eggs more than 

 they are worth. What incentive is there, on this basis, for the farmer 

 to take extra trouble and care? 



Another bad habit which is gaining in the countryside is the leaving 

 at the farm by the packer or merchant of carriers holding 30 dozen. 

 The farmer waits until the case is full before marketing. This is not 

 objectionable when the flock is large or production rapid, but out of 

 season or on the small place it means three or four weeks' holding to 

 get a full 3o-dozen box. The shipper can materially improve the 

 quality of eggs in the market if he buy by quality not simply by 

 count. He will also improve his business. 



