22 



N. H. Agei. Experiment Station 



[Bui. 300 



"seller's market" and buyers are often forced to pay above quoted 

 prices. In other words a quotation is an arbitrary and a stationary 

 figure for a time. The market is constantly changing and actual 

 sales occur at various prices which are continually changing. 



Actual Returns Vs. Boston Wholesale Quotations 



Reports were obtained from several producers who were shipping eggs 

 to the Boston wholesale market and comparisons made between the 

 actual returns which they received with top Boston wholesale quotations 

 and with average auction returns on the same dates. (See Table 9.) 



Table 9. — Co/iiparison of actual returns for eggs, all sizes, sold on the 



Boston Wholesale Market with estimated returns if sold at top 



Boston quotations and at average auction prices 



Gross Returns 



Actual 



I 



(Boston 

 market) 



31. 9e. 



37.3 



33.5 



33.8 



33.8 



28.2 



31.8 



28.7 



If sold at 

 top Boston 



wholesale 

 quotations 

 (Est.) 



31. 3(^. 



37.1 



34.0 



34.2 



36.0 



30.4 



34.0 

 30.6 



If sold at 



average 



auction 



prices 



(Est.) 



35. 2(^. 



39. 

 39. 

 39. 

 35. 



29.5 



33.7 

 31.0 



Net Returns 



Actual 



(Boston 

 market) 



30. 4(/-. 



35. 



31.9 



32.4 



32.1 



26.6 



30.2 



27.4 



If sold at 

 top Boston 



wholesale 

 quotations 



(Est.) 



29.7^. 



35.5 



32.3 



32.5 



34.3 



28.9 



32.5 

 29.3 



If sold at 



average 



auction 



prices 



(Est.) 



32.0^. 



36.4 



34.0 



36.5 



32.4 



26.5 



30.6 



28.1 



Actual average gross returns for all eggs in the last six months of 1934 

 were % cents per dozen below Boston wholesale quotations and 3.3 

 cents below average auction returns. In 1935 average (weighted) 

 gross returns for all eggs were 1.9 cents below Boston quotations and 

 2.3 cents below average auction prices. 



These comparisons cover a small number of producers for the volume 

 indicated and must be regarded as approximate only, since grades do 

 not entirely correspond, since the same eggs might have been graded dif- 

 ferently in Boston than at the auction and since net returns at Boston 

 quotations and average auction prices are estimates. 



High and Low Prices on Auction Sales 



The price quotation that means most is one covering "bulk of sales". 

 Far more producers receive the low prices on an auction sale than do 

 those receiving the high price. There is no very definite limit to the 

 peak prices but there is a fairly definite limit on the low prices. There 

 are always buyers who will take almost any quantity of eggs "at a 

 price". These bids for quantities are usually nearer the Boston whole- 

 sale price and they put a "floor" under the market. 



Most of the eggs selling at top prices are heavy cases usually averag- 

 ing from two to six pounds over those bringing the low prices. There 



