STUDIES IN EGG-MARKETING 789 



carried over to a later season. A market thus overstocked with an 

 ungraded- product naturally tended to a low price. The high 

 percentage of waste depressed the market quotations still more. 

 The price of eggs in the early eighties illustrated this tendency. 

 At that time many Minnesota farmers sold eggs in the spring 

 at six cents a dozen and even less, while in some instances they 

 could not be marketed at all. 



During those early years the risk involved in handling eggs 

 was very great. In disposing of eggs commission men were 

 constantly confronted with complaints from city retailers on 

 account of the quality of the eggs furnished. On the other hand, 

 the country merchant was dissatisfied because of the low price 

 received. The income of the commission man varied, of course, 

 with the number of eggs handled. It was to his advantage, 

 therefore, to increase the volume of business as much as possible. 

 To do this he tried to hold the trade of the country merchant 

 already sending consignments and to induce other merchants to 

 give him their shipments. 



The stress of competition between commission men often led 

 to grave abuses. On initial shipments from a country store 

 returns would sometimes be forthcoming which looked better 

 than the average. Some commission man had perhaps padded 

 the returns in order to secure trade. Later, however, on some 

 large shipment from the same source the returns would perhaps 

 be unusually low, due perhaps to a high percentage of waste or 

 partly perhaps to dishonesty in the commission man. In any 

 event the returns were so often characterized in this way that 

 country merchants and country people in general came in later 

 years to distrust the average commission man. Nevertheless, it 

 must be noted that this was the only agency available in the 

 larger cities to take shipments of eggs from country merchants 

 under the early method. The fact that abuses crept in should 

 not blind one to the essential need of this agency under 

 the conditions. 



Most of the eggs received on consignment by commission men 

 were sold to city retailers. The commission man had to pick 

 over the eggs, sorting out the " breaks " and candling what 



