72 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



that brown eggs are richer than white eggs, and that they 

 are fresher and better. As a matter of fact, hens nsnally 

 lay " fresh eggs," whether they are brown or white. Bnt 

 the people of Boston know that brown eggs generally are 

 fresher than white eggs. It is becanse most all the eggs that 

 are produced in that neighborhood are of that " complexion," 

 and the eggs that are of another color are more liable to be 

 produced way ont west, and perhaps have been in cold stor- 

 age for a long time. On the other hand, people in New 

 York City have a notion that white eggs are a good deal 

 better, both inside and ont, than the brown eggs, and there- 

 fore they will pay from 5 to 10 cents — and I have seen 

 them paying 15 cents — a dozen more for white eggs of the 

 same size and freshness and similar shape. That is drawing 

 the " color line " pretty sharply, but they are willing to pay 

 for it. Well, let them, even though one egg is not worth 

 one whit more than the other, by chemical analysis or other- 

 wise. 



The point I want to make clear is this : that we must first 

 find out what our customer wants, make it as good as we know 

 how and then demand the price for it. We are liable to get 

 it. Life is too short for us to try to educate public opinion 

 on that score. 



IIow are we going to get the most efficient machine ? 

 Breed it. Start with good, pure-bred stock or eggs, and then 

 select. Why start with a pure breed? Very largely for the 

 reason that pure breeding represents uniformity of some 

 character or quality that it has taken many breeders fifty 

 or seventy-five years to accomplish. It has taken over fifty 

 years to produce the magnificent breed known as the Barred 

 Rock, and half as long, perhaps, to produce the White Rock 

 and some of the other well-known substantial varieties. 

 Somebody has spent all these years in emphasizing a certain 

 quality until they have fixed it, so that when the eggs hatch 

 from one of those varieties you can reasonably expect the 

 chickens to look like their parents. That is worth much 

 from the standpoint of uniformity of production, size, shape, 

 growing quality and living ability, — all of those qualities 

 which we desire to develop represented in a type that will 



