181 



of these directions, quantity as well as quality. I shall first take up 

 the question of quality. 



In order to find out the difference in the price of eggs of various 

 grades in the market of the leading cities, we made an arbitrary 

 standard of our own and wrote letters to many of the leading cities 

 of the east and west and asked them to give us quotations on what 

 they would pay on a given date for strictly fresh eggs, all clean and 

 properly packed, but of different grades, as indicated in the follow- 

 ing table : 



Extra large 1\ oz., each and above 



Fancy, pure white, uniform in shape, color, size 52c 



II. Pure brown, uniform in shape, color, size 42c 



III. Mixed colors 38c 



Medium \\ oz., and above 



IV. Pure white, uniform in shape, color and size 42c 



V. Pure brown, uniform in shape, color and size 36c 



VI. Mixed colors 32c 



Small \\ oz., and above 



VII. White, uniform in shape, color, size 31c 



VIII. Brown, uniform in shape, color, size 28c 



IX. Mixed colors 21c 



We averaged up the replies from several different cities and in 

 the city of New York from several of the leading dealers, and I will 

 give you approximately the figures. The very marked differences in 

 prices were due to three factors: First, the fundamental determin- 

 ing factor was size, and yet frequently eggs that were medium in 

 size and pure white would bring a higher price than eggs that were 

 larger and of mixed colors. There was an extreme range, as you 

 can see, of over thirty-one cents between the small mixed colored 

 eggs, twenty-one cents up to fifty-two cents in the case of the large 

 uniform white eggs, and a difference of ten cents between white and 

 brown eggs of the same size and reasonably uniform in color. The 

 mixed colors would sell for fourteen cents per dozen less than the 

 large pure white eggs of .essentially the same size. I am thoroughly 

 familiar with a number of egg-packing establishments in our state, 

 where they are buying eggs all over the country and systematically 

 grading them. These men are making a splendid profit in the busi- 

 ness, which business consists in grading other peoples' eggs. Why 

 is it that the city markets are willing to pay this difference in price? 

 It is largely for the reason that the eggs are not only fresh and 

 clean, but that they are of good size, uniform in color and shape, are 

 attractive and look as if they were laid by pure bred poultry. When 

 you see eggs large and small, long and round, brown and white, etc., 

 sold together, the first impression is that these eggs are from no place 

 in particular, but from everywhere in general, "country-gathered," 

 picked-up eggs. They are anybody's eggs. There is a doubt cast upon 

 them. Whenever people begin to doubt the character of an egg it 

 is "all up" with the egg. People buy eggs very largely upon appear- 

 ances. If, on the other hand, these eggs had all been pure white or 

 pure brown and fairly uniform in size and color, they would at once 

 place these eggs as from somebody's place who kept pure bred 

 poultry and presumably took good care of it. They are, therefore, 

 more likely to be fresh as well as more attractive to look upon. A 

 plate of uniform colored eggs or uniform white eggs, when seen 



