12 POULTRY FARMING 
grading are not appreciated, and are handled so carelessly that 
the quality is often very bad when they reach the point of consump- 
tion. Conditions are worse during ldte spring and early summer, 
when the weather is warm and extra care is necessary to cause 
the eggs to reach the market in good condition. 
The eggs produced in this section are sold to local merchants, 
“case count,” and often hauled many miles over rough roads and 
exposed to hot sunlight before being sold. They are then often 
held many days, and are finally shipped by local freight to some 
Fic. 8.—A typical farm flock in the Middle West. (Photo by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.) 
central shipping point where they are candled and graded. The 
loss during the warm months is very great. The price drops all 
along the.-line, because the quality is poor. 
Improved methods in marketing can best be attained through 
codperation. A general practice on the part of merchants to buy 
all eggs ‘loss off’ will do much to increase the quality. This 
will bring greater returns to the poultry raisers in this great 
territory (Fig. 8). 
One of the most intensive and widely-known specialized egg- 
producing sections in the United States is located in California at 
Petaluma (Fig. 12). The landscape for miles around is literally 
covered with poultry houses and dotted with poultry. The White 
Leghorn breed predominates; the aim in management being the 
production of high quality table eggs. 
The fowls are kept in large flocks and are given extended 
