46 COMMERCIAL EGG FARMING 



large an extent in the States as in England. 

 Where it is necessary, however, the follow- 

 ing matters should be taken carefully into 

 account. All members of a cooperative egg 

 marketing society must be persons who can 

 be relied upon to keep the rules of the 

 society strictly. This means that their farms 

 must be run in accordance with these rules, 

 and that the farms are open to inspection 

 by the secretary without notice. One of the 

 rules must be that eggs may not be bought 

 by any member from a non-member and sold 

 to the society as produce from his farm. The 

 reputation for supplying really fine eggs can 

 be lost by carelessness in any one farm. 

 Therefore one of the most important points 

 is the character of the persons who are mem- 

 bers. A member must be a man who can be 

 relied upon to observe all the rules faithfully. 

 It would be impossible to admit as a mem- 

 ber a farmer running his birds as farmers 

 generally do, that is, on what is called "free 

 range," which means eggs laid in hedges, 

 under stacks, in stables, etc., and found many 

 days or weeks, perhaps, after having been 

 laid. The temptation to sell them as "new 



