IN THE POULTRY YARD. 157 
when I was trying to find a market for my own eggs, I have never 
touched an egg in a restaurant. 
On the other hand, the grocers gave the country people full value 
for eggs, because they expected| to pay for them in trade, although, 
perhaps, such a condition was not always expressed. A’ country 
woman comes to the grocery with a few dozen eggs; she sells them 
for money, it is true, but she turns right round and buys her tea, 
coffee and sugar at the same place, and the bill for these probably 
exceeds the amount she receives for eggs. One who did not buy 
as largely as she did in proportion to her sales could hardly be ex- 
pected to meet with the same favor. 
‘The marketing of the eggs was therefore a problem that gave me 
a good deal of anxiety. I finally resolved to work up a local trade, 
if possible, and secure regular customers, who would be supplied 
with my best eggs, guaranteed to be not over two days old. The 
following is the plan which I ultimately adopted, and am now car- 
tying out. ‘Ihe first season our methods were of necessity rather 
slipshod and imperfect, and it is unnecessary to detail them. 
I had a few boxes made, twenty to begin with, each holding 
three dozen eggs. As our eggs were quile large, the boxes were 
8 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. They had a nice 
lid, and a wire handle or bale, which folded down over the box and 
out of the way when packed in the spring wagon. On the top of 
the lid was a label, a copy of which will be found on the following 
page, and in each crate we generally placed a few spare labels, loose, 
as circulars. 
The price was given by writing it in the blank. When the price 
was changed a slip of paper was pasted over the old price, and the 
new price written thereon. ‘This was some trouble, it is true, but 
I believe it paid in the end. 
The following is a copy of the label: 
. 
