reason why those who, early, were fairly chasing the dealers for 

 duck eggs and paying sometimes up even to three times as much 

 as hens' eggs were bringing — so one dealer said — could not be 

 induced to look at one, a little later. 



"There isn't any market, you know, for them. And we don't 

 get very many. What we do get the bakers take. They are all 

 poor quality, but of course the bakers don't have to have good 

 eggs. So we sell to them at about 16 or 17 cents a dozen." "But 

 Easter was early this year," I persisted, "and we have had no hot 

 weather yet. Why should they be of such uniformly poor qual- 

 ity?" The man hesitated, as others had done. Finally he said: 

 "Well, I'll tell you. Except for a few western eggs, about all 

 that come in now are from the incubators, those that are tested 

 out as infertiles." Considerably more than a year I have been 

 after this bit of information, and every mouth shut like a clam 

 when I put my "Why ?" 



And here it is in a nutshell! After the season for incubat- 

 ing eggs for the green duck trade is fairly open, about all the 

 available eggs go into the incubators. Those that test out go to 

 the market, and bakers pay within a few cents of what the high- 

 est grade of eggs is bringing; and yet, they are all of poor qual- 

 ity. Readers should understand that these are seldom Runner 

 eggs, for not enough of them go into the machines in this way to 

 make any available surplus for the city trade. But the mere fact 

 that nearly all the eggs that do come in are of this suspicious 

 grade, makes a poor market and a prejudice for all duck eggs. 

 No wonder they don't stand up well! Ever since I found out 

 this fact (though of course I had long known that a good mans' 

 of this class of eggs was marketed) applied to duck eggs so gen- 

 erally in the regular season, I have been far more optimistic than 

 ever before about market sales for Runner eggs. When grower.s 

 get enough ducks to allow shipments, all they have to do is to 

 make good with a good dealer, always furnishing fresh products, 

 and the market is made. 



123 



