CHAPTER XXXI 

 SELLING EGGS ADVANTAGEOUSLY 



Many poultrymen, especially those who raise but a few 

 chickens, concern themselves chiefly with the problem of pro- 

 ducing eggs, with insufficient attention to the best methods of 

 selling them. They are accustomed to think that there is an un- 

 limited demand, which is true — there is always a regular outlet for 

 eggs, just as there is a regular market for corn, wheat and other 

 staple products; but, to secure top prices, or to obtain the full 

 value of the product, as much thought and care must be devoted 

 to the selling end of the business as to the subject of production. 



Eggs are probably the easiest commodity to sell. — In fact, 

 the demand for strictly fresh goods of prime quality is always 

 greater than the supply. If we so desire we do not have to stir 

 from our doorstep to find a buyer. The buyer will come to us, 

 pay spot cash if he is a dealer, or give us credit for merchandise 

 at his store. Transactions of this sort are very common, and 

 they are so simple and call for so little effort on the part of the 

 producer that they have induced the poultry raiser to accept 

 them as a regular practice — along the lines of the least resistance. 

 In other words, it is so easy to sell eggs through the regular chan- 

 nels — the country store, commission merchant or wholesale 

 dealer — that the practice has encouraged a form of laziness on the 

 part of the producer. Instead of making him independent and 

 resourceful, and stimulating a desire to seek the most profitable 

 outlet for his wares, it has made him dependent and submissive 

 — a sort of "take what I can get" spirit. 



Middleman's Charges. — It is very convenient to dispose of 

 one's output at the back door, but it is a great mistake to think 

 that the producer is not paying for this convenience. He is 



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