1922.] Califohnian -Poultry EArsiifG and Makketing. 



681 



members, and realise that care on their own part is necessary in 

 order to dispense with more elaborate arrangements, the 

 expense of which would devolve, ultimately, upon themselves. 



The above process is extended in the case of dirty eggs and 

 of eggs for preserving. The dirty eggs are placed upon an 

 endless band of rubber-covered rollers which is passed beneath 

 a funnel emitting a sand blast. As the rollers cause the eggs 

 to revolve they are thoroughly cleaned without the deleterious 

 effect caused by w^ater. 



The eggs for preserving are placed upon wire frames similar 

 to those used by the inspectors and immersed for a second or 

 two in oil which is kept at a temperature of 250° Fahrenheit. 

 This has the effect of driving out the air and of sealing the 

 egg, thus rendering it capable of preservation for some months. 

 It may be noted in passing that members are expected to send 

 only sterile eggs to the depot. 



After the completion of the various processes, the boxes are 

 stacked according to the grade of eggs which they contain and 

 loaded on to barges for shipment to San Francisco, or on to 

 railway wagons if for shipment by land. 



It will be noted from the above that the association does 

 little beside co-ordinating the efforts of individual farmers. It 

 in no way relieves them of the responsibility of delivering their 

 eggs in the best possible state for marketing. If the grading 

 and packing work at the depot runs smoothly, it is because the 

 farmers themselves have taken great pains that it should do 

 so, by performing their own task as efficiently as possible. 

 This is a point of some importance, as indicating the value 

 of individual care as a first constituent of co-operation. 



It might be thought that, since only some 65 or 75 per cent, 

 of farmers in the district are members of the Co-operative 

 Marketing Association, its usefulness was problematical. 

 Actually, the proximity of Petalnma to the markets of San 

 Francisco and the Bay Cities adjacent thereto makes it a simple 

 matter for many farmers to make contracts for the sale of their 

 eggs without having recourse to the association : it is when the 

 industry outruns its local market that such a society becomes 

 necessary. In short, though a prosperous co-operative society 

 may be regarded as a criterion of the success of an industry, it 

 is a result of success rather than its cause. 



Constitution of Societies. — The question of the constitution 

 of co-operative societies has received much attention in California. 

 Such societies are to be regarded as accessory to the individual in 



