191 1.] Sale of Eggs by Co-operative Means. 989 



effective must, of course, depend upon conditions, but it is 

 believed that the application of the proper amount of copper 

 once or twice a year will, in most cases, be sufficient to keep 

 down any algal pest." 



The following hints on the sale of eggs through a co- 

 operative society have been furnished to the Board by Mr. 



Edward Brown, Secretary to the Na- 

 Sale of Eggs tional Poultry Organisation Society , 

 by Information as to the formation of these 



Co-operative Means. societies, and the sale of eggs and 

 poultry by their agency will be found 

 in the Board's Leaflet, No. 111 (Co-operative Egg and 

 Poultry Societies). 



Collection of Eggs from Members. — The question of 

 collection is of great importance. In order to ensure that 

 supplies shall be of the best quality and command the 

 highest prices eggs should be collected three times per 

 week. This is the great stumbling block to many who have 

 been accustomed to weekly marketing. Only, however, 

 by frequent collection and rapid dispatch can the top returns 

 be secured. The cost of collection must be considered. 

 Where producers are conveniently situated, and the number 

 of eggs available is large, the preferable way is to engage or 

 provide a vehicle and collect from each farm, as by so doing 

 regularity is ensured. But in small farm districts and where 

 the population is scattered that system may prove too expen- 

 sive. Under those conditions the responsibility must be 

 thrown upon individual members. A plan which has proved 

 very successful is the formation of sub-depots to which 

 members send their eggs, from which they are forwarded 

 in bulk to the testing and packing station. It is essential 

 that members who send in small or stale or bad eggs shall 

 be penalised, and, therefore, each member numbers the eggs 

 with a rubber stamp before they are sent in, by means of 

 which the owners can be traced. Bad eggs should be 

 returned, stale eggs and "smalls " paid for at a lower rate. 

 In this way the standard of quality can be raised considerably. 



Testing and Packing. — Upon careful testing much de- 

 pends, and it cannot be too rigid. It is done by a powerful 



