50 BULLETIN 1266, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
for the fattening and selling of members' poultry. Generally, eggs 
placed in preserving tanks in the spring season are already contracted 
for by British buyers for fall and early winter delivery, and when 
marketed their crates are properly marked as " Pickled Eggs." 
The Danish Cooperative Egg Export Association is controlled by a 
board of directors, consisting of five members, elected by the delegates 
at the annual meeting of a general assembly which comprises the 
board of directors, a committee of representatives, and one delegate 
from each local association. Only the delegates have voting privi- 
leges. 
The chairman of the board of directors is elected for a period of 
five years; the other four members are chosen for two years. The 
executive business committee consists of three members — the board 
chairman, the association manager, and one other member of the 
board. The chairman of the board of directors receives a small sal- 
ary; other members are allowed expenses when engaged on official 
dut y- 
Between the board of directors and the local associations is the 
committee of representatives (Reprasentantskabet) , which consists of 
one representative from each county in the Kingdom. This county 
representative is elected for four years at a county meeting where each 
local association sends one delegate. The representatives are not 
salaried ; they receive only expenses when on official duty. 
At first, the central association leased buildings for offices and 
packing houses, but after a few years of successful operation it built 
its own branch packing houses. Now the Copenhagen central offices 
and packing houses, together with four branch establishments, are the 
D. A. E.'s own property. This property is paid for and the central 
association has no debt. 
The common trade form in the Danish egg trade to England is 
similar to that of the Danish butter trade. Danish eggs are com- 
monly sold f. o. b. to English provision wholesalers and large retail 
companies. The Cooperative Egg Export Association has its agents 
in different sections to place orders with the wholesalers. The asso- 
ciation also sells to the wholesale and retail trade at home. 
The contract agreement between the central association and its 
local association members involves two important features: (1) The 
local egg-collecting association under contract is bound to deliver all 
eggs gathered from its members direct to the central association. This 
delivery pledge holds for one year at a time. (2) Each local associa- 
tion is liable to the central association only to the extent of its part 
or share of the reserve fund held by the central association. 
As with the creameries and bacon plants, the necessary capital was 
created by loan rather than by selling shares. The first few years 
the central association worked under great handicaps with the scar- 
city of capital; the payment to members was often delayed until 
their eggs were sold. Although comparatively less fixed capital is 
required than with the creamery or bacon plant, the central associa- 
tion requires large sums of operating capital. It has provided its 
own finances by building up large reserve funds. Such reserves, held 
by the central association, are now of sufficient size to provide the 
necessary operating capital, and interest is still drawn on a large 
part of it. These reserve funds, together with its property, give the 
