One Thousand Ways to Make a Living; or, An Encyclopædia of Plans to Make Money

Only first-class eggs can be marketed successfully by parcel post. The shipping of bad eggs not only will cause dissatisfaction or even loss of the customer, but, in interstate shipments, will violate the Federal food law if there are more than 5 per cent of bad eggs in a shipment. The limit allowed, however, is no excuse for any bad eggs among those marketed.

Persons desiring to build up a business of marketing eggs by this method should hatch their chicks early enough to have them begin laying in the fall season, when eggs are scarce and high priced. This will also result in more evenly distributed production throughout the year.

Preserving Eggs in Water Glass

In the spring, when they are plentiful, eggs may be preserved for home use in a solution of water glass, so that those laid during the fall and winter season may be available for marketing. A standard grade of water glass can be obtained at drug stores for 75 cents per gallon, if bought in moderately large quantities. Each quart of water glass should be diluted with 10 quarts of water which has been boiled and cooled. Only strictly fresh, newly laid, clean eggs should be placed in the solution. The eggs may be packed in stone jars or crocks which have been washed thoroughly in scalding water and the water-glass solution poured over them, or the eggs may be placed daily in the solution by putting them down in it carefully by hand so as to avoid breaking or cracking them. The solution at all times should cover the eggs to a depth of at least 2 inches. The solution will not injure the hands. The jars should be put in a cool and preferably dark place before the eggs are deposited in them, and should not be moved, because breakage and loss may result. The water-glass solution may become cloudy, but this is a natural condition and should cause no alarm.

Eggs thus kept are good for all purposes, but the shells break rather easily in boiling. This trouble can be prevented by puncturing the end of the shell with a pin or needle just before boiling. Perhaps an occasional customer will be willing to buy eggs preserved in water glass, but they should be sold for just what they are and at a price mutually agreed upon by the producer and customer.

Containers

Experience has shown that frequently parcels are mailed in containers not sufficiently strong and inadequately prepared and protected. These are a cause of complaint. While the containers often can be secured more easily by the consumer, the producer should make it a point to secure, through his local dealer or otherwise, such containers or carriers as meet the requirements of the postal authorities and such as will carry the particular product in a satisfactory manner, so that he may have uniformity in them when he is shipping to a number of customers. Uniform containers and uniform pack are economical and desirable; otherwise he may lose his customer, and should the container or carrier not be sufficiently stout to stand the service it will not be worth returning as an “empty” to use again.

The postal requirements for mailing eggs for local delivery are as follows:

This embraces all collection and delivery service within the jurisdiction of the postmaster of the office where the parcel is mailed.

Eggs to be sent beyond the local office are to be prepared for mailing as follows:

The ideal container must be simple in construction, efficient in service, and cheap. Simplicity of construction is essential, so that it may be assembled and packed or filled readily and rapidly. Any part which is to be opened should be so marked or notched as to indicate the part to pull up or out. It must be efficient in service to insure satisfaction to the shipper and to the receiver, and also to prevent damage to other mail matter by possible breakage and leakage. It must be inexpensive or it will defeat the object to be attained, which is a reduction of the cost of handling between producer and consumer.

Trials of many different styles and makes of containers or cartons for shipping eggs by parcel post were made. Quite a number proved satisfactory in extended trials. A few of them are illustrated in these pages for the purpose of showing in a general way their appearance and construction. Any container which meets the postal requirements and which serves the purpose properly can be used.

Information Relative to Securing Containers

The experiment stations in the various States have information as to containers for parcel-post shipments of eggs, in consumer-size lots, and persons desiring information of this kind should not address the United States Department of Agriculture, but should address the director of the experiment station in their own States. The following list gives the post-office address of each station:

• Alabama:
• Auburn.
• Tuskegee Institute.
• Alaska: Sitka.
• Arizona: Tucson.
• Arkansas: Fayetteville.
• California: Berkeley.
• Colorado: Fort Collins.
• Connecticut:
• New Haven.
• Storrs.
• Delaware: Newark.
• Florida: Gainesville.
• Georgia: Experiment.
• Guam: Guam.
• Hawaii: Honolulu.
• Idaho: Moscow.
• Illinois: Urbana.
• Indiana: Lafayette.
• Iowa: Ames.
• Kansas: Manhattan.
• Kentucky: Lexington.
• Louisiana: Baton Rouge.
• Maine: Orono.
• Maryland: College Park.
• Massachusetts: Amherst.
• Michigan: East Lansing.
• Minnesota: University Farm, St. Paul.
• Mississippi: Agricultural College.
• Missouri: Columbia.
• Montana: Bozeman.
• Nebraska: Lincoln.
• Nevada: Reno.
• New Hampshire: Durham.
• New Jersey: New Brunswick.
• New Mexico: State College.
• New York:
• Geneva.
• Ithaca.
• North Carolina: Raleigh.
• North Dakota: Agricultural College.
• Ohio: Wooster.
• Oklahoma: Stillwater.
• Oregon: Corvallis.
• Pennsylvania: State College.
• Porto Rico: Mayaguez.
• Rhode Island: Kingston.
• South Carolina: Clemson College.
• South Dakota: Brookings.
• Tennessee: Knoxville.
• Texas: College Station.
• Utah: Logan.
• Vermont: Burlington.
• Virginia: Blacksburg.
• Washington: Pullman.
• West Virginia: Morgantown.
• Wisconsin: Madison.
• Wyoming: Laramie.

Packing Eggs for Shipment

The eggs for packing, if the trade requires it or if it can be done without any disadvantage, should be assorted as to size and color. Eggs irregular in shape, those which are unusually long or thin-shelled, or which have shells otherwise defective, should be kept by the producer for home use, so that breakage in transit may be reduced as much as possible.

Regardless of the particular style or design of the container used, each egg should be wrapped according to parcel-post requirements, so that it will not shake about. Square-block tissue paper, which comes in packages of 500 sheets each, soft wrapping paper, or newspaper, should be used around each egg. Should the eggs shake about in the container, the danger of breakage in handling is increased.

From the experimental shipments that have been made, it is clear that the packing should be attended to carefully. A little practice will enable the packer to do his work rapidly.

Weight of Egg Parcels

Average hens’ eggs will weigh about 1¹⁄₂ pounds to the dozen, or 2 ounces apiece. The weight of a single dozen of eggs in a carton properly packed and wrapped for mailing will run from 2 to 3 pounds, depending on the nature of the particular container, the size of the eggs, and the packing and wrapping used. If the container be a very light one and the eggs small, the parcel may fall within the 2-pound limit, and the postage, therefore, within the first and second zones, or 150-mile limit, would be six cents. Most parcels containing a dozen eggs will exceed 2 pounds but will not reach 3; therefore the postage on them will be 7 cents within the first and second zones. A parcel containing 2 dozen eggs will add perhaps 2 cents to the postage, though sometimes only 1 cent, depending on the nature of the container and the packing and wrapping.

It should be observed that the larger the parcel (within the size and weight limits) the cheaper is the postage, as the first pound of every package costs 5 cents within the first and second zones, while each additional pound, up to 50, costs but 1 cent; so that while a 1-pound parcel would cost 5 cents postage, a 2-pound parcel would cost only 6 cents, or 3 cents a pound. A 20-pound parcel would cost 24 cents, or 1¹⁄₅ cents per pound, and a 50-pound parcel would cost 54 cents, or but 1²⁄₂₅ cents per pound.

Shipping Eggs for Hatching Purposes

Shipping eggs intended for hatching purposes in the style of containers illustrated in this bulletin has been found satisfactory to a great many poultry breeders. Those who do not favor this way of packing can use the method ordinarily employed when eggs are to be shipped by express, which is covered by the following postal regulation:

The person receiving eggs for hatching should place them on the small end in bran or similar substance for 24 hours, in order that the germs may settle thoroughly before incubation is started.

Supplies for Shippers

As the postal regulations require that every parcel must have on it the name and address of the sender preceded by the word “From,” each person shipping eggs by parcel post will find it convenient to have a rubber stamp similar to the following:

From
William Smith,
Rural Corners, Pa.

The stamp and an inking pad will cost about 50 cents.

The postal regulations also require that parcels containing eggs are to be marked “Eggs.” For this purpose a rubber stamp having letters one-half inch high and reading “Eggs” should be used to stamp this word on each side of the parcel. Thus the nature of the contents will be apparent no matter which side is in view.

The sender will soon learn how much postage each size of parcel requires. Parcel-post scales can be secured at reasonable prices. Scales are needed in the farm home on many occasions, and the parcel-post type will serve these other purposes also. They can be had for $2.50 and weigh up to 20 pounds. (See fig. 5.) “Union” scales having both a platform and a scoop attachment and weighing up to 200 or 300 pounds can be had for from $6 to $12, if desired.

Boxes, wrapping paper, and twine should be bought in as large quantities as possible (say a year’s supply at a time), so that lower prices may be obtained. With proper organization it will be possible for several farmers to join in ordering containers by the thousand and other supplies in correspondingly large quantities.

Economical Size of Parcels

In arranging with the customer as to the size and frequency of shipments it is wise to take into consideration the fact that the larger the parcel sent (i. e., the more eggs sent in one parcel) the cheaper will be the postage per dozen. It would be much more economical for the family that uses, say, 4 dozens a week to have them sent in a 4-dozen parcel once a week than to have them sent in two 2-dozen parcels at different times during the week; and the eggs, if produced under proper conditions and properly kept, would not deteriorate to any appreciable extent in that length of time. The same principle would hold good regardless of quantity used.

Considering the cost of the container and the postage, the consumer usually will find it no economy to buy eggs for food by parcel post in less than 2-dozen lots.

Wrapping and Addressing Parcels

The appearance of the parcel depends largely upon the manner in which it is wrapped. Odds and ends of paper and twine are not desirable for this purpose. Every producer who aims to make a business of shipping eggs by parcel post should procure a supply of good tough paper of the proper size to wrap his parcels, and also good, strong, though not too heavy, cord or twine that stretches very little.

No matter what the design of the container there is always danger, should the parcel be subjected to excessive pressure or violence in any form, that the eggs may be broken and the contents leak out. In a large number of experiments it was found that when parcels were properly wrapped with good paper, even though there were quite a number of broken eggs in the parcel, in only a few cases did any leakage of the contents damage other mail matter. A container badly stained from broken eggs should not be used again. Better a little less profit on a shipment of eggs than a displeased customer, who, displeased a few times, will cease to be a customer.

It is a simple matter to wrap the parcels both rapidly and neatly. A little attention to the best manner of folding the paper in completing the wrapping will result in a securely and neatly covered package. This applies to parcels weighing less than 20 pounds—parcels exceeding 20 pounds need not be wrapped.

To insure prompt delivery the address should be written plainly on the wrapping of the parcel. Much mail matter is delayed or altogether fails to reach its destination because of an incomplete or poorly written address.

Inclosures

An inclosure stating the number of eggs and the price may be placed in the parcel, but no message of any kind may be included, as that would subject the package to the first-class postage rate.

Unpacking Eggs When Received

The person receiving the eggs should unpack them immediately to see if any have been broken. It may be desirable to have instructions printed on the outside of the container, and the following are suggested:

“Please unpack and examine at once to see condition and to give proper attention.”

Whether or not this is printed on the container, the shipper should have a distinct understanding with the consumer that this is to be done with every parcel received, so that information as to any unsatisfactory condition may be promptly obtained.

Returning Empty Containers

Many shippers will doubtless find it desirable and economical to have the customer save the containers and return them after a sufficient number have accumulated. When so returned the postage on empty cases still in usable condition is less than the cost of new ones. The consumer should receive credit for the postage required to return them. Many of the containers are made in “knocked-down” style, i. e., to take apart and fold so they can be made into a much smaller package or parcel. Containers which are knocked down to be returned should be packed in such a way that there will be no edges or points projecting without support or protection, as such projections are likely to be broken or crushed in the mails.

The cost of the container is necessarily included in the price of the eggs to the consumer. It is therefore to the interest of the consumer to take proper care of containers and to save or return all that are in usable condition. Since the return of containers will have some effect on the price of the eggs, the proper spirit of thrift should cause the consumer to take care of all returnable empties and to send them back in accordance with whatever agreement or understanding may exist between the producer and himself.

Method of Bringing Producer and Consumer Together

One of the problems to the average farmer is how to secure customers who desire eggs direct from the farm. In other words, the question is, “How shall I come in contact with the person who wants my product?”

An occasional contact may be secured through acquaintance in the city or town where a parcel-post market is sought. Contact might also be secured by a small advertisement in a city or town paper, stating the number of eggs available per week. The postmasters in a number of large cities have issued lists of consumers which ought to be helpful. In France city dwellers make these business arrangements in summer when in the country on their holiday. Consumers who will not take trouble about these relatively small things should not complain of the high cost of food products.

Additional contact ought to be more easily obtained than the original contact, for the simple reason that if a producer supplies satisfactory eggs the person receiving them is almost sure to obtain other customers for him by speaking well of his product. It might be said that the reputation a parcel-post shipper makes with his first customers will very largely determine his success or failure in marketing by this method.

The matter of holding business once secured and securing additional business is important. One of the serious drawbacks of ordinary farming is the great irregularity of income during the year. The development of a regular parcel-post business in eggs and the numerous other products that may be marketed by this means will increase the income and distribute it better throughout the year. Once a customer has been secured, every endeavor should be made to furnish strictly high-grade goods and to deal fairly, promptly, and satisfactorily, so that the customer may be retained. When a reputation has been established for products of high quality and for fair dealing, the holding of customers and securing new ones will be a comparatively simple matter.

Fixing Fair Prices

As the object of parcel-post dealing is to get slightly increased prices for the producer and better products at the same price, or the same class of products at lower prices, for the consumer, the question of arriving at prices fair to both is important. It is also difficult.

It is not likely, at least not for some time to come, that eggs will be marketed so largely by parcel post that the ordinary marketing quotations can not be depended upon in arriving at prices.

It ought to be a comparatively easy matter for a producer and a consumer to agree upon a stipulated market quotation as the basis for determining the price to be paid. A consumer may desire 5 dozen eggs per week, the price to be agreed upon being the number of cents per dozen above the wholesale quotation for the best grade of eggs on the market that week. The necessary relations in this matter can be maintained only by scrupulous honesty and well-founded mutual trust.

Contracts or Agreements Between Producer and Consumer

The nature of the agreement between the producer and the consumer, whether reduced to writing or not, should be made to suit the circumstances and must be fair to both. Perhaps the first agreement made should be in writing; but later, if mutual confidence and trust have been thoroughly established, the contract may be verbal.

The matter of frequency and method of payment can be arranged in various ways. For the first agreement term, which may be a year or less, cash in advance might be satisfactory, until a definite system of orders and payments is established.

For the reason that eggs are in very abundant supply in the spring season and in very short supply in the fall and early winter season, the contract should specify quantity to be supplied each week throughout the year. The producer can not expect the consumer to take all the eggs that are to be marketed in the season of greatest production, nor can the consumer expect to get as many eggs as he wishes in the season of lowest production; and these two extremes should be thoroughly understood and specifically mentioned in the agreement, so as to have no misunderstanding regarding them.

In the season of short supply the consumer might be willing to try some eggs preserved in water glass, thereby relieving the situation.

The producer in making an agreement with a consumer should undertake to replace or allow for eggs lost by breakage in shipping. Should this provision in the agreement be abused by any consumer it might be sufficient reason to refuse to contract again with that consumer, and of course satisfactory evidence of unusual breakage would need to be produced, and it might even be necessary to locate the cause of the breakage in the mails.

The following is a suggested form of agreement:

Parcel Post Zones

The United States is divided into “units,” each one of which is numbered, as illustrated by the accompanying section of map. (See fig. 6.) The center of each unit constitutes the center of the zones for all post offices within that unit. The first zone consists of any given unit together with all the adjoining units, even though they but touch at the corner. The second zone embraces all those units within a radius of 150 miles from the center of any given unit, and the whole of any unit, any part of which is touched by this 150-mile boundary line, is considered entirely within that zone.

There is separate zone map for each unit. The accompanying illustration shows a section of the map for the unit in which Washington is located. The second circle shows the nominal boundary of zone 2; but owing to the fact that all units which are touched by this boundary line fall entirely within the second zone, the units which are bounded by the heavy line (outside the second curved line) are entirely within zone 2. This principle applies to all other zones; that is, any unit which is touched at any point by the boundary of a given zone lies wholly within that given zone and is so considered for the purposes of the parcel-post service.

Particular description is here given of the first and second zones because of the fact that the great bulk of the shipping of farm products by parcel post is likely to be done within these zones. The rate can be ascertained readily from the accompanying tables.

Local parcel post rates

Fifty pounds is the weight limit for local delivery. These rates are 5 cents for the first pound and 1 cent additional for each 2 pounds or fraction thereof; they apply to any parcel-post matter that does not go beyond the jurisdiction of the mailing office.

First and second zone parcel-post rates

The weight limit within the first and second zones is 50 pounds. These rates apply to all points within the first and second zones, as there is no difference in rates between these two zones. A simple rule to determine the postage on any parcel not going beyond the second zone is to add 4 to the number of pounds, and the resulting number is the postage required in cents. Example: A parcel weighs 13 pounds and 11 ounces; this will require postage on 14 pounds (as any fraction of a pound is considered a full pound); 14 + 4 = 18 cents postage.

The weight limit for the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth zones is 20 pounds. Any information desired in regard to rates, zones, and other postal matters can be obtained from any post office.

Measurement Limits for Parcel-Post Mail Matter

In addition to the weight limits shown in connection with the foregoing postage tables there is a measurement limit, which is the same for all zones. This limit is that the girth (measurement around) and the length added must not exceed 84 inches. For example, a parcel 12 inches square (48 inches around) and 36 inches long would be just up to the limit, as would also a parcel 15 inches square (60 inches around) and 24 inches long. A parcel cubical in shape and 14 inches in each dimension would measure 56 inches around, and to this would be added 14 inches for length, making 70 inches, or 14 inches less than the limit.

Receipt, Insuring and C. O. D.

If desired, a receipt can be procured from the postmaster acknowledging the mailing of a parcel on the payment of 1 cent. For 3 cents a parcel may be insured against loss if not valued at more than $5.

A parcel may be sent collect on delivery for 10 cents. This also insures it for actual value not exceeding $50.

Practicability and Utility of the Parcel Post in Egg Marketing

Under the present method the general farmer, or in most cases the farmer’s wife, sells the surplus eggs to the local storekeeper, taking their value out in trade. The parcel post offers an opportunity for a cash outlet at better prices. It should prove a valuable help, especially to those farms that are located unfavorably in regard to a consuming market. It is not too much to say that shipping by parcel post has been demonstrated as a practical proposition when properly conducted.

To send a 2-dozen-size parcel would cost about as follows: For container and wrapping, 8 cents; for postage, 9 cents, or a total of 17 cents, which would be 8¹⁄₂ cents a dozen marketing cost. Marketing a 5-dozen parcel would cost about 13 cents for container and wrapping and 14 cents postage, or a total of 27 cents; a 10-dozen lot would cost about 22 cents for container and wrapping and 25 cents postage, or a total of 47 cents. These figures are based on container prices prevailing prior to July 1, 1914.

The postage rates here used are those within the first and second zones. The rates to the third and farther zones are higher, and the advantages of marketing by parcel post consequently less.

These figures include the cost of a new container each time. The experiments show that containers from the 4-dozen size up will stand on an average two to four trips very satisfactorily. Containers for smaller lots will stand on an average from three to five trips. As the postage cost of returning containers is considerably less than the price of new ones, the average expense for containers can be materially reduced from the figures quoted.

Disadvantages or Difficulties in Marketing Eggs by Parcel Post

If it is kept in mind that it takes a few days for eggs to reach the consumer, a regular supply of eggs can be had for use at all times. The possibility of broken eggs and the consequent adjustment of payment may seem to be a disadvantage, but if properly provided for in the agreement it need not be. The matter of arriving at equitable prices may seem to be difficult, but ought not be a drawback.

Some farmers may be so situated that they already have a satisfactory market for their eggs. Others may wish to have a parcel-post market during a part of the year, but may dispose of them otherwise during the remainder of the year. The local market may also at times afford a more satisfactory price than that received under a parcel-post selling agreement. There may also be producers of large quantities of eggs who find express transportation cheaper than parcel post.

The securing of proper containers and the wrapping and packing of the eggs properly for mailing, as well as the care that needs to be exercised in shipping only strictly first-class eggs, may seem difficult to some, but if a parcel-post market is to be developed, it will require care and attention to get it properly established and to keep it going successfully.

Direct Marketing of Larger Quantities of Eggs Than Private Families Require

The foregoing discussion applies especially to shipments of eggs for family consumption. It is likely that many producers will desire a larger outlet than is afforded by private families. These shippers may use containers such as are described in the postal regulations. They must come within the weight and measurement limits, however. The present 30-dozen commercial case exceeds the weight limits and would have to be forwarded by express. The express companies are now paying special attention to small shipments of food products, and furnish prompt and efficient service.

Should an individual farmer not have enough eggs to ship alone a number of neighboring farmers may club together for the purpose of shipping eggs and may secure a purchaser in the person of a hotel, restaurant, or lunch-room proprietor, or a retail grocer in some town or city. The eggs from each farm should be packed in 1-dozen size cartons or fillers, which would take the place of the ordinary filler of the standard 30-dozen-size egg case. These cartons should have stamped on them the name and address of the producer, or instead of the name and address a number could be assigned to each farm for the purposes of identification. Each carton should be sealed so that any complaint in regard to quality can be traced to the individual producer. This is necessary in order to protect members of the club from complaints of delinquency not justly attributable to them.[2]

Shipping by express presupposes that the producers concerned are within reasonable distance of express service, otherwise the expense of transporting the eggs to the express office might be prohibitive.

It is hoped that these methods may enable the producer to realize better prices, and that at the same time the consumer will secure a fresher product. Eggs so handled and shipped will be fresher and in better condition than ordinary country-store or huckster-collected eggs.

The average farmer pays scant attention to egg and poultry production, usually leaving matters relating thereto to his wife. Properly managed, however, this branch of farm industry may prove profitable. Indeed, it is not unlikely that a careful keeping of the cost of producing corn on many farms would lead to the conclusion that the family treasury had profited more by the activities of the hen than by raising corn.

Opportunity of Extension of Parcel-Post Marketing to Other Products

It is quite possible that once having secured a parcel-post market for eggs many farmers having other commodities not readily salable at home may open up markets for them in the same way. Methods of arriving at prices would be the same, the producer advising the consumer as to the commodities, quantity, and price. By this means a market may be found for many products which are not now being marketed, mainly for the reason that they are in the nature of by-products or small surpluses over the family’s need which do not justify a special trip to market.

There is also a field of opportunity open for development in making a special effort to produce such things as town or city residents are anxious to obtain, and by proper attention a supplemental income could be built up by developing such business.

Summary

(1) In the experiments conducted in this study 760¹¹⁄₁₂ dozens, or 9,131 eggs, were sent through the mails in 466 shipments of from 1 to 10 dozens each. The total breakage was 327 eggs; of these, 118 were only cracked or slightly broken and were usable, and 209 (or 2.3 per cent) were broken beyond use. Ninety-one eggs were broken because the parcels containing them were handled contrary to postal rules and regulations. Subtracting these, the loss was only 1.3 per cent. This shows the possibility of shipping eggs by parcel post with small loss, and indicates that eggs may be so shipped with safety if existing postal regulations are observed.

(2) Care should be exercised in the production of eggs so that they will be of as good quality as possible. The hens should be provided with proper quarters and fed on clean, wholesome feed. The production of non fertile eggs reduces the losses materially. After gathering, the eggs should be kept carefully in the coolest and best ventilated place available.

(3) Trials of many styles and makes of containers were made; a large number proved satisfactory. The addresses of manufacturers of containers can be obtained from the agricultural experiment stations in the several States.

(4) In selecting eggs for shipping by mail, thin-shelled and unusually long or irregular-shaped eggs should not be used. Each egg should be wrapped in sufficient paper to hold it snugly in its own individual compartment in the container. The container should be properly closed and carefully wrapped with good, tough wrapping paper and strong twine. The address should be written plainly to insure prompt delivery on arrival. The postal regulations require the name and address of the sender on the parcel also.

(5) If attention is given to the necessary details, as indicated in this bulletin, eggs can be shipped by parcel post to the advantage of the farmer. This method of marketing affords a means of increasing the fresh-egg business to the benefit of both the producer and the consumer.

(6) Farmers located out of reach of a satisfactory market or of the usual means of transportation can find in the parcel post a ready means of getting their eggs direct to a consuming market promptly and at prices that will justify the additional trouble involved in packing for mailing.

Publications of the Department of Agriculture of Interest to Poultry Raisers

• Farmers’ Bulletin 51. Standard Varieties of Chickens.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 287. Poultry Management.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 528. Hints to Poultry Raisers.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 530. Important Poultry Diseases.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 562. The Organization of Boys’ and Girls’ Poultry Clubs.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 574. Poultry House Construction.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 585. Natural and Artificial Incubation of Hen’s Eggs.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 624. Natural and Artificial Brooding of Chickens.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 656. The Community Egg Circle.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 682. A Simple Trap Nest for Poultry.
• Farmers’ Bulletin 703. Suggestions for Parcel-post Marketing.

Further suggestions along this line may be found in Farmers’ Bulletin 703, Suggestions for Parcel-Post Marketing, which may be obtained on request from the Division of Publication, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

PLAN No. 226. DRESSING CHRISTMAS DOLLS

Having observed that of the thousands of dolls which are sold during the holidays very few of them are dressed to suit the tastes of buyers, this woman felt certain she could make a good living by dressing these dolls.

She therefore prepared a circular letter which she sent to hundreds of selected homes in her city, asking to be allowed the privilege of dressing the children’s dolls according to her own taste, or that of the mothers of the little girls, and received invitations to call at the homes of a large number of these people. She did so, and so well did she demonstrate her ability for the work that she received many orders. Her charges were reasonable, and she developed a regular and paying business.

PLAN No. 227. PAPER COVERS FOR SCHOOL BOOKS ASSIST IN PUTTING MAN THROUGH COLLEGE

A young man in an eastern Washington town, who was obliged to work his way through the agricultural college, adopted, as one of his numerous plans for making money, that of providing substantial yet inexpensive manilla covers for school books.

He bought from a wholesale paper store, a quantity of the best manilla paper at 4 cents a pound and, at a cost of 15 cents additional, had it cut into different sizes and the corners cut off on a regular paper cutter. The ends he cut off himself with a pair of shears, and pasted them down so they could be slipped on over any school book, to protect it. The cover, completed, cost him less than 2 cents each, yet he sold a large number of them for 5 cents each. Finally, he induced the school board to buy 5,000 of them, at 3¹⁄₂ cents each. He made enough in this to put him through the greater part of his first year’s schooling. He operated the same plan in other school districts the second and third years, and completed his course with the money he thus earned.

PLAN No. 228. MAKING PAN-LIFTERS

A woman in Lincoln, Nebraska, who knew the difficulties and dangers involved in lifting hot pans that have to be handled often, figured out a plan to make this work both safe and convenient.

She made a belt to fasten around the waist, and on each side of the front she fastened a strip that came down nearly to the knees. On the ends of these strips she sewed small quilted pads about six inches square. These were always ready to use, and proved great time-savers and made the lifting easy.

She was so well pleased with the one she made for herself, that she made up a hundred of them and went from house to house, explaining their advantages, and readily sold them at 25 cents each.

PLAN No. 229. MONEY IN WINTER BULBS

In late October or early November every year, a Massachusetts woman buys some plain glass dishes, about five inches wide and two or three inches deep. She then collects pebbles and places them in each dish, and on top of them, so they will not touch each other, she places fine narcissus bulbs, filling in around them with more pebbles, until the dish is quite full. Then adding water enough to fill to the top, she sets the dishes on the cellar floor and leaves them there until they are full of roots. She then brings them into a light, sunny room, and as soon as they are in bloom she takes them to the woman’s exchange, where they sell readily for 50 cents a dish. The cost of the dishes is 5 cents each, and the bulbs, six for 5 cents, so she makes 40 cents on each dish.

PLAN No. 230. SELLING HICKORY NUTS

A country woman with a grove of hickory trees on her farm, made $30 in one month gathering hickory nuts, which she sent to a friend in the city, who bought them at $1.50 per bushel. That was only twenty bushels, and people who live in localities where these nuts are plentiful could multiply that number many times by gathering them on a more extensive scale.

PLAN No. 231. THUMBLESS MITTENS FOR CHILDREN

What mother has ever been able to get a baby’s thumb into a mitten? And how long would it stay if she did? Then why have thumbs on baby’s mittens at all?

These are questions a Canadian mother asked herself many times, and learned that there was but one answer: make the mittens without thumbs. And she did so.

In fact, she found that no matter how many pair she made, the baby-outfitters gladly took all she could knit, sold them for 40 cents a pair, and charged her only a small commission for selling; as the materials cost less than 10 cents, her profit was large. She used white pompadour or saxony yarn, and a large steel hook, so the work was light, pleasant and profitable.

PLAN No. 232. TAILORED HATS

Here is the story of a Montana woman who discovered that she could make a better tailored hat for girls, and sell it for 50 cents, than the millinery stores ask $2 for, and she not only made one for her own little girl, but for a hundred or more other small misses, and realized a profit on every one she made. The material cost but little, while the work on the hats was no trouble at all, so she kept it up until she had supplied everybody of her acquaintance with the prettiest hats to be seen anywhere. She made them from a pattern published by a well known woman’s periodical; and it was so easy to follow it that the making of hats was a real pleasure.

She also made nice hats for women, at $1.00 each, and on these the profits were still greater.

PLAN No. 233. SELLING POTTED PLANTS

A southern woman who was extremely fond of flowers lived in a town of 5,000 inhabitants in which there was no regular florist, so she began supplying the needs of the flower-loving people there by engaging in the business on a small scale herself, specializing on potted plants and cut flowers.

She bought small plants, repotted them, and easily doubled her money on them. In their season she buys tomato and pansy plants and scarlet sage, as well as bulbs and roots, and holds regular flower sales at Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, etc., and always finds a demand for all her floral products.

Recently she turned her back yard into a hot-house, and raises the plants herself, thus decreasing the cost and increasing the margin of profit. From one large bed, the seed for which cost 75 cents, she sells from $15 to $20 worth of plants every season. She also advises flower growers about flowers culture, color schemes, etc., and in many ways adds to the grand total of her yearly income.

PLAN No. 234. BASKET MAKING

A downeast woman learned basket making in the young people’s society of her church, and made it a regular business. She specializes in market and scrap baskets, but makes fancy reed ones to order. Her main sales are made through the woman’s exchange, though sometimes direct to customers, and her earnings are sufficient to support her very comfortably.

This line of work is not overcrowded, and there is plenty of opportunity in it for many other women.

PLAN No. 235. GROWING MUSHROOMS

There are many methods of growing mushrooms, but the one adopted by this Michigan woman is perhaps as easy and profitable as any of them.

First, providing a sufficient quantity of fresh manure and black dirt, she carefully prepares the beds and buys the spawn, and with but little care thereafter they produce a good crop every month in the year.

In one bed 7 feet long by 2 feet wide, made from an old trunk lid and two soap boxes, she placed three bricks of spawn early in October, and eight weeks later picked 1¹⁄₂ pounds of mushrooms, which sold for $1.26 per pound. Then every two days thereafter, until May 1st, she picked from four to five pounds. The picking, packing and marketing are easy, and do not interfere with her regular household duties. She made $8 to $10 a week out of this industry, and recommends it to others who need something to help out with household expenses.

PLAN No. 236. LUNCHES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN

A woman in Minnesota, whose income was very limited, was asked by the parent-teachers’ association to provide noon lunches for the pupils in the basement of a school building, the profit or loss to be her own.

She had two long tables made of rough boards, covered with white oilcloth, and on these she spreads sandwiches made of minced ham, peanut butter, chipped beef and cheese, at 3 cents each; cake at 2 cents a slice, with milk, cocoa, soup, etc., at very low prices, yet which pay her a profit. She buys her material at wholesale prices, and makes a small profit on each article, so there is at least a comfortable living in it.

At one o’clock her work is all done, and she has the afternoons and Saturdays at her own disposal.

Not a very large enterprise, but it affords a living, and that is quite an item for a poor woman.

PLAN No. 237. DESICCATED VEGETABLES

An eastern woman, anxious to help her husband lift the mortgage from their farm, had been told of the possibilities of desiccated vegetables, and decided to try out the plan herself.

By way of experiment, she desiccated some vegetables and dried them in the sun. These she soaked for an hour in cold water, poured off the water, and put the vegetables in with some meat she was stewing. In half an hour she had a fine Irish stew ready for the table.

Calling in some of her neighbors, they formed a local company for manufacturing desiccated vegetables. The vegetables, dried to a small bulk, were easily shipped to grocers at a great saving in freight or express charges, the weight also having been reduced to almost nothing.

The company employed several of its members to become traveling salesmen, and they took many orders, as dealers were glad to get the new product. A package containing enough potatoes, carrots and onions for a stew, was sold for 3 cents at retail or 2 cents wholesale. They sold well at all seasons, as they were a great saving to the housewife, and when put into water were as fresh and palatable as in their original state.

PLAN No. 238. A PROFITABLE ADVERTISING PLAN

A young man left Chicago some time ago and went to the Northwest for the purpose of increasing his earning power.

Having first provided himself with twelve cartoon plates, with a strong home-trade argument under each cartoon, which a big newspaper syndicate had made for him, he stopped at a town of some 5,000 inhabitants and called upon the publisher of the leading newspaper. To him he made the following proposition: To obtain for his paper one or two pages of local advertisements to run every week for twelve weeks, and create a strong sentiment for patronizing home merchants and local industries, furnishing the cartoons and home-trade arguments, of which he showed proofs, and to divide the profits equally, though it was not to cost the publisher a cent, except the composition on the local ads. to be secured and set up; that for this home-trade page, the rates must be double his regular rates, so that he would get full price for his ads.

Of course, the publisher accepted, and the Chicago man went to work. In three days he had contracts signed up for enough local ads. to fill two pages with the cartoon in the center of the page to run twelve consecutive weeks, the contracts to be left with the publisher, who was to collect and forward him his half, but the newspaper man willingly paid him one-fourth of the amount that would be due him at the end of the twelve weeks.

In three days the Chicago man had made just $288. This plan will afford a good living to any advertising salesman.

PLAN No. 239. BACKYARD POULTRY KEEPING