[Illustration:  Plate IV.  Page 159.  Graphs of egg prices and volume of egg sales as they vary throughout the year.]

The price curve of 1908, which is represented by the dotted line in plate IV will illustrate these general principles.  In the lower portion of plate IV is given the curves for the New York receipts.  The heavy line represents the smoothed or normal curve, deduced from eighteen years’ statistics and calculated for the year 1908.  The dotted line shows the actual receipts of 1908.  A comparison week by week of the receipts and price will show the detailed workings of the law of supply and demand.

Aside from the weather there are other factors that perceptibly affect the receipts and price of eggs.  A high price of meat will increase farm and village consumption of eggs and cut down the receipts that reach the city.  Abundance of fruit in the city market will cut down the demand for eggs.  A cold, wet spring will increase the mortality of chicks and cause a decreased egg yield the following season, due to a scarcity of pullets.  Scarcity and high price of feed will cut down the egg yield.  High price of hens is said by some to cut down the egg yield, but I think this is doubtful, as the impulse to sell off the hens is counteracted by the desire to “keep ’em and raise more.”

The following are the quotations taken from the New York Price-Current for November 14, 1908: 

State, Pennsylvania and nearby fresh eggs continue in very small supply and of more or less irregular quality, a good many being mixed with held eggs—­sometimes with pickled stock.  The few new laid lots received direct from henneries command extreme prices—­sometimes working out in a small way above any figures that could fairly be quoted as a wholesale value.  We quote:  Selected white, fancy, 48@50c.; do., fair to choice, 35@46c.; do., lower grades, 26@32c.; brown and mixed, fancy, 38@40c.; do., fair to choice, 30@36c; do., lower grades, 25@28c.

N.Y.  Mercantile Exchange Official Quotations.

Fresh gathered, extras, per dozen                        @37
Fresh gathered, firsts                            32     @33
Fresh gathered, seconds                           29     @31
Fresh gathered, thirds                            25     @28
Dirties, No. 1                                    21     @22
Dirties, No. 2                                    18     @20
Dirties, inferior                                 12     @17
Checks, fresh gathered, fair to prime             18     @20
Checks, inferior                                  12     @16
Refrigerator, firsts, charges paid for season     24     @24-1/2
Refrigerator, firsts, on dock                     23     @23-1/2
Refrigerator, seconds, charges paid for season    22-1/2 @23-1/2
Refrigerator, seconds, on dock                    21-1/2 @22-1/2
Refrigerator, thirds                              20     @21
Limed, firsts                                     22-1/2 @23