many kinds of food, a cooper was considered a very important tradesman in a community.

To make barrels the cooper cu't curved strips of wood, called ”staves”, which formed the sides of the barrel. He then hammered heated iron hoops in place over the staves. When cooled and con- tracted the hoops brought and held the staves very tightly together - a tedious process, but a cooper knew his craft well. Few barrels made in those days allowed moisture to escape.

EGG CIRCLE

Before World War 1, Walter Lidstone was in charge of the Egg Circle in O’Leary. He worked in a small building between the railroad tracks and Turner’s store. Farmers brought in their eggs to be graded and were paid according to grade. The process of grading was called "candeling". Eggs were held in front of a battery-powered light or candle to check for foreign or undesirable objects. To determine the size or grade, a board with holes of graduated sizes was used to deter- mine whether eggs were large, medium, small or pullet size. When in doubt, the egg was weighed.

When the war broke out, Walter enlisted and served in the Veterans' Guard.

"EGG MAN” - JAMES MURRAY

James Murray was born in Harmony in 1893. When a small child, he moved with his family to a farm in Fortune Cove on Mill River. In 1914, he married Eliza B. Hardy.

In 1932 James began an egg route and became known as the local ”egg man". He travelled by horse and wagon picking up cases of eggs from farmers along his route and delivering them to Turner’s Store and later to Harold Jelley’s Store in O’Leary to be graded and sold. At that time, eggs were graded by holding them up to a light to inspect their quality. Graded eggs sold from eight to twelve cents a dozen.

Mr. Murray’s egg route was something like this: Day 1 - Fortune Cove, Cascumpeque, Kelly Road then home. Day 2 - O’Leary. Day 3 - Roxbury, Lot 6 Point, West Devon then home. Day 4 - O'Leary.

He would pick up an average of two hundred dozen eggs per week. He received payment for the eggs at the store and paid the pro- ducers on his return trip. His commission was one and one-half cents per dozen.

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