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Rural School Leaflf.t 



xin. candling market eggs on the farm 

 Earl W. Benjamin 



Few persons realize the delicate structure of an egg. If it is kept at a 



temperature of 65° F. or more, it will 

 become heated; if it is allowed to be 

 cooled to 28° F. or lower, it will 

 become chilled or frozen ; if it is kept 

 where the air is dry, it will become 

 evaporated ; if it is kept where the air 

 is moist, it will become molded or 

 nuisty; if it is handled roughly, the 

 air cell will be broken; if the shell is 

 cracked, bacteria may enter and cause 

 decomposition. 



Market eggs should be sold fre- 

 quently, for eggs will spoil in a short 

 time if they are kept under wrong 

 conditions. Candle the market eggs 

 just before they are sold, and see how 

 they look. An efficient candling de- 

 vice may be arranged as shown in the 

 illustration. It is constructed b}' 

 wrai3]3ing a piece of cardboard around 

 an ordinary lamp. Cut one hole in the 



cardboard for turning the wick and another about i j inches in diameter 



for candling the eggs. Have the room 



darkened, hold the egg against the 



opening in front of the light, and give 



the egg a quick twist which will start the 



contents of the egg in motion so that 



their condition may be determined. 



Arrange the apparatus so that you can A good test for stale eggs can be made by 



look down on the egg while candling 



it; you can observe the size of the air 



cell better. 



A fresh egg will look clear with the 



exception of an indistinct shadow made 



by the yolk. The air cell will be about 



the size of a dime. The yolk of a 



heated egg will look darker than that of 



a fresh one. Experience teaches a person to recognize a heated egg 



quickly. An egg that is evaporated will have a larger air cell than 



Homemade candling device 



^>. 





putting them into a dish of ptire water. 

 a, A very fresh egg. This lies fiat on 

 the bottom of the dish, b, A slightly 

 stale egg. This tips up slightly and 

 is 7iot of first-class quality, c, A stale 

 egg. Eggs that stand on end should 

 not be sold; they may be used at home if 

 they appear good when opened, d, A 

 very stale egg. This is probably unfit 

 for food use. e, A dried egg. Such 

 eggs are of no value for food 



