376 POULTRY 



Deliveries and shipments should be made each week ; if a private trade, 

 on the same day of each week. There are wire fillers for the cartons 

 that display the eggs very attractively, but require more time in plac- 

 ing the eggs and removing them from the trays. With the straw- 

 board fillers, each egg is in a separate compartment, and there is little 

 danger of breakage. If one becomes cracked, the leakage is usually 

 confined to the one compartment. 



Eggs intended for cold storage must be absolutely fresh, free from 

 dirt, and packed in standard-size thirty-dozen cases ; and the fillers 

 must be free from mold, dirt, or odors of any kind. Cold-storage plants 

 begin operations as soon as the lower prices are reached, about April 

 1, and continue until the latter part of May. During warm weather 

 the quality of eggs deteriorates, and they do not keep so well as when 

 cooler. The market for these cold-storage goods opens in the fall and 

 continues until Christmas. 



Eggs should be gathered every day, and all broody hens removed 

 from the house. If a nest is found in an unusual place, the eggs should 

 be tested before a bright light, and the unclear ones discarded. 



Preserving eggs. 



There are several methods of preserving eggs during spring and 

 summer and keeping them wholesome until they will bring higher 

 prices, but none by which they can be kept any length of time and sold 

 as fresh-laid ones. The shells may be covered with melted paraffin or 

 vaseline to prevent evaporation, and they will not spoil so long as they 

 are kept cool and turned every few days. Packing in common salt and 

 turning occasionally is another method. The contents remain sweet 

 and wholesome, but the albumen will not beat up as it will in fresh- 

 laid ones. The shell will lose its freshness, and the eggs will not remain 

 good long after being taken out of the preservatives, and they should 

 be designated as preserved eggs when offered for sale. 



The best method of preservation is as follows : One part of 

 water-glass (sodium silicate) mixed with nine parts of boiled spring 

 water. Put the eggs in a stoneware crock when gathered from the nests, 

 if cool and clean, until the crock is nearly full ; then pour in the water- 

 glass solution until there is at least two inches of liquid over the top 

 layer of eggs. Keep in a cool place. If carefully done, this method 

 is reliable. 



