258 • ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



3. How to test infertile eggs : 



Place a small lamp or lantern in a box with a small 

 hole in the top for draft. Cut another hole a little smaller 

 than an egg in the side of the box, just opposite the flame 

 of the lamp. Take this apparatus into a dark room and 

 hold the egg against the opening in front of the flame. 

 As the light shines through, the infertile egg — that is the 

 one that will not hatch — will appear clear. The fertile 

 egg will show a net work of threads running out from 

 the center and floating about as the egg is turned. A 

 number of hens should be set at the same time and after 

 or about the sixth day all the eggs should be tested and 

 the infertile ones removed ; then one or more of the hens 

 may be released and the fertile eggs distributed among 

 the other hens. 



4. Make a candler test apparatus like that above and 

 bring to school. Bring fresh and stale eggs from home 

 to be tested. If the eggs are fresh the air cell in tlie end 

 of the egg should be no larger than a dime, the contents 

 should look opaque, the yoke scarcely visible and free 

 from any discoloring, the white should be thick and com- 

 pact, and the yolk should be stationary — not floating 

 about. In order to obtain the highest prices, eggs should 

 be uniform in shape and color with a smooth shell that 

 is free from spots and clean without having been washed. 



5. Learn the U. S. Government's rules for profit in 

 eggs as given below : 



(a) '*Keep the nests clean; provide one nest for each 

 four hens. 



(b) Gather the eggs twice each day. 



(c) Keep the eggs in a cool dry room or cellar. 



(d) Market the eggs at least twice a week. 



