STUDIES OF POULTKY. 33 



hand, it is sent chilled to the warehouse to be frozen, a trip requiring 

 in many cases several days, it will be found of good eating quality 

 after the twenty-four hours required for the ice-box thawing. 



THE REFRIGERATION OF EGGS. 



The preservation of eggs has for centuries been a problem, since 

 they, probably more than any other food staple, are dependent upon 

 seasons and conditions for production. In the temperate zone the 

 sequence of seasons results in the production of a large proportion of 

 the whole year's lay during the spring months. In the winter months 

 the production, as compared with consumption or demand, is ex- 

 tremely small. Hence the necessity of preserving eggs from April 

 until December in a wholesome condition, retaining as much as possi- 

 ble of their freshness of flavor. 



Of all the various methods for the preservation of eggs, cold is, so 

 far, the best. Its application to the keeping of eggs, however, must 

 be along definite lines. As has been stated when discussing the ap- 

 plication of refrigeration to the marketing of poultry, it is efficacious 

 in maintaining high quality for a reasonable period of time if the 

 eggs are put into the cold room in prime condition. Cold does not 

 make them better, whether of low or of high grade, and when de- 

 terioration has already begun cold does not retard the process to the 

 extent that it does when the eggs are fresh. The use of cqld, there- 

 fore, as a preservative of eggs depends very largely for its success 

 upon the condition of the goods when they come to the cooling room 

 or the storage warehouse. The range of temperatures used in the 

 handling of eggs, however, is very small by comparison with that 

 commonly used in handling poultry, and temperatures low enough 

 to freeze the egg, even superficially, are disastrous. 



Industrial practices in handling poultry have so progressed that 

 artificial refrigeration is of wider application and of greater impor- 

 tance to both the consumer and the trade when used to preserve fresh- 

 ness during the routine of marketing than when used to carry goods 

 for long periods in a frozen condition. As applied to eggs, however, 

 the reverse is true from the viewpoint of industrial practice. Artifi- 

 cial refrigeration is more extensively used when eggs are to be kept 

 for the season of shortage than for the preservation of high quality 

 and the prevention of deterioration during routine marketing. Hap- 

 pily for the consumer, however, the industry is beginning to recog- 

 nize the value and importance of keeping eggs cold throughout their 

 entire journey from the hen to the table; happily, too, for the indus- 

 try, since the application of practical chilling methods will in a large 

 measure wipe out the losses which are now so prevalent. 



[Cir. 64] 



