34 STUDIES OF POULTRY. 



The great egg-producing section of the United States is coincident 

 with the corn-raising territory; that is, it comprises the Central 

 States and the entire Mississippi Valley, with the exception of its 

 extreme northerly and southerly portions. The numerous small 

 farms and suburban producers in the Middle Eastern and the North- 

 eastern States ship their output to near-by cities generally for prompt 

 consumption, storing only when the supply is exceptionally large, and 

 then only when weather conditions are favorable to the good keeping 

 of the product during its transportation to the warehouse. Hence 

 the small farmer of the East has concerned himself chiefly with pro- 

 duction, the question of handling being scarcely considered, and 

 the methods in vogue have not been essentially changed in many 

 years. On the other hand, the producing section of the West, far 

 from its market, busy with large farming operations, has allowed its 

 chickens to breed and feed as best they could except for the few win- 

 ter months, when some care must be given them. The packer, how- 

 ever, has centralized the output of eggs, just as he has the output of 

 poultry, and has developed methods for handling which will carry his 

 product to market in good condition, even though the haul is a week 

 or more in duration. 



It has been shown that the need for artificial refrigeration in the 

 handling of poultry begins as soon as the bird is killed and picked; 

 that is, in the packing house. Eggs also need refrigeration in every 

 phase of handling, but at present it is not available until they are 

 received by the packer. The farmer, the country storekeeper, and the 

 small shipper have no facilities for cooling the eggs. They are care- 

 less, moreover, in that they do not collect the eggs with sufficient 

 frequency, and, having gathered and concentrated them, they permit 

 them to stand for days in hot sheds or rooms. Hence, during the hot 

 weather the losses due to incubation are enormous, and general dete- 

 rioration with loss of flavor is almost universal. The packers them- 

 selves are but slowly grasping the fact that eggs, during the hot 

 months, demand refrigeration for the preservation of freshness quite 

 as much as poultry. Too many packing houses are still without facil- 

 ities for chilling eggs as promptly,' completely, and continuously as 

 dressed poultry is chilled. When the packer receives the eggs at the 

 packing house in a fresh condition, puts them immediately into a chill 

 room which is 38 to 40 F. (3 to 4 C.), grades and packs them at 

 that temperature, and ships in a refrigerated car, deterioration is 

 reduced to the minimum that our present knowledge of egg handling 

 affords. 



Thorough chilling of the usual package of 30 dozen eggs in paste- 

 board " fillers " containing 3 dozen each, packed in a case made of an 

 odorless wood, is not accomplished easily nor speedily. The cases 



[Cir. 64] 



