METHODS OF HANDLING EGGS BY FARMER. 



31 



quently they are very undesirable as a storage room for eggs. Damp- 

 ness is conducive to the rapid development of mold and bacteria, 

 and consequently eggs kept in these caves are much more likely to 

 show deterioration than if they were held in a dry room at the same 

 temperature. 



WASHING KGGS. 



The lack of the necessary number of clean nests and irregularity 

 in gathering eggs, especially on rainy days, are the two main reasons 

 why it is often necessary for the farmer's wife to wash part of the 

 eggs. No one would ever accuse a neat housewife of taking dirty 

 eggs to town, and in order to maintain this reputation they are very 

 careful to see that each egg is clean before packing it in the case. 

 This practice, while not always harmful, often results in the egg 

 becoming contaminated with some form of micro-organism. The 

 eggshell itself is porous and not germ proof, and the pores are large 

 enough to allow- the invasion of moisture and bacteria, but the mem- 

 brane beneath the- shell is comparatively germ proof so long as it 

 remains dry; hence it is desirable that the eggs be clean in the first 

 place, so that water will not have to be brought in contact with them. 



HOLDING KGGS VNTIL A QUANTITY HAS ACCTJMULATKD. 



The farmer often makes use of an egg case in which to keep his 

 eggs and carry them to market. Sometimes he owns the case and 

 sometimes it is furnished him by the storekeeper. Often the case 

 is one holding 30 dozen eggs, and there is a tendency to wait until it 

 is filled before taking it to market. As this would take considerable 

 time with the average-sized flock, the quality of the eggs will have 

 suffered appreciably. Smaller cases, holding 12 dozen eggs, are also 

 used for this purpose and are much to be preferred, as they encourage 

 more frequent marketing. Another factor which influences the fre- 

 quency of marketing is the distance of the farm from the village or 

 country store. The greater the distance the less often are the trips 

 made and consequently the less convenient it is to market eggs fre- 

 quently. Table 8 indicates this tendency. 



TABLE S. Distance from market in, relattim to frequency of market iny <'gax on 



'JO l Kan-sax farm*. 



i The two farms not included in this table did not send eggs to market during a large part of the year. 

 one case the eggs were used at home while in the other they were sold for hatching. 



In 



