1(5 IMPROVEMENT OP THE FARM EGG. 



natural incubation. Usually this development would go unnoticed 

 when the egg is broken. " Heavy floats " show a greater develop- 

 ment, usually sufficient to be noticed on breaking. "Blood rings" 

 are characterized by the appearance of a ring of blood next to the shell 

 membrane. In these eggs the developing embryo has died, and the 

 peripheral blood vessel has adhered to the membrane and is plainly 

 visible before the candle. In other cases the development proceeds 

 until the growing chick is visible before the candle. Many of the 

 eggs that contain well-developed chicks are classed as rots. In ex- 

 ceptional cases the development may proceed until the egg actually 

 hatches in the egg case or wherever else it may be. 



HELD OR SHRUNKEN EGGS. 



The contents of a fresh-laid egg completely fill it, but as the egg 

 cools the contents shrink slightly, causing a small bubble or air cell 

 to appear at the large end. As the egg grows older the water is con- 

 tinually evaporating from the white through the shell membrane and 

 the shell, and this causes the air cell in the large end of the egg to 

 increase in size. Such an egg is characterized as held, or shrunken. 

 The rapidity with which this evaporation and shrinking progresses 

 depends, of course, upon the humidity of the air surrounding the egg. 

 Shrunken eggs are most common during the fall and early winter, 

 when the price of eggs is rising. At this time both the farmer and 

 the storekeeper are often guilty of holding eggs in the hope that the 

 price will have advanced by the time they are ready to sell. Needless 

 to say, they largely defeat themselves, for buyers have learned to 

 anticipate this condition, and consequently depress the price below 

 what it would othenvise be. 



ROTS. 



A number of different kinds of rots are recognized by the trade, but 

 the two most common classes are those known as black or mixed rots 

 and as spot rots or spots. The black rot is often caused by bacterial 

 growth. These eggs appear dark or black before the candle and are 

 characterized on breaking by a most offensive odor. In the case of 

 spot rots, the bacterial growth has remained localized and shows as 

 a spot or patch next the shell and usually attached to it. These are 

 easily detected on candling. Spots are also often caused by the de- 

 velopment of molds. 



DIRTY EGGS. 



Many eggs are soiled and dirty. These are caused by dirty nests, 

 thus allowing the eggs to be soiled by droppings, by dirt from the feet 

 of the fowls, particularly during rainy weather, and by smearing with 

 the contents of broken or cracked eggs. 



