440 MARKETING THE PRODUCTS 



eter than the short axis of the egg. The eggs are candled in the 

 same way as when tested during incubation. Certain conditions 

 should be looked for, and the operator divides the eggs into lots, 

 each in a different receptacle according to its class, as follows: 

 Rots, spots, checks, seconds, firsts, and extras.* 



A fresh, newly laid egg can be recognized by the fact that 

 the contents entirely fill the shell. As cooling takes place, the 

 contents of the egg contract, leaving a small empty space at the 

 large end which is termed the air cell. As the egg ages, this cell 

 rapidly increases in size, because of the escape of moisture through 

 the shell. In extremely stale eggs or those not properly taken 

 care of, the cell may occupy half of the shell; such eggs are said 

 to be shrunken. Shrunken or stale eggs have lost their fine fresh 

 flavor, and sell in all markets at a low price. 



In a strictly fresh egg, the yolk shows faintly as a dark mass 

 in the centre of the shell; when the egg is moved, this dark mass 

 moves about, sometimes becoming more distinct, and again less 

 so as it settles at the farthest side of the egg. Before the candle 

 the rotten egg looks opaque or very dark colored and appears 

 as a homogeneous mass; during the process of decay the mem- 

 branes give way and the contents mix; for this reason a rotten 

 egg, if shaken, will sound sloppy. Such eggs are a total loss. 

 Eggs may rot from one or two causes : 



1. The presence of a partially developed chick which de- 

 composes immediately after death. 



2. The presence of a fungus, which penetrates the shell through 

 cracks or pores, and develops rapidly. 



In eggs classified as " spots " the yolk is found adhering to 

 the shell, or there is a fungous growth, or a partially developed 

 embryo. Such eggs are not edible. Until recently it was the 

 custom in large candling establishments to break and strain 

 these eggs, canning the strained material for cooking purposes; 

 it was put on the market as canned eggs. This practice has been 

 abolished by recent pure-food legislation. The number of such 

 eggs on the market, especially during the spring and summer 

 months, is enormous; such eggs are used in finishing leather. 



The class of eggs designated by the candler as " checks " in- 

 cludes all eggs which are cracked, exceptionally small, or dirty. 

 Eggs so badly cracked as to permit part of the contents to ooze 



* Method of candle grading described by Pennington & Pierce, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture. 



