442 MARKETING THE PRODUCTS 



exposed to a warm August sun during the greater part of the 

 time intervening between laying and marketing. 



Perfect preservation depends upon two factors, the condi- 

 tion of the eggs when preserved and the method of preserving. 



Eggs which are to be preserved should be from a perfectly 

 healthy flock which has been supplied with enough shell-forming 

 material to make it certain that the shells are of fair and uniform 

 thickness. The nests should be clean and well ventilated, so that 

 the eggs cannot become infected while in them. The eggs should 

 be gathered daily, to prevent any heating by broody hens, and 

 should be kept in a dry, cool room away from the direct rays of 

 the sun. Use only clean ones, and preserve them the day they 

 are laid. Those eggs laid in April, May, and June should be 

 preserved, for there is less profit at other seasons. 



Method. A cool and dry but dark cellar in which the tem- 

 perature does not rise higher than 60 degrees is the best place in 

 which to keep them. Clean stone jars holding about fifteen 

 dozen eggs are the best receptacles. To ten quarts of clean, boiled 

 water, which has been allowed to cool, add one quart of water- 

 glass, and stir until thoroughly mixed. 



The eggs should be placed in the receptacle, being sure that 

 none are dirty or cracked, and over them the liquid should be 

 poured until all are completely submerged. They should be 

 kept submerged about an inch below the top of the liquid. 

 The receptacle should be covered to stop evaporation; if left 

 exposed, the mixture turns a milky white and does not pre- 

 serve the eggs properly. The jars should be placed on a shelf 

 or dry platform out of the direct rays of the sun. The preserv- 

 ing solution should not be used for more than one batch of eggs 

 or more than one season. If correctly done the shrinkage in 

 weight by this process, over a period of nine months, is not 

 more than one per cent. 



Storage. The cold storage of eggs has come to be a recognized 

 part of the commercial business. It is much the safest, as well as 

 the most economical, way by which to preserve large quantities of 

 eggs for an extended period. It enables the poultryman to sell 

 his product at a profit the year round. If he could not store them 

 during the time of heavy production, eggs would be so plentiful 

 during the spring that they could not be sold, and during the 

 winter few could be had at any price. The holding back of eggs 

 by means of artificial refrigeration is a source of larger annual 



