Preparing Eggs for Market 319 



The loss to the country through the marketing 

 of deteriorated eggs is great, and any movement 

 that will tend to lessen the evil cannot help to be 

 of value to the farmer and 

 poultryman. *"It has been 

 estimated that about five 

 per cent of all the eggs mar- 

 keted in this country are 

 culled out as " dirties" caus- 

 ing a loss of about one per l 

 cent on the total value of FIG. 103. 



. , ,, . , A convenient egg-carrier. 



the egg crop of the country. 



For this the farmer and poultryman are alone to 



blame." 



Eggs that are not perfectly clean should not 

 be sent to market. Indifferent or careless poultry- 

 men permit the nests to become fouled, and many 

 eggs are not clean when gathered. Eggs may be 

 stained from nest material, and they are some- 

 times colored with blood, particularly the first 

 eggs of pullets. Stains of various kinds may be 

 readily removed with a moistened cloth on which 

 has been dusted a little cooking soda. Poultrymen 

 who make a specialty of fancy eggs are particular 

 to send clean eggs to market, and also take consider- 

 able pains to ship only those of uniform size and 

 color. Uniformity is of great importance when the 

 highest prices are to be secured. As a fruit-grower 



* United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry, Circular No. 140. 



