542 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



flock of only three or four hens. They do not have to be stored so 

 long before getting a sufficient number for a setting. Eggs for 

 hatching should be clean; if not clean they should be washed in 

 tepid water and carefully dried with a clean, soft cloth. This wash- 

 ing does not injure the egg, but it must be done quickly and care- 

 fully, or the jarring of the contents may ruin it for hatching. As 

 fast as the eggs are washed and dried they should be covered with 

 a layer of clean cloth or absorbent cotton to prevent their becoming 

 chilled. It is good practice to stand the eggs in a cool quiet place, 

 each with the large end uppermost, for a period of twelve hours 

 before placing for incubation. This balances the yolk in the center 

 and locates the air cell. 



In this connection it is well to bear in mind that eggs laid the 

 day they are set will hatch several hours earlier than those that are 

 a week older. Eggs waiting for incubation should be kept at a 

 temperature of about 60 F., although they will stand a variation 

 of temperature from 40 to 100 F. They should not be allowed to 

 dry out, nor' should they be exposed to a current of cold air, steam, 

 or vapor. During storage, eggs for incubator use should be partly 

 turned every day. A little attention to these simple directions will 

 make quite a difference in the possibilities of fertile eggs and will 

 greatly augment the percentage of chicks. (Mich. B. 266, Agr. 

 Dep. F. B. 236.) 



Color of Eggs. It is a matter of common observation that 

 hens' eggs vary rather widely in color, ranging from a clear white 

 to a decided light brown. Domestic poultry have descended from, 

 several wild strains, the various breeds being formed by numerous 

 crossing. The color of the eggshell, it is generally believed, is a 

 characteristic which has been transmitted from the early ancestors 

 of our modern breeds. 



There is no constant relation between the color of the shell 

 and the composition of the egg, although there is a popular belief 

 in some localities that the dark-shelled eggs are "richer." That 

 there are no differences in the physical properties and chemical 

 composition between brown-shelled and white-shelled eggs was 

 shown by investigations carried on at the California and the Mich- 

 igan experiment stations, this work having been summarized in 

 earlier publications of this Department. 



The color of the shell has, however, an effect upon market 

 value, the brown-shelled eggs bringing the higher price, for in- 

 stance, in the Boston market, and white-shelled eggs in the New 

 York market. In England the preference is decidedly in favor of 

 the tinted eggs. Of common breeds, Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, 

 Cochins, Brahmas, and Langshans, among others, lay brown-shelled 

 eggs, and Leghorns and Minorcas white-shelled eggs. 



At the Maine Experiment Station breeding experiments with 

 Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks have been carried on for a num- 

 ber of years for the purpose of establishing strains with highly de- 

 veloped laying qualities. The recorded data show that though both 

 breeds lay tinted eggs the depth of color varies decidedly with indi- 



