POULTRY FOR PROFIT 135 



sior, cotton or paper, and then packed in one of the 

 containers manufactured for the purpose. 



For eggs delivered by hand there are neat car- 

 tons which may be had for about a cent apiece. 



Improving Eggs 



When a poultryman finds that a large number of 

 his eggs do not grade as "extras," there is just one 

 thing to do, that is, improve the quality. If the eggs 

 selected for hatching are all eggs that will weigh at 

 least 22 ounces to the dozen, all the same size and 

 color, and all with good, strong, smooth shells, the 

 eggs of next year's pullets will be of more uniform 

 quality and better size. Never set an egg that is not 

 up to the standard. Hens that persistently lay thin- 

 shelled, badly shaped eggs, should be eliminated 

 from the flock. 



PRESERVING EGGS 



The best method of preserving eggs, and the one 

 now recommended by all experiment stations, is 

 what is called the water glass method. Eggs pre- 

 served in a water glass solution will keep almost per- 

 fectly for several months. The taste is a trifle flat 

 as compared with that of a fresh egg, but they are 

 wholesome and sweet and will poach nearly as well 

 as a fresh egg. 



Water-glass (sodium silicate) may be bought from 

 any druggist for twenty-five or thirty cents a quart, 

 and a quart will preserve twenty dozen eggs. Boil 

 ten or twelve quarts of water and let it cool. Then 

 add a quart of water-glass and mix thoroughly. The 

 mixture should be kept in a stone jar in a cellar or 

 other cool place, and the eggs placed in it each day 

 as soon as they are brought from the nest. Do not 



