Eggs for Setting. 45 



dry, and the pudding without them, if properly made, will 

 be just of the right consistency. 



"Another way to preserve eggs," says Mr. Dickson, 

 " is to have them cooked in boiling water the same day 

 they are laid. On taking them out of the water they are 

 marked with red ink, to record their date, and put away in 

 a cool place, where they will keep, it is said, for several 

 months. When they are wanted for use, they are again 

 put into hot water to warm them. The curdy part which is 

 usually seen in new-laid eggs is so abundant, and the taste 

 is said to be so well preserved, that the nicest people may 

 be made to believe that they are new laid. At the end of 

 three or four months, however, the membrane lining the 

 shell becomes much thickened, and the eggs lose their 

 flavour. Eggs so preserved have the advantage of not 

 suffering from being carried about." 



"It ought not to be overlooked," says Mr. Dickson, 

 " with respect to the preservation of eggs, that they not 

 only spoil by the transpiration of their moisture and the 

 putrid fermentation of their contents, in consequence of air 

 penetrating through the pores of the shell ; but also by 

 being moved about, and jostled when carried to a distance 

 by sea or land. Any sort of rough motion indeed ruptures 

 the membranes which keep the white, the yolk, and the 

 germ of the chick in their proper places, and upon these 

 becoming mixed, putrefaction soon follows." 



If the eggs are to be kept for setting, place a box, divided 

 by partitions into divisions for the eggs of the different 

 breeds, in a dry corner of your kitchen, but not too near to 

 the fire; fill the divisions with bran previously well dried in 

 an oven ; place the eggs in it upright, with the larger ends 

 uppermost, as soon as they are laid, and cover them with 

 the bran. Mark each egg in pencil with the date when 

 laid, and description of breed or cross. They should be 

 kept in a cool place or a warm place according to the season. 

 Airtight jars, closed with airtight stoppers, may be used 

 if the eggs are intended to be kept for a very long time. 



In selecting eggs for setting, choose the freshest, those 

 of moderate size, well-shaped, and having the air-vessel 



