652 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



elover produces eggs with a rich, yellow 

 yolk. 



Marketing eggs — Only clean eggs 

 should be marketed. If the eggs are to 

 be stored they should be wiped clean 

 rather than washed. The normal egg 

 shell has a natural surface coating of 

 mucilaginous matter which prevents the 

 entrance of micro-organisms that cause 

 decomposition. If they are washed this 

 coating or "bloom" is removed. They 

 should be sorted both as to color and 

 size. Eggs which grade "extras" should 

 weigh 2 pounds or more a dozen, while 

 "firsts" may weigh 1% pounds a dozen 

 and "ordinary mixed" l 1 /^ pounds a 

 dozen. For a local market they may be 

 packed in pasteboard cartons, holding 

 about a dozen each. For shipping, the 

 regular sized crate holding 30 dozen 

 should be used. Eggs should never be 

 packed in material having a disagreeable 

 odor, such as musty straw or bran, since 

 they readily absorb these odors. 



Commission merchants usually charge 

 5 per cent on the gross receipts for the 

 eggs. Eggs intended for cold storage 

 should be sound, full and perfectly fresh 

 and be packed in the regular 30- 

 dozen cases. In cold storage they are 

 held at a temperature of 31 to 34° F., 

 though the temperature may be as low 

 as 27° F., without the shells bursting. 



The lowest prices for eggs are in 

 March, April and May, after which there 

 is a rise in price until the maximum is 

 reached in December and January, 

 dropping a little in February and March. 



Packing hatching eggs — Eggs for 

 hatching should be packed preferably 

 in a handle basket lined with paper and 

 the bottom covered with excelsior. Each 

 egg should be wrapped in excelsior and 

 all placed close together in the basket. 

 More excelsior is then put on and a 

 cloth sewed over the top to keep it in 

 place. The basket should then be plain- 

 ly marked "Eggs for hatching." If 

 boxes are used, put excelsior in the bot- 

 tom, then set in a cardboard carton con- 

 taining the eggs surrounded with bran, 

 chaff or similar material. Cover with 

 more excelsior and then screw top on; 

 never nail the top on if you expect the 

 eggs to hatch. 



Preserving eggs — Under average con- 

 ditions, fresh eggs will keep about a 

 month before spoiling. Infertile eggs 

 will keep longer than fertile ones. Per- 

 haps 100 different materials, such as 



sulphur, boracic and salicylic acid, etc, 

 have been tested as preservatives for 

 eggs. Up to the present, only two cheap 

 and efficient methods aside from cold 

 storage have been found. These are 

 water glass and lime water. Formerly 

 salt was added to the lime water, but a 

 number of experiments have shown that 

 this is not necessary, and, if anything, 

 is injurious. 



Lime water for preserving eggs is 

 prepared as follows : Slake 2 to 3 pounds 

 of fresh stone lime, then stir into 5 

 gallons of water and keep agitated for 

 several hours. Allow it to settle and 

 pour off the clear top liquid. Pack the 

 eggs in this clear liquid, keeping them 

 entirely submerged. The liquid should 

 be kept in a covered jar, as exposure to 

 the air will cause the lime to be precipi- 

 tated and thus weaken the solution. This 

 can be prevented entirely by pouring a 

 small amount of sweet oil over the liquid, 

 which effectually protects it from the 

 air. 



Water glass or soluble glass is a pop- 

 ular term for potassium or sodium sili- 

 cate and is commonly sold in the form 

 of a syrupy liquid. It can be bought for 

 2 to 10 cents a pound. In making a 

 water glass solution for preserving eggs, 

 boil pure water and allow it to cool, 

 then to each 10 quarts of water add 

 from 1 pint to a quart of water glass. 



By either the lime water method or 

 the use of water glass, eggs can be kept 

 in good condition for six months to a 

 year. 



In preserving eggs in these materials 

 use only fresh eggs. Before treating 

 they should be allowed to become thor- 

 oughly cooled. The solution in which 

 they are kept should also be cold. If the 

 eggs are kept at a high temperature, 70 

 to 80° F., they deteriorate rapidly in 

 spite of the preservative. They should 

 be stored in a cool, dark place. The 

 nearer 35° F. they can be held, the 

 better the eggs will keep. A 5-gallon 

 solution of water glass is sufficient to 

 cover 50 dozen eggs and may be used 

 over and over again. Eggs thus pre- 

 served in water glass at the North Da- 

 kota station, for 3^2 months, were fully 

 equal to fresh market eggs for cooking 

 making frosting, etc. Water glass can 

 be bought in all drug stores 



Desiccated eggs—About 3,750,000 

 dozen eggs are desiccated each year in 

 the United States. One method is to 



