18 BIGGIE POULTRY BOOK. 



has so clouded the egg contents as to render the out- 

 lines indistinct. The appearance of the egg is now 

 shown by Figure 5. 



After the tenth day the tester is of little use. 

 On the eighteenth day the embryo is n earing the final 

 stages, the yolk upon which it subsists is nearly all 

 absorbed. On the nineteenth and twentieth days it is 

 chipping the shell, and on the twenty-first it emerges, 

 fully developed, into a new and larger world. 



FOOT NOTES. 



The shell of an egg is porous and any filth on it will taint 

 the meat. This is a good reason for cleaning eggs as soon as 

 gathered. All stains and dirt should be wiped with a moistcloth t 

 and then allowed to dry. A little vinegar will often remove the 

 most obstinate stain. 



Sometimes dirty looking eggs are fresher than some that 

 are clean, but buyers will not believe it, and, as they must judge 

 an egg by its outward appearance only, eggs should be made as 

 attractive looking as possible before being sent to market. 



Eggs are preserved in several ways: By cold storage in a dry 

 .atmosphere, at a temperature of 36 to 40 degrees, and by water 

 glass. 



Water glass (sodium silicate) is a syrupy fluid, for sale at all 

 drug stores. To every part of this substance add nine parts of 

 water that has been boiled and allowed to cool before mixing. 

 Thoroughly stir the solution while it Is being mixed and pour it 

 over the eggs, which have already been packed in an earthen or 

 wooden vessel. Keep in a location where the temperature never 

 rises above 60 degrees. Put in no eggs more than a week old 

 as one bad egg will spoil the lot. Infertile eggs are best. The 

 mixture should be used only once. 



