38 BULLETIN 224, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Visit No. 4 (June 24 to 28). 



The egg supply consisted of one half checks and the other half a mixture of seconds 

 and dirty eggs. 



The management had not succeeded in obtaining a forewoman to replace the one 

 who left during visit No. 3. An attempt was made to promote a conscientious girl 

 from the ranks, but the breakers absolutely refused to recognize one of their number 

 as their head. The position required a good disciplinarian as well as one who could 

 appreciate and enforce the principles of bacterial cleanliness as applied to the prepa- 

 ration of food on a large scale. 



The supply of eggs was not sufficient to keep the girls at work the whole day. They 

 received the same daily wage whether they worked all or part of a day, consequently 

 there was a concerted effort to break the eggs in as short a time as possible. This 

 undue haste led to unclean work and to careless grading. 



The low quality of the work during this week, as well as the untidy appearance of 

 the breaking room, showed what can be expected when a number of irresponsible 

 girls are allowed to work without direct and strict supervision. 



The work of the candlers was superior to that of the breakers. The foreman, shortly 

 before this visit, was directed to recandle daily the rejects from the different candlers. 

 The finding of only six edible eggs on breaking one-half case of rejects after secondary 

 candling indicated that the work was being done very efficiently. 



From a chemical and bacteriological viewpoint the quality of the liquid and dried 

 product was practically the same as found on the last visit. A few samples of desic- 

 cated egg, however, contained more organisms than had been noted heretofore. The 

 wet lumps shpwed no greater infection than the flaky egg. 



Visit No. 5 {July 19 to 24). 



The conditions in the breaking room were greatly improved because the superin- 

 tendent had been able to give some attention to the breakers. The egg supply had 

 not increased, consequently he was able to reduce the breaking force to a number suffi- 

 cient to complete the work by the regular closing time. He dismissed the more 

 inefficient girls and particularly those who had been promoters of disorderly work. 

 This culling resulted in an altogether different spirit in the breaking force, for each of 

 the remaining girls was not only anxious to do good work but was also desirous of 

 retaining her position. 



With this change in the attitude of the breakers it was a comparatively simple mat- 

 ter to get them to manipulate the egg properly, to break at a sufficiently low speed to 

 permit careful grading, and to make the necessary changes in apparatus after opening 

 an infected egg. 



As a consummation to the improved conditions, the superintendent succeeded on 

 July 16, 1913, in getting a forewoman whom the girls immediately and cheerfully 

 recognized as their superior. The young woman was trained along sanitary lines, 

 consequently she could appreciate the principles of bacterial cleanliness which were 

 being applied here to the preparation of frozen and dried eggs. By instruction and 

 observation she quickly learned to recognize the various kinds of eggs occurring in 

 breaking stock, and was soon competent to supervise grading as well as clean hand- 

 ling of eggs. Gum chewing was prohibited among the girls, since with such a 

 highly flavored substance in the mouth, eggs with incipient odors would not be 

 detected. 



She also stopped conversation between breakers because it was necessary for best 

 results that a girl give her entire attention to her task. As a compensation for steady 

 work the forewoman gave the girls a five-minute recess in the middle of each half day. 

 The increased efficiency of the breaking force under the new regime more than bal- 

 anced the time utilized by the intermission. 



On one of the first days of the visit two of the breaking girls were given the position 

 of pages. Their duties were to transport the trays of clean apparatus from the wash 

 room to the breaking room, to carry the same back when dirty, and to look after the 

 general appearance of the breaking room. Formerly the breakers stopped their work 

 to do these errands. Inasmuch as this work kept the pages busy, tnis change in the 

 organization did not add to the operating expenses, but greatly facilitated the work of 

 the breakers. 



A few changes in equipment had been made since the last visit. For instance, new 

 racks had been made to hold the breaking knives from the time they were washed 

 until they were used in the breaking room. Another change was the placing of a clock- 

 face with movable hands on each sterilizer door. After filling a sterilizer with appa- 

 ratus, the operator noted the time of day and placed the hands of the clockface at the 



