46 BULLETIN 224, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



CONDITIONS PREVAILING EVERY THIRD WEEK FROM MAY UNTIL SEPTEMBER. 



Visit No. 1 {first week in May). 



Organization ofivash room. — The new washing equipment having just been installed) 

 experiments were made to determine the quickest and most effective methods of 

 cleansing the various utensils used in the breaking room. As a result of these 

 experiments and observations working directions were prepared, which may be sum- 

 marized as follows: 



1. Rinse new cans in running water and steam in the dairy sterilizer for at least 

 10 minutes. If the cans show visible signs of uncleanness, such as dust, scrub before 

 rinsing. 



2. Wash all utensils coming in contact with food egg in clean, lukewarm water 

 containing soap powder. Use the revolving brushes for cleaning the breaking cups 

 and 30-pound cans. Rinse the cups on the mechanical rinser. Wash the other 

 apparatus with ordinary scrubbing brushes and rinse in running water from the 

 faucet. Sterilize all the apparatus for at least 20 minutes. 



3. Keep the brushes sweet by frequent sterilization. 



4. Exercise particular care in scrubbing and rinsing the mixing churns. Run 

 steam through a steam hose into each churn for five minutes. 



5. At noon wash spoons, knives, cups, and breaking trays; rinse and sterilize all 

 but the last. Wipe off tables. Put new sterilized cans on them in place of those 

 used to receive the broken eggs during the morning. 



6. At night cleanse all apparatus, sterilize the pieces coming in contact with food 

 egg, and perform the other necessary cleaning, such as scrubbing floors, washing 

 walls, etc. , 



Bacteriological examinations showed that the churns, after being carefully washed 

 with warm water containing soda, rinsed thoroughly, and steamed for five minutes, 

 were practically sterile. The churns were so constructed that the brine could not 

 be drawn from the cooling coils. On account of the expansion of the cold liquid it 

 was impossible to steam the churn longer than five minutes at one time. Because 

 of the importance of the cleansing previous to steaming this work was delegated to a 

 picked crew of girls. 



Experiments similar to those carried on in the new wash room were undertaken in 

 the workroom in which utensils from the egg-drying room were cleansed. The wash- 

 ing equipment for this work was located on a drained cement floor and consisted of a 

 steam jet and a sink supplied with hot and cold water. All apparatus was being 

 thoroughly washed, but not rinsed; the larger pieces were being heated for a few 

 seconds over the steam jet. The pieces of hose used to convey the liquid egg from 

 the supply tanks to the troughs feeding the belts were scrubbed on the inside with 

 a specially devised brush, rinsed and steamed. 



Laboratory tests of condensation water from apparatus washed and steamed as 

 described showed about 200 bacteria per cubic centimeter. An examination of sterile 

 water passed a few times through a cleansed hose also disclosed several hundred 

 organisms to the cubic centimeter. 



Inasmuch as the heating of apparatus over a steam jet was inconvenient, time con- 

 suming, and did not insure sterilization, a box sterilizer was planned, so that the small 

 utensils from the drying room and the milk cans used to transfer the liquid egg from 

 the breaking room could be sterilized for 20 minutes. The supply tanks to the belts 

 were too large to put in the sterilizer. Consequently, they were sterilized by passing 

 steam into them from a hose. A rinsing jet was also installed in the sink. These 

 additions to the washing equipment greatly simplified the work of this department. 



The efficient operation of the two wash rooms insured thorough cleansing of all 

 utensils coming in contact with liquid food egg. 



Breaking stock. — The breaking stock of this house consisted of small, dirty, and 

 cracked eggs sorted by inspection from the current receipts of this house, its several 

 branch houses, and a few neighboring packers who did not have facilities for egg 

 breaking. The firm did not pay for leakers and moldy eggs occurring in "checks" 

 from the latter source. 



The breaking stock of this period consisted chiefly of cracked eggs, because a large 

 percentage of the small and dirty eggs vere being shipped in the shell. The firm 

 began candling checks on April 12, 1912, and current receipts on May 6, 1912. 



Organization of breaking room. — The foreman of the breaking room was eminently 

 qualified for his position on account of his training and executive ability. He had 

 been in charge of this breaking room from the time of its establishment, and previous 

 to that time he had supervised a candling room. Consequently, he was familiar with 

 the various classes of eggs occurring throughout the season. 



