38 



BULLETIN 51, U, S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



It is interesting to observe that B. coli were found in but 2 of 

 the 45 eggs; that in those cases it was present in small numbers 

 only and then with large numbers of other bacteria. In fact, the 

 mold in Samples 4029 and 4032, respectively, was in the air cell and 

 apparently had not penetrated the egg membrane, though undoubt- 

 edly it would have done so in time. It is also of interest to note that 

 the odor of Sample 4029 was putrid and that of 4032 stale ; both had 

 yolks stuck to the shell. 



Molds, as indicated by the descriptions given in Table 12, may 

 appear in clean and dirty shell eggs. If the shell is dirty, the first 

 ■\dsible spot of mold is very often beneath the spot of dirt. Since the 

 mold infections seem to be due almost entirely to shell penetration 

 after laying, one would expect to find the egg — both yolk and white — 

 adhering to the membrane. Such is usually the case if the growth 

 is extensive. 



So varied are the visible results upon the o^^gg of the growth of 

 mold inside the shell that much space might be consumed describing 

 individual eggs. The salient points for our purpose, however, are 

 the facts that the eggs which show mold before the candle give a 

 growth of mold when the Qgg substance is transferred to suitable 

 culture media, and a study of the substance of such eggs shows that 

 the mold is not confined to the area where it is visible, but is com- 

 monly diffused throughout both white and yolk, A moldy Qgg is 

 also likely to show a large number of bacteria present. 



BLACK ROTS. 



Black rots need but short comment here. They are recorded for 

 comparative purposes only. Table 13 gives the bacterial findings in 

 10 of them. The odor and appearance, both before the candle and 

 after opening, would exclude their u^-:e for any food purpose or even 

 for leather tannine;. Thev could ])e used for fertilizer. 



Table 13. — Tihr.-l: i-oift — individiKiI c[j[l^. 



Sample 

 No. 



Date of 

 examina- 

 tion. 



Total number of bacte- 

 ria per frram on jilain 

 agar incubated at— 



Number of 



gas-pro- 

 ducing bac- 

 teria per 

 gram in lac- 

 tose bile. 



Description. 





20° C. 37' C. 





3007-G 

 300&-.") 



IfilO. 

 Dee. 21 

 Dec. 27 

 ...do 



Dec. 2S 



1911. 

 Jan. 14 

 July 11 



180,000,000 



49, 000, 000 



4,200,000,000 



120,000,000 



' '350,' 666," 000 



140,000,000 



7,.500,OfW 



6,300,000,000 



33.000,000 



700,000,000 

 340,000,000 





Thin, watery contents, with bad odor. 





Watery contents, with strong odor. 



3009-0 

 3010-1 



3012-3 

 4045 





Watery, olive-green, gassy contents, with bad 





odor. 

 Green contents, with strong odor. 



Brownish, passv contents, with bad odor. 



1, 000, 000 -i- 



Black under candle; egg had a bad odor before 

 being opcnod, and a still worse one after- 

 wards; some shrinkage; fixed air ceU. 



