COMMEECIAL EGGS IN THE CENTEAL WEST. 57 



generated by the chemical changes accompanying deterioration, are 

 indications that the egg is unfit for food. 



The various groups of eggs not recognizable before the candle are 

 productive of much trouble in the frozen and dried egg industry. 

 They will therefore be considered separately. 



EGGS HAVING GREEN WHITES. 



Certain eggs show a distinctly greenish tinge in the white (see 

 PL VIII). This may be so slight that it is not noticed unless com- 

 pared with an egg having a normal color. The majority of these eggs 

 show no other signs of deterioration; others have a thin albumen, a 

 yolk with a ruptured membrane or even mixed to a decided extent 

 with the white. Eggs showing macroscopic evidences of decomposi- 

 tion are usually accompanied by a fetid odor. The shells of eggs hav- 

 ing green whites are frequently cracked, stained, or dirty ; many have 

 the appearance of washed eggs. 



It is of interest to observe that these eggs are found in greatest 

 numbers in the spring, when dirty and wet shells are most prevalent. 

 Being but seldom distinguished by the candler while in the shell, 

 they go to the breakers. Some plants have in the past excluded such 

 eggs when the breaker happened to see them, especially if they had 

 reached the odor stage. Other establishments used them when odor- 

 less and gave various reasons to account for the color, the most fre- 

 quent explanation being that the hen had been eating grass. This 

 supposition led to the term " grass egg " as descriptive of this con- 

 dition, but as this phrase has been used by the trade to describe the 

 early spring eggs also, much confusion has resulted. 



Laboratory examination disclosed the fact that such eggs contain 

 enormous numbers of bacteria, as is shown in Table 26. 



