UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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1 BULLETIN No. 664 



Contribution f.om the Bureau of Chemistry 

 CARL L. ALSBERG, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



April 25, 1918 



THE PREVENTION OF BREAKAGE OF EGGS IN 

 TRANSIT WHEN SHIPPED IN CARLOTS. 



By M. E. Pennington, Chief,, Food Research Laboratory, H. A. McAleeh, 

 Investigator in Poultry and Egg Handling, and A. D. Greenlee, Assistant 

 Chemist, assisted by F. X. Dailey and H. 0. Albin. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 



Reason for the investigation 1 



Amount of damage to eggs during market- 

 ing 2 



Progress of the investigation: 



General plan 3 



Conditions at point of origin: 



The eggs and the package 3 



Transfer of eggs from packing house 



to car i 



Stowing the load 5 



Placing cases in car 5 



Buffing the load with straw 6 



Buffing the load with wooden frames 7 



Bracing the load S 



The railroad haul 9 



Conditions at the terminal 10 



Results of the investigation: Page. 



Factors contributing to transit damage . . 12 



The size of the egg 13 



The soundness of the eggshell 14 



The character of the package 16 



The position of the egg in the pack- 

 age IS 



The position of the case in the car 20 



The character of the buffing and 



bracing of the load 20 



The construction of the car " 26 



Shocks during the haul 27 



Handling at the terminal 28 



Summary 30 



REASON FOR THE INVESTIGATION. 



Breaking the shell of an egg shortens its market life in direct pro- 

 portion to the extent of the damage. A complete mashing of the 

 shell immediately renders the egg useless for food purposes; a crack 

 visible to the naked eye foreshadows prompt decay, and necessitates 

 immediate consumption ; while even the slightest fracture of the shell 

 makes impossible satisfactory preservation for use when eggs are 

 scarce. The shell of the egg is fragile ; yet it must frequently travel 

 far by varied conveyances, and successfully withstand comparatively 

 rough usage, if it is to satisfy marketing requirements. 



43010°— Bull. 6G4— 18 1 



