4 BULLETIN 664, (J. S. DEPARTMENT OF A.GBICULTTJBE. 



of the eggs with damaged shells were found by candling or clicking. 

 Each egg was again placed in a new symmetrically made standard 

 case, of gum, tupelo, or cottonwood, with new medium Hals and fillers, 

 evenly cushioned on the bottom with excelsior, and on the top with 

 excelsior or with corrugated board laid over the top flat. The cush- 

 ions were thick enough to (ill the space between the eggs and lid, 

 and were so evenly distributed that the lid exerted an even pressure 

 over the whole top of the case. Five 3-pennv, cement-coated nails to 

 each joint were used in the experimental cases shipped. 



The character of the shell of each egg, the size of the egg. and its 

 location in the case were charted on a diagram by means of which 

 permanent records were kept of the condition of every egg under 

 observation. The cracked eggs were not removed from the case to 

 be shipped, but the location of each cracked egg was recorded. The 

 cases were marked so that they might be identified only b} r the inves- 

 tigators during the stowing or subsequent unloading of the car. A 

 total of 5,490 dozen eggs examined in 12 packing houses during the 

 first season showed that 19.22 eggs per case, or 5.34 per cent, were 

 being shipped with shells lightly cracked or dented. 1 Leakers were 

 seldom found, and when found were removed. During the later 

 work in 27 packing houses, when a total of 16,800 dozen eggs were 

 examined, 5.47 per cent of eggs with unsound shells were found. 



This damage in cases of eggs as they leave the packing house is 

 not the damage which is visible in the usual terminal inspection, as 

 will be brought out more fulty in the course of this report. It is 

 detected when eggs are shipped to storage warehouses for long hold- 

 ing, and the condition of the cases is such that even those which do 

 not show external damage must be rehandled and candled or clicked 

 for cracks. Experiments on the shipments of checks, to be given 

 later (Table 4), will further elucidate this subject. The number of 

 eggs with cracked and dented, but not leaking, shells observed during 

 the investigation in the cases leaving the various packing houses is 

 given in detail in Table 3. 



TBANSFEB OF EGGS FKOM TACKING HOUSE TO CAR. 



The experiments on which this report is based included the carry- 

 ing of the cases by hand from the stack or chill room to the car, as 

 well as their transfer from like locations by means of 2-wheeled 

 trucks, or. very rarely, 4-wheelcd trucks. In one case, an autotruck 

 carried the cases about 500 feet to the car. Usually wagons were 

 used. The distance between the packing house and the car varied 

 from the width of the loading platform to nearly a mile. 



1 An experimental error of 1 to 2 eggs per case (0.28 to 0.56 per cent) should be 

 allowed on all cases. It has not heen found possible to rehandle 360 eggs without au 

 occasional error. 



