124 POULTRY BREEDING 
a profit above feed cost of $17.75 or $1.61 for each hen. 
One of these hens laid 174 eggs and another 181] during 
the test. The White Leghorns averaged 152 eggs at a 
feed cost of 9 cents a month for each fowl and a profit 
above feed cost of $1.87 for each hen, the profit above 
feed cost being $35.69. 
EGGS, FOOD VALUE OF.—It has been asserted that 
eggs at 25 cents per dozen are cheaper than beef, when 
nutritive value is compared, but this is not correct. Com- 
pared with other foods eggs at 12 cents per dozen are 
comparatively cheap; at 16 cents per dozen they are fairly 
expensive and at 25 cents a dozen they are very expen- 
sive. Eggs are valuable as furnishing a light, easily 
digestible nitrogenous food, especially suitable for break- 
fast or other light meal—an important item for people of 
sedentary habits. That eggs at 25 cents per dozen are 
cheaper than meat is true in one sense, because of the 
smaller amount of money required to purchase a meal. 
It would require at least 114 pounds of beef to supply 
meat for a family of 5 and this would cost 25 cents at 
20 cents per pound, while 5 eggs would cost but 10 cents, 
even if they were worth 24 cents a dozen. If the family 
were hearty eaters and would require 2 eggs each, the 
eges would then cost but 20 cents as against 25 cents for 
the beef, a saving of 5 cents. 
EGGS, NUTRITIVE VALUE OF.—A<\ case is on rec- 
ord where a man lived two weeks with but one egg a day 
to take the place of both food and water, and at the end 
of that time was able to walk a considerable distance. 
EGGS, HOW TO TEST.—A good many incubator 
operators, and more who use hens for hatching, pay no 
attention to testing the eggs and removing the infertile 
ones or those containing dead germs from the nest or 
