A GUIDE FOR KEEPERS OF POULTRY 315 
any of these will reduce the price, and producers are the 
only ones who feel the effect of any reduction in price 
from any of the causes. 
Eggs very readily spoil during warm weather or when 
kept in damp, ill-smelling places, such as cellars or stor- 
age rooms. Because of this readiness to spoil the term 
“fresh eggs” has come to mean a good one. The condi- 
tion of an egg does not depend altogether on its age. 
An egg 48 hours old would be considered fresh if it had 
been kept under proper conditions, but an egg which has 
laid in the south side of a damp straw stack for the same 
length of time in warm weather would not be fit to eat, 
and, therefore, would not be classed as a fresh egg. How- 
ever, eggs of this sort are often marketed. 
The first thing an egg-buyer looks at is the size and 
condition as to cleanliness. ‘Then he examines the egg to 
determine its condition as to the freshness of its con- 
tents. This is done by holding the egg between the eye 
and a light, known as “‘candling.”” In the cities candling 
eggs is a distinct and lucrative profession and candlers 
become remarkably proficient in judging eggs in this 
way. Usually an incandescent electric hght is put in a 
tube or box in which there is only a single round opening, 
rather smaller than an egg. The candler picks up three 
eggs in each hand, taps them gently together to discover 
if any of them have broken shells, and then rapidly re- 
volves each egg between his eyes and the light, judging 
their condition by their appearance. 
In candling eggs they are separated into several quali- 
ties. Those with cracked shells are called “checks.” 
Those in which the shell is broken and pushed in are 
called “dents,” and “leakers” are those broken enough so 
the contents can run out. All such eggs, if the contents 
