440 MARKETING THE PRODUCTS 
eter than the short axis of the egg. The eggs are candled in the 
same way as when tested during incubation. Certain conditions 
should be looked for, and the operator divides the eggs into lots, 
each in a different receptacle according to its class, as follows: 
Rots, spots, checks, seconds, firsts, and extras.* 
A fresh, newly laid egg can be recognized by the fact that 
the contents entirely fill the shell. As cooling takes place, the 
contents of the egg contract, leaving a small empty space at the 
large end which is termed the air cell. As the egg ages, this cell 
rapidly increases in size, because of the escape of moisture through 
the shell. In extremely stale eggs or those not properly taken 
care of, the cell may occupy half of the shell; such eggs are said 
to be shrunken. Shrunken or stale eggs have lost their fine fresh 
flavor, and sell in all markets at a low price. 
In a strictly fresh egg, the yolk shows faintly as a dark mass 
in the centre of the shell; when the egg is moved, this dark mass 
moves about, sometimes becoming more distinct, and again less 
so as it settles at the farthest side of the egg. Before the candle 
the rotten egg looks opaque or very dark colored and appears 
as a homogeneous mass; during the process of decay the mem- 
branes give way and the contents mix; for this reason a rotten 
egg, if shaken, will sound sloppy. Such eggs are a total loss. 
Eggs may rot from one or two causes: 
1. The presence of a partially developed chick which de- 
composes immediately after death. 
2. The presence of a fungus, which penetrates the shell through 
cracks or pores, and develops rapidly. 
In eggs classified as “‘spots’”’ the yolk is found adhering to 
the shell, or there is a fungous gzowth, or a partially developed 
embryo. Such eggs are not edible. Until recently it was the 
custom in large candling establishments to break and _ strain 
these eggs, canning the strained material for cooking purposes; 
it was put on the market as canned eggs. This practice has been 
abolished by recent pure-food legislation. The number of such 
eggs on the market, especially during the spring and summer 
months, is enormous; such eggs are used in finishing leather. 
The class of eggs designated by the candler as ‘‘ checks ”’ in- 
cludes all eggs which are cracked, exceptionally small, or dirty. 
Eggs so badly cracked as to permit part of the contents to ooze 
*Method of candle grading described by Pennington & Pierce, U. 8. 
Department of Agriculture. 
