QUALITY IN EGGS 
as one might imagine. Perhaps one or two per cent. of the 
country’s egg crop actually rot, but the expenses of the 
candling necessitated, and the lowering of value of eggs that 
contain even a few rotten specimens are severe losses. 
Moldy or musty eggs are caused by accidentally wet cases 
or damp cellars and ice houses. The moldy egg is most 
frequently a spot rot. In the musty egg proper the meat is 
free from foreign organisms, but has been tainted by the odor 
of mold growth upon the shell or packing materials. 
The absorption of odors is the most baffling of all causes of 
bad eggs. Here the candler, so expert in other points, is usu- 
ally helpless. Eggs, by storage in old musty cellars, or in 
rooms, with lemons, onions and cheese, may become so badly 
flavored as to be seriously objected to by a fancy trade, and 
yet there is no means of detecting the trouble without destroy- 
ing the egg. Such eggs occur most frequently among the held 
stock of the fall season. 
The Loss Due to Carelessness. 
The egg crop of the country, more than ninety-five per cent. 
of which originates on the general farm, is subject to im- 
mense waste due to ignorant and careless handling. The 
great mass of eggs for sale in our large cities possess to a 
greater or less degree the faults we have discussed. 
Some idea of the loss due to the present shiftless method of 
handling eggs, may be obtained by a comparison of the actual 
average prices received for all eggs sold in New York City, 
and the wholesale prices quoted by a prominent New York 
firm dealing in high grade goods. The contrasted price for ' 
the year 1907 are as follows: 
Prices at which total goods 
Wholesale prices for strictly 
moved. fresh eggs. 
PADWALGY: av ica seri are dace ate 25.8 January ................. 42. 
February ............... 24.5 February .....65 000s c00ws 40. 
1. E50) | a 19.8 March .................. 32. 
April’ .3-cndsaseepeeedk sax 169° GADPIL cccnccnei ace te gi eg 30. 
MAY | on sta cae aeactauh yeas 16:6.) (May: 6 cickicta cet halen naire 31. 
DUNC: g's auleatae ara epee 15D: JUNC iitisdies wand sdaere eka Gad 32. 
DULY ae cers ees ea nda tas 15:6 Sully. wissen gees enedee sxe 35. 
AUSUSE scscecice cer ias ae TT -AUBUSE, exes a4 ch des wacs 38. 
September ............. 20.7 September .............. 40. 
October .............005 21.4 October ................. 42. 
November .............. 26.0 November ............... 45. 
December .............. 27.7 December ............... 48. 
138 
