990 Sale of Eggs by Co-operative Means, [march, 



lamp in a darkened room. A new-laid egg is full, i.e., has 

 but a tiny air space, is bright, and has no spots or dark 

 shadows. Those which are classed as "new-laids" are, in 

 societies affiliated to the National Poultry Organisation 

 Society, branded with the Trade Mark of that society. They 

 are then graded in accordance with the requirements of traders 

 and immediately packed for dispatch. Packing should during 

 warm weather always be done in a cool place, so as to ex- 

 clude as much heat as possible from the cases, as the contents 

 will thus travel and keep better than would otherwise be 

 the case. Frequently there is considerable loss of quality and 

 freshness from packing in sun-heated cases or in a hot room. 

 It is generally most desirable to dispatch in the evening, so 

 that the eggs may reach their destination early next morning, 

 and to avoid allowing them to stand outside in the sun or 

 rain. An hour's exposure of this kind will mean rapid 

 deterioration through loss of quality. Every effort should be 

 put forth to send in bulk and thus secure the most favourable 

 railway rates. 



Grading. — The better qualities of Colonial, Irish, and 

 foreign eggs are graded to six sizes, namely, from 13 to 18 

 lb. per great hundred (120), rising by stages of 1 lb. per 120. 

 These are carried in cases holding twelve great hundreds 

 (1,440), packed between layers of straw or wood wool, and 

 unless all were of the same size breakages would result. 

 Every egg in a row must be held firmly, and this is only 

 possible if all are of the same size. That is one reason, there- 

 fore, why close grading is desirable for such eggs. In this 

 country, however, it is not necessary, nor does the market 

 demand discrimination to that extent. In some of the manu- 

 facturing districts a big egg is always preferred, and " 17 to 18 

 lb." eggs are popular, under the impression that the greater 

 the bulk the more is the nutrition contained therein. This is 

 a mistake, as the increased size is largely due to more water. 

 As a rule, in the best trade, "15 lb." eggs command the best 

 price, as these fit the egg-cups when served boiled. Small 

 eggs are always much lower in value than the want of size 

 warrants, owing to the fact that they are mainly used for 

 cooking, and thus come into competition with cheaper grades. 



Various appliances have been designed for the grading of 



