Cold Storage in Chicago. 



79 



In Chicago there are four large cold storage houses, repre- 

 senting some millions of cubic feet, each carrying on an 

 extensive business in meat, eggs, poultry, butter, cheese, and 

 fruits, etc. 



At the St. Louis Refrigerating and Cold Storage Com- 

 pany's plant there is a street pipe line system whereby the 

 liquid ammonia (used as the freezing material) is carried five 

 miles from the factory, thus supplying refrigeration to the 

 produce and commission men along the route. There are 

 other cities in the United States where refrigeration is sup- 

 plied in the same manner to hotels, private houses, grocers, 

 butchers, restaurants, etc. 



An enormous business is done in eggs, which are taken 

 into cold storage during April. Last year they went in at 

 6d. per dozen (storage price id.), and were in the autumn 

 put on the market at 7^d., and retailed at is. to is. 2d. per 

 dozen. Before being put into cold storage, eggs should be 

 selected with great care, each one being subjected to the 

 "candling" process in order to detect any defects. The cand- 

 ling of eggs is a very important factor in cold storage. The egg 

 is held up to a strong light in a dark room and its quality 

 tested. Should one decayed egg be carelessly passed over in 

 the candling process, the whole case would be spoilt. In the 

 selection of eggs both size and cleanliness are the main 

 features in determining the quality. The eggs are packed in 

 whitewood boxes and stored a,way until the winter following. 

 Eggs may also be frozen in bulk, being emptied into 50-lb. 

 tin cans, and stored for any length of time at 30 deg. Fahr. 

 When taken out and thawed, they should be used as soon as 

 possible. Eggs should be stored apart from any strong- 

 smelling product, such as cheese, onions, &c, as they very 

 readily absorb bad odours. It is of the utmost importance 

 that the germ in the egg should be preserved, and the 

 temperature of the room should not vary one-half a degree. 



Opinions vary regarding the temperature at which eggs 

 should be kept, two of the large houses in Chicago storing 

 them at 30 J deg., while another carries them successfully at 

 as low a temperature as 29 deg. Eggs may be held in cold 

 storage for six or eight months, or even longer, and are 



