Feb. 1, 1^00.] Supflemmt to the "Tropical Agriculturist." 
ml 
SHOULD EGGS BE WASHED? 
The Iturid New Yorker sent out this queniou 
to a number of poultry experts, and, as usual, 
views differ. 
The Ne2v York Produce Eevieio mny take its 
eggs dirty if it likes, but I shall continue to ship 
mine clean. I have been producing about 1,000 
dozen a month for years, and every egg goes into 
a pan of lukewarm water as soon as it has been 
gathered out of the nest. All dirt is ensily re- 
moved after the eggs have been allowed to lie in 
warm water a few minutes, and the heat imparted 
to the egg by the warm water causes it to dry 
quickly, and gives it that fresh appearance pecu- 
liar to a new-luid egg. If the water hurts their 
keeping quality, I have never heard of it. Thie 
testimony probably has little value, as my eggs 
get into consumers' hands before they have time 
to spoil. A few years ago I filled a few glass 
fruit cans with eggs, and then filled the_cans with 
sterilised water at a temperature of 155 degrees 
sealing immediately. Eggs thus treated in 
December were in perfect condition after four 
months. The most expert chandler that I could 
find in the city said that they would pass any- 
where for new-laid eggs, and Dr. W. E- Douglass, 
of Middleton, to whom I sent some, had them 
poached for his dinner-table, and said that no 
one at his table could tell them from new-laid 
eggs. The shells were in perfect condition so far 
as we could see, and the air cells smaller, if any- 
thing, than in a new-laid egg. I also tried some 
in the same way during the summer, but the 
water and eggs soon became tainted. From this 
I concluded that, although stated in the Neir 
York Produce Revieic, " wet eggs soon decay in 
wet weather," the cause is found in warm 
weather," and not in " wet eggs." 
Keep B(jgs Dry.— The New York Produce Review 
is rigiit. Eggs certainly are injured by washing. 
They will not keep so well or hatch so well as 
unwashed eggs. At least such has been my ex- 
perience. The best that can be done for a soiled egg 
13 to wipe it with a dry cloth ; and, if the matter is 
important, carefully rasp the thickest of the dirt off 
with coarse sandpaper. If an egg is washed in 
either cold or warm water, it will be noticed at once 
that the " bloom " has disappeared, and a care- 
ful egg-buyer would at once pronounce it a stale 
egg. If only the fourth part of the shell is un- 
soiled, that part will show that the egg is fresh, 
because the " bloom " will be there. If you 
want eggs to keep well or hatch well, 1 would 
advice you to keep them out of water. Don't 
even rub them with a damp cloth. Keep 
hem dry. 
FIBRES. 
THEIR CHEMICAL EXAMINATION. 
{Dr. Dodge.) 
In presenting this phase of the study of fibres, 1 
can but refer to the valuable work that has been 
accomplished in England in the field of chemical 
research. by Messrs. Cross, Bevau, and King, and 1 
will refer particularly to the Report on Indian 
Fibres and the work on Cellulose, the lattei being 
a recent publication. The methods adopted in 
the chemical study of fibres and the processes 
essential to proper determinatious are as fol- 
lows 
Moisture. — All the celluloses hold in their 
ordinary st:ite a certain proportion of moisture, 
which, witliin the limits of variation (une-lialf of 
one per cent) due to atmospheric cli inge-, is 
definite and characteristic of each fibre, It is 
noteworthy that the proportion of hygroscopic 
moisture is an inde.x of susceptibility of attack by 
hydrolyiic agents; it is certainly true that the 
textile fibres of the highest class are distinguished 
by their relai;iveiy low moisture. It is scarcely 
necessary to say that the moisture is determined 
by drying a weighed quantity of the fibre. I' is 
necessary to raise the temperature to 110° to drive 
off the whole of the water ; at 100° a fibre will 
often retain one per cent of its weight. Owing to 
the variations in this constituent, it is expedient 
to express all the results of analysis us per- 
centages of the dry fibre. 
Mineral Constituents, — The ash left on inciner- 
ating the fibre is determined in the usual way. 
The proportion is low in the ligno-celluloses, 
higher in the pecto-celluloses, especitilly when the 
proportion of non-celluloses is high. Cyllular 
tissue further contains a higher proportion of 
mineral constituents than the fiber.*, and an 
admixture of the former therefore raises the per- 
centage. 
7/yi^;'o/ys*>-.— There are two classes of reagents 
which intensify that resolving action of water 
upon orgiinic bodies known as hydrolysis ; they 
are the acids and alkalis. The destructive action 
of acids has not been incliidt^d in the scheme of 
analysis. The action of boiling dilute alkalis, 
however, effecting a simpler resolution and in- 
volving very important points in the practical 
applications of the fibres, give results which form 
a necessary part of their diagnosis. 
Example of Treatment. — The fibre is boiled (a) 
for five minutes in a solution of caustic soda 
(I per cent Naa O), washed, dried, and weighed, 
the loss of weight presents the proportion of the 
fibre which yields to the solvent action of the 
alkali ; {b) in a second portion the boiling is con- 
tinued for one hour — the loss of weight is an 
indication of the " degrading'' action of the alkali. 
In many of the pecto-celluloses the hydrolytic 
action of the prolonged boiling is such that the 
non-cellulose is almost completely dissolved away. 
The power of resistance of a fibre to the action of 
bleaching processes, as well as the resisting 
of " wear " of the manufactured fabric in sub- 
sequent washings (lautidering), where strong 
alkaline soaps or even chemicals are used, is 
shown. 
Cellulose. — Celluloses, although similar in ex- 
ternal charncteristics, are of widely different 
chemical constitution, and vary considerably in 
. their power of resisting the further action of 
oxidizing and hydro.ytic action. A determination 
of the value and composition of cellulose ie mad© 
