18 BULLETIN 664, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The increased protection afforded by strictly new, as compared 
with old, fillers is strikingly brought out in the laboratory tests, as 
well as under practical conditions. Of course, there is a wide varia- 
tion in old fillers, if all fillers which have been used are so designated. 
Taking fillers which are distinctly defective, in having some bent 
and more or less softened tips, the damage is frequently five times 
that in new fillers. For example, 99 foot-pounds of energy de- 
livered in the form of two blows, evenly distributed over the end of 
a case having 6 inches of sliding room, crushed 6.5 per cent of the 
eggs in old fillers, while the same treatment crushed only 1 per cent 
of the eggs packed in perfectly new fillers. Such results indicate 
that much stress should be laid upon the importance of new fillers 
in the safe shipping of eggs. 
Top and bottom cushions—The quarter filler recently ponent into 
use as a cushion in the bottom of the egg case will support an evenly 
applied weight of 900 pounds, which is amply adequate to carry the 
load to which it is subjected. It provides a perfectly even cushion, 
another essential in securing safe transportation of eggs. If the 
bottom of the case becomes wet, this quarter filler is likely to 
flatten out, ceasing to act as a cushion. When excelsior is used as a 
bottom cushion it must be plentiful and evenly distributed, and a 
flat must always be laid over it before inserting the first filler. A 
comparison of the efficiency of corrugated flats and properly ap- 
plied excelsior as a cushion in the top of egg cases showed that they 
afforded practically the same protection. Excelsior must be laid 
evenly over the top flat, and must be sufficient to fill the space in the 
top of the case, but not enough to cause a bulging of the lid. In no 
case should a wad of excelsior be placed on the center of the top 
flataCel Vil): 
THE POSITION OF THE EGG IN THE PACKAGE, 
Practical experience has shown that damage to the eggshell is 
more common in the rows next to the ends and center and in the top 
layer than in those deeper in the case. The relative safety of the 
different rows is seen from the data given in Table 7. 
TABLE 7.—Damage in different rows in the case. 
| Section of case. 
Description of cars. 
Second | Third 
TOW. TOW. Center. 
End. 
Per cent. | Per cent.| Per cent.| Per cent. 
39 1.04 .97 
Poorly loaded....<. ac0 dss ee ee ee, eee 9.95 2.04 1.73 1.46 
