e 
4. BULLETIN 664, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
of the eggs with damaged shells were found by candling or clicking. 
Each egg was again placed in a new symmetrically made standard 
case, of gum, tupelo, or cottonwood, with new medium flats and fillers, © 
evenly cushioned on the bottom with excelsior, and on the top with 
excelsior or with corrugated board laid over the top flat. The cush- 
ions were thick enough to fill the space between the eggs and lid, 
and were so evenly distributed that the lid exerted an even pressure | 
over the whole top of the case. Five 3-penny, cement-coated nails to 
each joint were used in the experimental cases shipped. 
The character of the shell of each egg, the size of the egg, and its 
location in the case were charted on a diagram by means of which 
permanent records were kept of the condition of every egg under 
observation. The cracked eggs were not removed from the case to 
be shipped, but the location of each cracked egg was recorded. The 
cases were marked so that they might be identified only by the inves- 
tigators during the stowing or subsequent unloading of the car. A 
total of 5,490 dozen eggs examined in 12 packing houses during the 
first season showed that 19.22 eggs per case, or'5.34 per cent, were 
being shipped with shells lightly cracked or dented.t. Leakers were 
seldom found, and when found were removed. During the later 
work in 27 packing houses, when a total of 16.800 dozen eggs were 
examined, 5.47 per cent of eggs with unsound shells were found. 
This damage in cases of eggs as they leave the packing house is 
not the damage which is visible in the usual terminal inspection, as 
will be brought out more fully in the course of this report. It is- 
detected when eggs are shipped to storage warehouses for long hold- 
ing, and the condition of the cases is such that even those which do 
not show external damage must be rehandled and candled or clicked 
for cracks. Experiments on the,shipments of checks, to be given 
later (Table 4), will further elucidate this subject. The number of 
eggs with cracked and dented, but not leaking, shells observed during 
the investigation in the cases leaving the various packing houses is 
given in detail in Table 3. 
TRANSFER OF EGGS FROM PACKING HOUSE TO CAR. 
The experiments on which this report is based included the carry- 
ing of the cases by hand from the stack or chill room to the car, as 
well as their transfer from like locations by means of 2-wheeled + 
trucks, or. very rarely, 4-wheeled trucks. In one case, an autotruck 
carried the cases about 500 feet to the car. Usually wagons were 
used. The distance between the packing house and the car varied 
from the width of the loading platform to nearly a mile. 
1An experimental error of 1 to 2 eggs per case (0.28 to 0.56 per cent) should be 
allowed on all cases. It has not been found possible to rehandle 360 eggs without an 
occasional error. 
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