BREAKAGE OFL EGGS IN TRANSIT. 3 
Mashed eggs were not recorded in any of these observations. In 
commercial practice such eggs are reckoned with the total loss, which 
includes also rotten eggs. Most of the cracked eggs found a market 
in the city, but their keeping quality was so impaired that consump- 
tion had to be immediate, and they were sold at a lowered price. In 
many instances, also, the cracked and leaking eggs provoked so much 
bickering between shipper, carrier, and receiver that the egg trade 
itself suffered. Quite aside from this phase of the situation, however, 
the actual damage to a valuable food product, as indicated by the 
foregoing figures, would abundantly warrant any reasonable reforms 
by which the amount might be lessened. 
PROGRESS OF THE INVESTIGATION. 
GENERAL PLAN. 
The work here reported was begun in Texas, in March, in the early 
part of the carlot shipping season, and gradually progressed toward 
the north until September, when the investigators had reached 
Minnesota. The lack of eggs made it dificult to get carlots after 
the middle of September. Shipments went to eastern markets, rang- 
ing from Pittsburgh and Buffalo on the west, to Boston on the north, 
and to Philadelphia on the south. 
The investigation was carried on for two seasons in 32 packing 
houses, 5 of which were under observation both years. The ship- 
ments were observed in 39 eastern terminals in 20 large and medium- 
sized cities. In 5 cities shipments were received during both years. 
The total number of consignees was 33. All of the shipments were 
made in refrigerator cars, 23 refrigerator car lines being represented. 
The various routings, combined, covered most of the great trunk 
lines passing from West to East, and involved 32 railroads. The 
average haul was 1,200 miles. Records at origin and destination of 
147 shipments were kept. In addition to this, many examinations 
were made at the terminals of carlots, on which less definite informa- 
tion was obtainable, but from which, nevertheless, much that was 
instructive could be learned. Occasionally investigators accompanied 
freight trains on which experimental shipments were being carried 
to observe the effect of fast or ordinary running, switching, coupling, 
and other conditions in transit. 
CONDITIONS AT POINT OF ORIGIN. 
THE EGGS AND THE PACKAGE. 
In order to determine the soundness of the eggs which left the 
point of origin the investigators examined from 3 to 10 cases, taken 
at random from the stack of cased eggs which had been candled or 
clicked and were ready for shipment. The number and character 
