PRESERVATION OF EGGS BY COLD STORAGE. 
27 
The amount of moisture absorbed by the fillers and case varied in 
different rooms and for different cases in the same room during the 
storage period. Probably most of the moisture absorbed is from the 
water evaporating from the eggs. Cases exposed to drafts from 
the outside, as through the opening of doors, would condense moisture 
from the incoming air, but under ordinary conditions the moisture 
coming from this source would be small in quantity compared with 
that derived from the eggs. Most of the moisture was taken up by 
the case and fillers during the first four or five months, and from this 
time on the weights usually showed a slight gain or remained prac- 
tically stationar}^. In Room 1 fillers having an initial weight of 3.61 
and 3.68 pounds gained 3.99 and 4.13 ounces, respectively, after 9.2 
months in storage ; and in Room 2 of two sets of fillers, each weighing 
3.7 pounds at the beginning, one gained 6.17 and the other 6.81 ounces 
in 9 months. In Room 1 cases weighing 7.74 and 8.16 pounds at the 
outset absorbed 4.73 and 3.10 ounces, respectively, of moisture in 9.2 
months; and in Room 2 of two cases each weighing 7.98 pounds, one 
gained 6.70 ounces and the other 7.80 ounces of moisture during 
practically the same period of time (Table 10 and fig. 8). 
The temperature of the three rooms in which these observations 
were made was quite uniform throughout the storage period. For 
example, in Room 3 the fluctuations in temperature were rarely more 
than 30° to 33° F., except during the severe winter, when the ther- 
mometer dropped to 28° F. and occasionally to 26° F. for a few hours. 
During most of the season the average temperature was 31° F. (Table 
11 and fig. 8). 
Table 11. — Average relative humidity and average temperature of Cold Storage Room 3. 
Week 
Average 
relative 
Average 
Week 
Average 
relative 
Average 
ending. 
humid- 
ity. 
tempera- 
ture. 
ending. 
humid- 
ity. 
tempera- 
ture. 
1917. 
Per cent. 
°F. 
1917. 
Per cent. 
°F. 
May 28 
74 
31 
Nov. 5 
83 
31 
June 4 
78 
31 
Nov. 12 
84 
31 
June 11 
76 
31 
Nov. 19 
85 
31 
June 18 
76 
31 
Nov. 26 
87 
31 
June 25 
76 
31 
Dec. 2 
88 
31 
July 2 
75 
31 
Dec. 9 
88 
31 
July 8 
74 
31 
Dec. 17 
' 88 
30 
July 16 
78 
31 
Dec. 24 
88 
30 
July 23 
78 
31 
Dec. 31 
89 
30 
July 30 
76 
31 
1918. 
Aug. 5 
75 
31 
Jan. 7 
89 
30 
Aug. 17 
77 
31 
Jan. 14 
89 
28 
Aug. 23 
72 
31 
Jan. 21 
87.5 
29 
Aug. 27 
73 
30 
Jan. 28 
80 
29 
Sept. 4 
77 
31 
Feb. 4 
89 
30 
Sept. 10 
80 
31 
Feb. 11 
90 
29 
Sept. 17 
82 
31 
Feb. 18 
90 
31 
Sept. 24 
83 
31 
Feb. 25 
91 
32 
Oct. 1 
83 
31 
Mar. 4 
91 
32 
Oct. 8 
84 
31 
Mar. 11 
91 
31 
Oct. 16 
82 
31 
Mar. 18 
91 
31 
Oct. 22 
Oct. 29 
81 
82 
31 
31 
Mar. 25 
Apr. 1 
91 
91 
