20 BULLETIN T75, TJ. S. DEPAETMENT OE AGEICTTLTTJEE. 
spring firsts with whole shells may be attributed to the presence of 
eggs which at some time previous to storage had had wet shells, 
because of washing the eggs or for some other reason. If the dirt is 
left on the shells the eggs can be graded accordingly, but if washed it 
is not always possible to differentiate between them, with the result 
that washed eggs are frequently graded as firsts. Washed eggs do 
not keep as well as dirty eggs. Attempts, therefore, to improve the 
appearance of dirty eggs by washing is a practice which can not be 
too strongly condemned. In eggs stored from summer production 
there is an additional loss due to the physical breaking down of the 
egg contents as a result of exposure to warm temperatures before 
storing. 
These studies show that the following factors are responsible for 
the development of a large percentage of bad eggs in commercial 
spring firsts during storage: (1) Inaccuracies in the system of sorting 
eggs for storage; (2) the inadequacy of that system in determining 
quality and detecting bad eggs; and (3) to a lesser extent, damage 
during the railroad haul. The bad eggs developing during storage 
in the summer stocks are due to these factors, combined with a lower 
initial quality. 
CAREFULLY PREPARED PACKAGES. 
In order to determine the relation between care in initial grading 
and the number of bad eggs developing during storage, packages 
containing as far as possible only good eggs with clean whole shells 
were prepared from each lot of commercially packed eggs studied 
during the last two seasons of the investigation. To determine quality 
and to eliminate bad eggs, the eggs were selected by candling instead 
of by simply inspecting and clicking the shells. 
Candling is a more accurate method for the detection of cracked 
eggs than is the clicking of shells, as ordinarily practiced. Enough 
carefully graded packages were prepared so that one case could be 
withdrawn monthly from storage with each three cases of correspond- 
ing commercially packed eggs. Following such a procedure, the 
carefully packed eggs, excluding Experiment 41897, contained an 
average of three cracked eggs per case after carting from the com- 
mission house to the cold storage warehouse and return. Of this 
number from one to two of the cracked eggs may be accounted for by 
handling error in putting up the eggs for storage, and the balance by 
damage during cartage. The number of cracked eggs in Experiment 
41897 was unusually high, largely because of the use of a very poor 
grade of filler, so that more damage than usual was incurred during 
cartage. 
Table 9 and figures 6 and 7 show that the number of inedible eggs 
present after storing was reduced in the carefully packed, as com- 
pared with the commercial cases. In the April and May refrigerator 
