44 BULLETIN 51, U. S. DEPAETMEXT OF AGEICULTUKE. 
Table 16. — Eggs iiaring dirty shells. 
[6 to 15 dozen lots.] 
No. 
Source. 
Date of 
collec- 
tion. 
Total number of bacte- 
ria per gram on plain 
agar incubated at— 
Xumber 
of gas- 
producing 
bacteria 
per gram 
in lactose 
bHe. 
Percentage of am- 
moniacal nitro- 
gen, Folin metti- 
od. 
Per cent 
of mois- 
ture. 
Size of 
sample. 
20= C. 
37° C. 
Wet basis. Dry basis. 
4279 
Dl 
D3 
D3 
E4 
E6 
E 7 
1912. 
Mav 8 
June 20 
...do.... 
June 2S 
Aug. 9 
Aug. 30 
550.000 
400 
13.000 
700.000 
49.000 
1.600.000 
500.000 
400 
3.000 
3.300 
(1) 
1.700.000 
1.000 
10 
1,000 
1.000 
10.000 
10 
Dozen. 
15 
4576 
45S1 
4634 
4947 
410S7 
0.0017 
.0017 
.0019 
.0023 
.0023 
0.0065 
.0063 
.0068 
.0082 
.0084 
73.85 
72.87 
72.18 
71.81 
72.74 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
1 Less than 1,000. 
Tlie bacterial contents were widely divergent : the minimiini num- 
ber was 400 and the maximum number 1.600.000 per gram at 20° C. 
The number of B. coli varied from 10 to 10.000 in the six samples. 
The amount of loosely bound nitrogen was markedly higher in the 
August samples than in the June samples. 
Sample 41087 represents about the lowest quality of dirty eggs used 
by reputable breakers for food purposes. The shells were so filthy 
that dirty "dirties"' (the trade designation) best describes them. 
The candle showed that they were shrunken eggs, and that many 
yolks floated near the shell as if they were about ready to adhere to 
it. The eggs eliminated during the process of opening were highly 
infected, as follows: One Qgg with a green white, one sour Qgg^ one 
^gg with yolk nearly mingled with white, and two eggs each with a 
broken yolk which had at one time been adherent to the shell. The 
conditions found in this lot of eggs are typical of low grade fall 
receipts. 
The bacteria found in this series of samples were, without doubt, 
referable both to contamination from the shells during the process 
of opening and to the eggs themselves. 
EGGS HAYING CRACKED SHELLS. 
On account of the heavy losses accruing from shipping eggs having 
cracked shells, these eggs constitute one of the important classes 
used for breaking purposes. 
During the interval between May 2 and August 26, 1912, 2 sam- 
ples of whites, 2 of yolks, and 16 of whole eggs were taken. These 
samples represented lots of from 6 to 30 dozen cracked eggs, pro- 
cured in D, E. and F houses, where it was the custom to keep 
" checks '' in cool surroundings from the time of receipt until the 
time of breakage, and to give them precedence over other eggs in 
regard to promptness in candling and breaking. The laboratory 
results (see Table IT) from these samples indicate what is to be 
