New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 73 
LOSS OF WATER AND CHANGE IN SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE EGG. 
Observations? were made as to the gradual loss of water by eggs 
exposed to the air for a month. The rate of loss increased slightly 
with rise in temperature, but was influenced more by character of 
shell, being slower with eggs of heavy shell and faster with lighter- 
shelled eggs. 
About 500 determinations of specific gravity of eggs were made. 
Although there was a regular diminution in specific gravity with 
age, the rate varied with the character of the egg. It was concluded 
‘that certain methods advocated for determining the freshness of 
eggs by immersing them in solutions of definite specific gravity 
would be far from infallible. There was little difference in specific 
gravity of eggs noticed from hens fed differently, and there was 
a slight though constant difference between white-shelled and 
brown-shelled eggs which was accounted for by the average lighter 
shell of the latter. 
The relative proportion of white and yolk was observed for a 
number of eggs. Some variations were found, but as a rule the 
proportion was close to the average which showed the white to con- 
stitute a little over 64 per ct. and the yolk a little less than 36 per 
_ ct. of the edible portion of the fresh egg. | 
SUGGESTION AS TO SUPPLY OF EGG SHELL: MATERIAL. 
It was estimated* that the amount of lime in the shells of eggs 
from one pen very greatly exceeded the amount in the ordinary food, 
indicating that this excess is derived from some other source than 
the ordinary grain and vegetable food. 
Later, determinations were made of the phosphorus in yolks, 
white and shells of eggs from hens fed bone with ordinary food, 
and from others fed crushed oyster shell, to note any suggestion of 
possible differences in character of the mineral matter. No particu- 
Jar differences were obsérved, but the shells of eggs from bone-fed 
hens contained a slightly larger amount of phosphorus. 
THE NUTRITIVE RATIO OF THE LAYING HEN’S RATION. 
Feeding experiments* with hens were made the following year to 
study the relative effects of rations containing larger and smaller 
* Rpt. 7:66-70 (1888). 
* Rpt. 8:64, 65 (18890). 
*Rpt. 8:56-62 (1889). 
