346
ABSTRACTS
better after five days than the treated. Glucose is found in the sperm fluid, whereas
E-Y-B contains none of this material. The addition of glucose to centrifuged samples
containing E-Y-B diluent showed that glucose was not the limiting factor.
Of 30 inseminations with stored semen, 15 effected conception. The results show
that poor quality semen samples caused certain failures. The duration of successful
storage varied with samples from the same bull. Untreated samples were just as good
as treated samples. Conception resulted from one sample after 198 hours of storage,
another after 115 hours. It was obvious that the genital mechanism of the cow also
affected fertility, however the semen had been treated. Two inseminations per concep-
tion is not thought to be an excessive ratio. It can be assumed, according to the authors,
that ' a fair conception rate should result from use of good quality semen from fertile
bulls which has been stored 48 to 72 hours, provided that it shows good motility at the
time of insemination '. [J. N. W.]
Market egg grades as affected by humidity of farm egg storage rooms. D. C.
KENNARD AND V. D. CHAMBERLIN (1940). U. S. Egg and Poul.
Mag. 46, 162
I T is generally supposed that if eggs are gathered frequently, stored in a sufficiently cool
room (40 to 60° F.) and marketed regularly twice a week, they would meet the
requirements of highest market grades, as far as the three or four day holding periods
before marketing are concerned. Despite strict adherence to the above practice it
was noticed that many eggs from the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station farm were
graded mostly as U. S. Standards instead of as U. S. Extras, particularly during the cold
weather. Other poultrymen also had a similar experience at about the same period.
Investigation of the holding conditions revealed that humidity was the most variable
factor.
To find out the exact part played by humidity in the control of egg quality, experi-
ments were conducted from February 3 to April 18 by alternately providing and with-
holding supplemental moisture to the egg storage room over different similar periods.
The eggs were stored in a basement cellar which maintained a fairly uniform desirable
temperature, without difficulty, throughout the year. The supplemental moisture was
provided by means of a small inexpensive nozzle to produce a spray from water under
pressure and an 8" electric fan to stimulate the circulation of the moist air. Since the
temperatures were comparable during the different periods the only variable factor was
humidity. It was noticed that every time supplemental moisture was provided 86-100
per cent of the eggs graded as U. S. Extras whereas when extra humidity was absent the
figure for this grade was down to 0-7.7 per cent. The result of one of these tests is given
below:—
Temperature (°F.)
Per cent relative humidity
....
Per cent U. S. Extras
Per cent U. S. Standards
....
15/3 to 24/3
without add-
ed moisture
49.4
38.2
7.7
92.3
25/3 to 4/4
with added
moisture
52.3
76.8
100.0
..
Change
+ 2.-9
+38.6
+92.3
—92.3
During the period of addition of supplemental moisture the relative humidity averaged
38.6 per cent greater and all cases inspected were graded as U. S. Extras as compared
with the grading of 92 per cent of the eggs as U. S. Standards during the period without
the supplemental moisture, in spite of the fact that the temperature of the room averaged
2.9°F. higher during the period of adding supplementary humidity. Due to this difference