Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1877-10-11
farm ann bOusrbolO.
Keeping Eggs.

The following, from the third Report
of the National Butter and Cheese Assoc
citation, gives the method of preserving
eggs which is practiced by large dealers:
To make the pickle, use stone lime.
fine salt and water in the following pro-
portions: One bushel of lime. eight
quarts of salt, % ien-guart pals of wa
ter. The lime must be of the finest
quality, free from sand and dirt-lime
that will slake white, fine and clean
Have the salt clean AMI The water pure
and sweet. free from all vegetable or de
composed matter.
Stake the lime with \ portion of the
water, then add the balance OF the water
and the ealt. Stir well three or four
times at intervals, and then let it stand
until well settled and cold. Either dip
or draw off the clear pickle into The cask
or vat in which it is intended to preserve
the eggs. When the cask or vat is filled
to a depth of Is or IS inches begin TO
put in the eggs, and when they lie, say
about one foot deep, spread around over
them some pickle that is little milky in
appearance, made so by stirring up some
of the very light lime particles that set
tie last, and continue doing this as each
lot of eggs is added. The object of this
is 10 have the fine lime particles drawn
into the pores of the shells, as they will
be by a kind of inductive process, and
thereby completely seal the eggs. Care
should be taken not TO get too much OF
the lime in; that is, not enough 10 settle
and stick to the shells of the eggs and
render them difficult to clean when TAX
en- out. (The chief cause of thin, watery
whites in lined eggs is that they are not
properly sealed in the manner described.
Another cause is the putting into the
pickle old stale eggs that have thin,
weak whites) When the eggs are with
in four inches of the top Of the cesk or
vat, cover them with factory cloth, and
spread on two or three inches Of the
lime that settles in making the pickle,
and it is of the greatest Importance that
the pickle be kept continually mp over
this lime. A tin basin, holding about
six to eight dozen eggs, punched quite
full of inch holes, edge muffled with
leather, and a suitable handle about
three fee, long attached, will be found
convenient for putting the eggs into the
pickle. Fill the basin with eggs, put
both under the pickle aud turn the eggs
out; they will SO to the bottom without
breaking.
When the time comes l. market the
eggs they must be taKe hse 9al Oh me pick
them, secure half Of q molasses hogs.
head, or something like it, filling the
same about half full of water. Have a
sufficient number Of crates of tie right
size Ito hold 20 to 25 dozen eggs made
of laths or other slots, placed about
three-quarters of an inch apart. Sink
one OF these crates in the half hog shead
take the basin used to put the eggs bv
raising it up and down in the water, and
II necessary TO properly clean them, set
the crate up and douse water over the
eggs: then, if any eggs are found, when
packing. that the lime has not been fully
removed from they should be laid out
and all the lime cleaned off before pack
ing. When the eggs are carefully
washed, they can be set up or out in a
suitable place to dry. They should drv
quickly, and be packed as soon as dry.
In packing, the same rules should be
observed as in packing fresh eggs.
Watts built in cellar around the walls.
with about half their depth below the
surface, about four or five feet deep, six
feet long and four feet wide. are usually
considered the best for preserving eggs
in, although many use and prefer large
tubs made of wood. The place. in
which the watts are built, or the tubs
kept, should be clean or sweet, free
from all bad odors, and where a steady.
low temperature can be maintained-tbe
lower the better, that is, any point above
freezing.