National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-11-14
MISCELLANEOUS.

[Famlllar seIenee and FancIer's Jou

familiar Science and Foncers Journal
The relative weights of the portions of the
egg as given by DR.. Thompson are: shell and
membrane, 1863; albumen, 604.2; yolk, 1888.
About one-half of the entire weight may be re-
garded as nitrogenous and nutritious matter.
This is greater proportion than that of meat,
which is rated ut twenty-five to twenty-eight
per cent, showing that, as u food, pound Of
egg is worth nearly two pounds of meat. Tho
white of the egg, from its tendency to coagulats
into hard, indigestible substance, Is apt to dis
agree with the stOmachs of inyaids,
when the yollS may be harmless. Raw
eggs arc more wholesome than boiled.
The longer mn egg is kept the moro
indigcstible it becomes, aud hence the
desire for new.laid eggs. The largest-sizcd
egg of which any accounts arc given were
found in 1850 in Madagascar. They belonged
to a bird now extinct, and to which VI. Saint
Hilaire has given the name of Npornis maxi
mus. Two OF these eggs are preserved by the
French Academy. Ono of them Is thirteen
and Onehalf inches In its longest diameter and
eight aud one-half in its shortest. Its capacity
is eight and one-half quarts--six times that
Of the ostricli's egg, aud equal to 1i8 hens
eggs, or 100000 Of those of tho humming-
bird. The chicken which laid these eggs was
twelve feet high. No sale could be found for
such eggs aud the fowls producing them were
wisely allowed to become extinct.
The specific gravity of u ncw-uid hens egg
is from los to 100. By keeping, the weight
dimnishes from evaporation of the water and
the substitution of air through the pores Of
the shell. This dinuniton has been observed
to continue until an egg weighing originally
9O72J grains, has fallen to $685.. The weight
depends, of course, more upon the size of the
| egg than its age and there Is such variation
that it is wonder they are not sold by
| weight. An egg Is an egg" everybody says;
and the facility ofcounting any given num-
Dor at twelve cents per dozen will probably
always render it impossible to mako N change
| in the matter Of selling dozen eggs from
Brahma fowl will weigh sometimes twenty-six
| ounces, while the same number from COM
mon dunghill fowl will not exceed twenty
| ounces; aud in some cases eggs in the mar
ket will not weigh over fifteen ounces to tho
dozen. No law can be made to reach the
| fowls and compel them to lay eggs of uni
| form size aud If the attempt were made,
| there is no security but that Il hon convention
would adopt resolutions not to lay any moro
| eggs uutil the obnoxious bill was repealed.
| But the State regulates the weight of a bushel
| of grain and loaf of bread and why not say
how much u dozen eggs shall weigh-say
| twenty-five ouncCs2 Such law would pro-
| tect consumers and at the same time do u great
| deal toward improving the stock of poultry in
the country. The poultrymen would not al
low ii to be said that they had to give fourteen
eggs for dozen, when by the substitution Of
|
| While there may be, and undoubtedly is, q
difference in the flavor of eggs of different
breeds OF fowls, and also in those OF the same
fowls at various seasons OF the year, there arc
really only two kinds of oggs-the good and
bad. These terms admit OF qualifications.
An egg is good SO long US it remains in state
fit 10 use for cooking purposes, but the egg
which tho baker will often use is often wholly
unfit for the table The better the condition
of the fowl laying the eggs aud the nearer she
approaches maturity the better the eggs will
keep and the more valuable they will prove
rs u source of nourishment. Any method that
will Theoretically seal the pores Of the shell
will serve to keep the egg fit for using n GER
tain time. Eggs may DO kept good in racks in
cool, clean place for half year. While 1t
is, without doubt, economy for the city house
keeper to put up" eggs in the season Of
plenty, it is better economy for the farmers
wife to arrange with her poultry, that some Of
them shall be ready to furnish supply when
eggs are scarce aud high.