The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-03-25
Preserving Eggs.

is known by the practice OF which eggs
can be preserved any considerable length
of time in. the same condition they are
when newly laid. They may by judi
cious management be prevented from
passing into a state of decomposition
that will render them unfit for food, but,
at best, they will compare with strictly
fresh eggs only as canned or dried fruit
does with that which has just ripened on |
the tree, vine or bush. The quality des-
ignated as freshness cannot bepreserved.
Both the white and yelks of eggs are
made up of q great variety of substances,
ready to form other combinations under |
favorable conditions. In the presence
of tolerably warm atmosphere they
will commence to decay very rapidly.
All the methods of preserving eggs in
their natural conditions are based on the
principle of excluding the air and keep
ing them cool. The shell of an egg is
sufficiently tight to hold its contents as
whole, but is so porous that the water
will pass without and air will pass with
in it. Eggs will lose in weight If kept
where dry air circulates among them,
the moisture passing through the pores
of the Shells It is practical to evapor-
ate nearly all the moisture from eggs by
placing them in q current of dry air.
Any process that will effectually pre-
vent the passage of air and moisture
through the shell will tend to preserve
the contents. Various substances have
been applied to the shell of eggs for this
purpose. Among the substances that
have been applied are varnish, paint,
dissolved resin, wax, and various forms
of fat, or tallow, lard, and butter. The
latter three are very Objectionable, as
they are likely to become rancid and to
convey their odor and flavor through
the pores of the shell to the contents.
The best substance to employ as coat
ing is paraffine, as it is stable in its COM
position and when pure is entirely des-
titute of taste and smell. The softer
form of this substance requires no prep
| aration, while the harder may be dis
solved in naphtha or melted. For family
use eggs may be preserved to good adj
vantage in paraffine oil. They should
be placed in a jar in q cool cellar and
the oil poured over them. The first cost
of paraffine in any form is considerable,
but it may be employed for the same
purpose many years in succession.
The decay of eggs may be much re-
tarded by placing them in strong salt
brine and storing them in a cool place,
as on the bottom of a cellar. Lime
water is an antiseptic, and the solid par
ticles it contains enter the pores of the
shell and partially or entirely close
them. The most common method OF
treating eggs for preservation consists
in placing them in a suitable vessel,
stored in q cool place, and covering them
with water saturated with salt and lime.
Lime is Stacked in q vessel, water is
added and stirred, when it is allowed to
settle. When clear it is dipped or
drawn off, and salt is then added. As
the SHELLS appropriate considerable lime,
it is necessary to add more of it from
time to time.
1t must be kept in mind that the keep
ing quality of eggs varies, and is con.
ditioned largely on the age and state OF
the fowls that produce them, the time OF
the year when they are dropped and
, their treatment before they undergo any
process with view to preservation.
, With rare exceptions the eggs of young
, and healthy fowls keep better than those
+ of old and feeble ones. Eggs produced
and "put in a pickle" when the wealth
: er is moderately cool are more likely to
keep well than those dropped when the
q weather is extremely hot. Singular as
! it may appear, eggs packed in May will
q be in better condition at Christmas,
3 when they are generally in the greatest
demand, than those coated and put in
! brine during July and August. The
sooner eggs are gathered and placed
; where they will remain cool the more
n likely will they be to keep long time
4 If they remain in the nests they will be
come heated by the fowls that come tc
1 deposit eggs. It is bad policy to trans
. port eggs long distances in wagons OF
? cars before treating them with view tt
o their preservation. The jar they receive
: Injuries their keeping qualities. Unim
pregnated eggs keep much better thar
y others, and unless one desires to raise
= chickens it is better to allow no cock
- to run with hens. The male of any ont
g species of bird is not necessary to thu
. production of eggs. Changes of tenn
j perature are very unfavOrable to tn
preservation of eggs. The nearer the,
i are kept to uniform temperature, q
i cool as possible without danger of freez
>. ing, the better. A vitiated atmospher
:, will impart bad flavor and odor to egg
- in any condition.
N Treat all persons who 60 about tn
E. country offering to sell recipes for keep
d ing eggs several months in the conditi u
ID they were when laid as sensible peopl
or do tree-peddlers, subscription book
,r canvassers, and the agents of lightning
t. rod companies. A method will be dis
Y. covered for preserving eggs in the sam
condition they were when dropped b
fowls about the time one is perfecte
:. for preventing people from growing old
=. =, An egg, like man, is endowed wit
" w vitality. Death succeeds life, and deca
IN follows in the very footsteps of dealt
10 y. The egg is no exception to all living o.
~ ~ ganisms.-C Chicago Times.
We How to use il-stones.-Instead {
eel oil. which chickens and makes the stone
es dirty, a mixture of glycerine and alcoht
ID. is used by many. The proportions