Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-02-28
EGGS WITHOUT HENS.
The Latest Yankee Notion-Eggs
that Keep for Years.

"Do YOU mean to say that you make
eggs without the assistance of hens"
asked the reporter of Connecticut egg
manufacture.
eyes," he replied, 'and if you wish
will show you sOmethingOf the process.
Come"
He led me into a room in which
were stored boxes upon boxes of eggs,
and into another large cool room in the
rear. Several strange looking wooden
machines, totally unlike anything | had
ever seen, stood in different parts of the
room. Six or seven men were operating
the machinery, which was moved
noiselessly and with great rapidity. !
followed my conductor to one end of
the department, where there were three
large tanks or watts. One was filled
with yellow compound, the second was
starchy mixture, and the other was
covered.
Pointing to these the proprietor said:
"These contain the yelk mixture and
the white of an egg. We empty the
watts every day, so you can judge of the
business already. Let me show you
one of the machines. You see they are
divided into different boxes or recepta-
cles. The first and second are the yelk
and white; the next is what we call the
skin machine, and this, the last one, is
the shelter, with drying trays. This
process is the result of many years of
experiment and expense. first con-
ceived the idea of making the chemical
analysis of an egg. After long time ]
! succeeded in making good imitation
of an egg, 1 turned my attention then
to making machinery, and the result
you see for yourself. 1t would not be
policy for me to explain all the mech
anism, but I'll give you an idea of the
process. Into the first machine is put
the yelk mixture"
"What is that?n asked.
"Well it's mixture of Indian meal
corn starch and several otheringredients
1t is poured into the opening in thick
mush state, and is formed by the ma.
chine into ball and frozen. In this
condition it passes into the other box
where it is surrounded by the white
which is chemically the same as the
real egg. This is also frozen, and by 6
peculiar rotary motion of the machine
an oval shape is impaired to it
and it passes into the next receptacle
where it receives the thin, filmy skin
After this, it has only to 60 into thu
shelter. 1t gets its last coat in the shape
of plaster-Of-paris shell, trifle thicke
than the genuine article. Then it goe
out of the drying-trays, where the shell
dry at once, and the inside thaws ou
gradually. Tt becomes to all appear
ance, real egg"
"How many eggs can you turn out il
day?''.
"Well, as we are running now, w
turn out Thousand or two ever,
hour.n
"Many orders?'
"Why, yes. We can't fill one-half o
our orders. Alive can make now ar
, taken by two wholesale grocers alone
We sell only to the wholesale houses
They are perfectly harmless, and a
substantial and wholesome as a rea
, egg. The reason we make the machin
ery of wood is because we found tina
: the presence of metal of any kim
spoiled the flavor and prevented tn
, cooking of the eggs"
"Can you boil them"'
"Oh, yes;n and he called one of tn
men. "Here, Jim, boil this gentleman
an egg"
I "Can they be detected?'' l inquired
y while the bogus egg was being boiled:
II hardly think anybody would b
likely to observe any difference unles
. he happened to be well posted, as the
9 look and taste like the real thing. w
I can by little flavoring make them loo
g and taste like duck or goose egg,
course altering the size. They wi
keep for years. That one yon have ju:
r eaten was nearly year old. They wi
never spoil nor become rotten, and b'
i ing harder and thicker in their she'll
they will stand shipping better tina
:. real eggs. We calculate that in o fe
u wears we will run the hens of the coul
d try clean out of the business"