Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-28

They preserve them IN q solution Of Hms roo.t
commonly, which closes up the pores Of the
shsiis ana SO enectnany excludes the air ss TO
defer decomposition for q long period. Thsy
might keep them in this way indefinitely only
that in every egg there is small QUANTITY Of
air at the larger end. which is int AIDED FOR the
respiration OF the unhatchei chick Apparently.
Curiously enough it has been found that this
bit Of air contains larger proportion OF oxy-
gen than is held by ordinary atmospheric air.
People who live in cities always find il dis
cult TO procure eggs that are surely fresh. Lie
Caesars wife, an egg shoald be above suspicion.
else one cannot contemplate the eating Of ID
with appetite. On the face of il there would
seem to be no good reason Why eggs should not
be delivered new laid TO customers Ike milk;
but unfortunately eggs are gathered Tor marke;
from a multitude OF farmers. each OF whom
keeps only few hens. Naturally each contrib
utor Keeps his eggs for little while in order 10
get batch together and by the time that all the
contributions are assembled at the market it is
a reasonable gamble that a greater or less per-
centage Of them will be stale. For the purpose
of supplying the fastidious a system has been
adopted OF inspecting eggs which are expected
to command the highest price. On reaching
market they are examined, one bv one. in such
a manner as can leave no doubt rs TO their
quality. The expert operator. taxing the eggs
in turn. looks critically at each one by holding
1t for instant between his eve and the light of
a lamp. II il is perfectly fresh the light will
shine through every part and il will appear
clearly illuminated. IL it does not bear this
test il is thrown aside. A really bad egg thus
treated is as Opaque as q piece OF rock.
EGGS WITH A GUARANTEE.
The eggs produced at and sent out from the
great poultry farms. like that of Mr.. Morton
at Rhinebeck. are commonly guaranteed by a
sort of certificate on the shell Of each one,
stamped in blue ink with the name OF the farm
the date OF LAYING being in some cases
added. Cooking does no: destroy the indelble
inscription, and the consumer finds no little
satisfaction in knowing when he cracks the
shell just how old a given egg is. About 10
cents a dozen extra is charged for eggs thus
satisfactorily Endorsed. The writer used at
one time to keep chickens himself. and. imi-
tating this fashion, he marked each egg taken
from his nests with the date Of laying. He took
several dozen at odd times to town and gave
them to = friend Of his who worked in the same
newspaper Office. From his friend who was
the dramatic critic OF the paper he frequently
received theater tickets. and the eggs were
intended q graceful compliment in re-
turn. However. the dramatic critic aforesaid
found it hard TO remember to take the eggs
home. and he complained that the dates on
them were disadvantageous TO him. inasmuch
as they gave him aNav 10 his wife when be
finally got them to his domicile. Then, again.
he found it Troublesome On crowded horse cars
to carry paper bags full of eggs. and on one
occasion a fellow-passepger sat upon a dozen OF
them. The writer also, at another time. gave
two or three dozen eggs TO his friend, Or. T.W.
Parsons the poet and well-known translator of
Dante. who died recently. They were beauti-
full white eggs, being laid bv Leghorn hens.
and the doctor, in acknowledging them. said
that he thought thew must be angels eggs
surely a most poetic idea.
An important part of the business OF the
great poultry farms like Mr.. Morton's, where
he As-,fv Of ehi -
tific principles. is the selling OF settings" of
eggs, from which the purchasers desire TO OBJ
tain a pure stock A setting ordinarily con-
sists of thirteen eggs, that number being as
many as the average hen can cover and incu-
bate well. The white brahma hens are 30 large
and SO well supplied with feathers thar one of
them can commonly hatch out twenty two
chicks at clutch" but they are the most
awkward of all fowls ard are very apt to kill
their young ones by stepping on them. 1t is
usual IN selling settings OF eggs to responsible
persons. to guarantee them fresh and fertile,
replacing anv which do not hatch. Hens always
lay eggs OF the same tint. that in winter
they are slightly darker than in summer In
asmnch as the brown color is. comparatively
speaking, novelty, 1t does not seem unlikely
that eventually eggs that black or nearly so
will be produced by the sort OF artificial selec-
ton already described. Apropos of freaks.
there are accounts given on authority SEEM
az well as of wingless and tailless fowls, but
none such are known at the present day.
CHICKEN AS A HOUSE PET.
The first chicken that the writer ever kept
was ha.ched in an incubator. He was OF feeble
constitution, being weak in the legs and other
wise very delicate. 1t was winter and he had
TO be reared in the house. It was necessary TO
give him five or six meals daily, and each time
he required something different. according TO
instructions obtained from the milkmsn.
small unoccupied room was given up 10 his ac-
commodation, and some one of the family had
to sit with him nearly all of the time because be
got lonesome and cried il left alone. When the
days grew warm in spring be was put out to
live in the yard. About that time he got strong
and was growing very fast. he was of the
white Brahma breed and it was not long before
he stood about two feet and half high. He
never gave up The idea that he was a house pet.
and at every opportunity ne would rush IN
through the kitchen and scamper upstairs. On
one occasion he obtained admittance surrep-
titiously and spent the night roosting on the
best chair in the parlor, where he attracted at
tention by his growing next morning. He also
seemed to consider that he was q watch dog
and he would fly out at people in the street in a
most alarming manner. One day he WAS found
TO have fairly cornered a small boy Of about
five years. who was crying Justify with fright.
He never would have anything TO do with the
other chickens and the only beast he ever made
friends with was . horse, on whose back he
used to perch every night. So much for tho
effects of bringing nm ON artificial pripciples