The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-10-05

uoAl tIlp W tUWH'
"Candlipg is still the name of the pro-
cess of testing eggs. although the candle
has gone out of date. In the dark room
of the poultry and eggs house hangs an
electric light. 1t is in case with two
bright eyes. The egg testers sit on either
side of the electric light. They raise two
eggs at a time from the cases in which
they come from the buyers, and hold them
for a moment between the electric eyes
and the human vision. The decision is
instant. The movement which follows is
so rapid that i. is hard to follow. Ex-
aiming two eggs at time, the tester
must conclude at once in which Of five
directions each egg shall 90. There are
three grades of merchantable eggs. But
there are also two tubs to receive eggs of
a fourth and fifth classifi alton. If an
egg is sound and whole it may be ''West~
ern EXTRA "small and dirty or a
''second.' But there may be a crack in
the shell. The wear of transportation
means the cracking of a great many eggs
The moment the tester detects a crack his
hand goes toward one of the tubs. With
a deft turn of the wrist he completes the
fracture, empties the contents of the
Shell into the tub, and losses the shell to
the second tub. Then there are the bad
eggs. They go into the other tub as quick
as the tester can drop them. The econO-
mics of the business have not yet devel-
oped use for spoiled egg. Shells of the
cracked eggs and bad eggs are hauled
away and thrown on the ground. They
have some fertilizing value, but not
enough to pay for the carriage The egg
house pays for tie removal and disposi-
ton of the bad eggs.
"Extras" hardly need explanation.
| They are the large, clean and sound eggs.
When it is stated that they are worth II
| LIE, dozen, their superior character is
indicated. The ''small and dirty' speaks
for itself. But there is this to be said,
| the ''small and dirty must be perfectly
sound. The size and the dirt on the shell
make it worth only Sc. to lie. a dozen.
Then come the seconds, which betray
signs of age. The seconds, y is an arti-
Gle of commerce at from &c. to &c. a
dozen. 1t is the egg that is only little
off and passes very well where tastes are
not too critical. The extras 60 into new
cases with perfect packing. In them the
dealer finds his profit.
In the Sedalia egg house there is a man
who has been ''candling'' twelve Years.
! LIZ tpHlCSStS Liam tIldl ny 10 tl4 VI llt
| time learning something new about eggs
as he turns the electric ray On them, and
lie admits that he has gathered some ad-
ditional experience in the detection Of
rotten eggs the present season. This
man says that an average two dozen Of
/ eggs as they come to the central depot
! from buyers at the Missouri railroad sta
tions will classify into one cracked, two
rotten, SIX seconds, two small and dirty
and thirteen extras.
After the rigid inspection of the central
plant, the poultry company is prepared
| to guarantee the sOundnesS of the eggs,
and does SO to the + lstern customer. Care
of the product does not end with the eX
| animation and packing. Cold storage has
become 4 very essential feature of egg
handling, as well as in the preservation Of
poultry. But in the case Of eggs, cold
storage does not mean simply even and
low temperature sufficient to cool and not
to freeze.
An egg is sometimes alive" is the
way one OF these expert poultry men OF
Missouri put it. ''It will not do to put
the eggs in the cool room and leave then
there as we do poultry. A smell will be-
created. That musty taste which you
may have noticed, especially in winter
time, is the result of eggs being packed
in cool place and left Eggc to be KEEP
perfect must have ventilation as we'll al
even and low temperature. [ don't care
how clean and sound the eggs are, with
out ventilation of the cold room they vii
generate an odOr. And notwithstanding
the SHELLS, that odor will affect the tlavo
OF the eggs. We ventilate AS part Of th,
process of egg preservation"
entilation Of the egg chambers il
these cold storage plants means not
barred window and a natural current
The air of the room is blown out 81
thoroughly as to insure complete change
Then the air famed in for the eggs il
rendered arttcally wholesome by bens
drawn through water which absorbs al
gases and impurities.
Frozen eggs in great masses are not baC
to look upon. They are not allowed t.
thaw until the time comes for use The,
are shipped in refrigerated cars, and sucl
consignments as go to Alaska for the colo
regions are put into cold storage on boarc
of the steamships. The klOndike de
mand does not begin to take all of til,
frozen eggs. Missouri alone furnishes
millions of cracked eggs in the course o
a year. Nine eggs will average pound
Tue frozen egg product is sold by weight
With the large bakers and cracker maker
in the cities the frozen eggs are in de
mand. Some restaurants also buy the
big tin buckets of the frozen article
Certain classes of restaurants serv,
scrambled eggs and omelets in white
made from the frozen eggs, and patrons
are none the wiser.
Kansas farmers were early awake t.
what there was in the poultry industry
They passed through a period of count
ing chickens before they were Matched
They wrote odes to "the helpful hen. ;
Missouri farmers became impressed lit
tie later. The result is that the Missouri
farmer, as Secretary Ripley, of the Stat,
Board of Agriculture, puts it, "doesn'
throw as many clubs at the old hen as h
used to- Better care of poultry, bette
breeding, increased production, are al
noted by the buyers among the new con
ditions in Missouri. These same buyer
say that the Missouri farmer has not We
been able to fully realize just what tn
poultry profit means and continues t
leave the chickens and eggs to the wife
with the result that she now makes thu
two items buy all of her clothes and thu
children's clothes as we'll.
Scarcely three years ago Missouri poul
try was classed in the markets of TIL
j