Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1900-02-01
Gambling Eggs.

u
Gambling Eggs.
The aforetime egg-buyer sitting in
| the cellar of his store with Il lighted
| candle, before which he holds up an
egg at time to judge of its sOundness,
has been superseded, writes Sedalia
| correspondent of Il St Louis paper.
He would never come to the end of the
33,935,000 dozens which the Missouri
farmers wives now bring TO town In
twelve months. The average price paid
to producers for eggs is about 10 cents
dozen. That was the rate in what
are known as the months of greatest
egg production-March, April and to
the 10th of May. After that there was
brief period when prices ran as low
as 4 cents. 1t was the time of the
highest percentage of bad eggs. In
June and July the life of an egg han
dler Is not happy one. 1t Is the sea-
son of nest hiding Hens will be
secretive. June and July are months
in which the egg.buyer would, If he
could, gladly take vacation and go
| to Alaska, where the only egg known
| Is the one frozen solid. In August the
| harvest of bad eggs is over. The quail
| ity is again restored to normal Prices
are now IL and IL cents a dozen 10
! farmers wives. Aside from this brief
! depreciation, prices OF cgEs haven I
varied cents dozen the past season.
| which speaks exceedingly we'll for the
new methods. The surplus of eggs Of
last April went into cold storage to
await the demand next winter
Gambling" is still the name of tho
! process Of testing eggs, although the
candle has gone out of date. In the
darkroom of the poultry and egg house
| hangs an electric light. 1t is in Il 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 moment
between the electric eyes and the hu-
man vision. The decision is instant.
| The movement which follows is SO
rapid that it is hard to follow. Exam
lining two eggs at a time, the tester
| must conclude at once in which of five
| directions each egg shall go. There are
three grades of merchantable eggs
| But there are also TWO tubs to receive
eggs of fourth and fifth classification
If an egg is sound and whole it may
| be a western extra" a small and
dirty" or second" But there may
be crack in the shell. The wear Of
transportation means the cracking Of
great many eggs. The moment the
tester detects Il crack his hand goes
toward one of the tubs. with a deit
turn of the wrist he completes the
fracture. empties the contents of the
shell into the tub, ana losses the shell
to the second tub. Then there are the
bad eggs. They so into the other tub
as quick as the tester can drop them
| The economies of the business have
not yet developed use for spoiled egg
Shells of the cracked eggs and bad
eggs are hauled away and thrown on
the ground. They have some fertile
ing value, but not enough to pay for
the carriage. The egghouse pays for
the removal and disposition OF the bad
eggs.
Extras" hardly need explanation.
They are the large, clean and sound
eggs. When it is stated that they are
worth 17la cents dozen, their superior
| character Is indicated. The "smal.
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 cents to IL cents a dozen. Then
come the seconds" which betray signs
of age. The seconds" Is an article Of
commerce at from to 9 cents dozen
| 1t is the egg that is only Il little or,
and passes very well where tastes are
not too critical. The extras 90 inru
new cases with perfect packing. In
them the dealer finds his profit,
In the Sedalia egghouse there is n
man who has been Gambling" twelve
years. He confesses frankly that he Is
all the time learning something new
about eggs as he turns the electric ray
on them, and he admits that he has
gathered some additional experience ir
the detection of rotten eggs the pgcscn.
senson. This man says that an aver
age two dozen of eggs rs they come t.
the central depot from buyers at the
Missouri railroad stations will classify
into one cracked, two rotten. six sec
onds, two small and dirty and thirteen
extras.
American cattle shipped to Englanc
have to remain in quarantine 20 day,