Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-28
HOW TO KEEP EGGS.
A Treatise on the Subject From a
British Authority.

From the London Book Of Poultry.
Eggs are best stored in a cool, but not
very cold place-about 80 to 90 degrees is
best-and with the large end down. We
gave this advice as far back as 1872, after
considerable testing of it to that time; all
our subsequent experience has corroborat-
ed its soundness. There is a distinct per-
centage of better result every way when
eggs stored in this position. If the
other circumstances are equal The air
chamber is less expanded when so stored
and even for eating after some weeks there
IS perceptible difference in the fresh
ness" of eggs thus kept. Eggs may be
stored in this position either in bran or in
a board pierced with holes; and if the
board or the bran case. be covered over
by cover of blanket or sacking made to
fit, and a cool and quiet place is available
the very best will be done for the eggs
The covering over Is not to keep them
warm. but to prevent draught. which in
creases evaporation of the fluid contents
and enlarges the air chamber. This pro-
cess We want to retard as much as posi-
bic. 1t is often desired to preserve
summer eggs for winter use. and there are
several methods of doing 50. Some house
Keepers smear them all over with butter
and in France they similarly use olive oil
in which a little beeswax is dissolved or
melted. The latter is the better of the two,
butter becoming rancid. Others bed the
eggs In dry salt, packed tightly round and
over them; kept this way they do fairly,
even for boiling, up to six or eight months.
Bedded in bran alone they will keep we'll
several months, draught and evapora ton
being prevented.
Another plan is to pack them in satura ed
salt BRINE; this way they keep quite good
long while, but become rather hard and
the white perceptibly Saltish. For eggs to
be kept any length of time, however. there
Is no doubt that the best preservative me-
dunn is "a solution compounded of lime, salt
and cream of tartar. Different people use
slightly different proportions. very GOOD
recipe IS as follows: Carefully slake and
then pour the rest of two gallons Of water
(other quantities in prOportion) upon one
pound and half of quicklime. then add ten
ounces of salt and two ounces of cream OF
tartar. StI at intervals and leave to tenn
per together for a few days; then pour of
the clear liquor and imbed the eggs in it as
closely as possible, keeping always we'll COW
cred with liquid. jar of spare liquid
should always be ready to fill up as re-
CURED. Whatever process be used. it is i'm
portant to store or treat the eggs the same
day as laid, if they are fertile eggs. But
there is no doubt at ALL and it has been
proved by many experiments that sterile
eggs, laid by hens without a mate, keep
considerably better than fertile ones.
Ia America, though several good tank
ma chimes are still employed and work well
enough. the hutair system is tar the most
In use One reason for American preference
of the hot-air type appears to be greater
economy OF Oil. when on large scale be-
comes Of Importance. When We state, how
ever that the latest and best makes OF
these machines are able entirely to dispense
with moisture, it will be seen that they
reg ster real advance. and must be allowed
20 take the lead in efficiency and saving OF
trouble combined. Almost universally they
employ efficient metallic thermostats, which
do not vary with the barometric pressure.
as do those which, depending on vaporiza-
ton. liable to several degrees of ttuctua-
ton Independent Of outside temperature.
While the tank system ''steadies' this and
works we'll with capsule regulators and
careful attention, the much more sensitive
hot-ar system could only have been per
fected with thermostatS allowing much less
variation 1t Is a remarkab bic fact that the
atmospheric principle should be so decisive
ly preferred in a country distinguished for
extremes Of temperature, and where artiii-
cial incubation is carried on upon scale
utterly unknown in England. and rather
difficult to realize. One manufacturer in
Quincy. H., states that he sold 1850 ma
chimes in 1899. and other makers in the
same town (Which seems a kind of center
for this manufacture, as Coventry is in
England for BICYCLES would together total
about as much more; another firm in an
other state of good repute but not in the
first rank, sold 5000 in the same year.