The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-05-10
THE ST. LOUIS EGG TRADE.
Into the City During
the Year.

The recent Intellectual attempt of the
egg dealers of st. Louis to establish an
Independent egg exchange has served
to call attention to the magnitude of
the egg trade of the city, says the Re-
public.
The receipts OF eggs at St. Louis, ac-
cording to figures furnished by the
various railroads and express COM
panies, run as high as S9S,9S4 cases, 80
dozens to the case. per annum, which
would make total of 26,969, 500 dozen
year received by river and rail. 1t
is estimated that 10 per cent. are re-
ceived by wagon from nearby points,
making a grand total of 29.666, 472
dozen, or 355, 997,664 eggs received each
year, an average of 29,666,4 72 each
month, or 975,336 each day, including
Sundays.
Estimating the average price of eggs
for the year at a fraction more than
Is cents a dozen, which is a very low
estimate, this would make the value
of the egg receipts of st. Louis more
than $5,O00,00O annually, or nearly $13,-
700 day.
The shipments of eggs from St. Louis
are about $40, S32 cases. 16, 494, 800 dozen,
or 197,939, 500 eggs annually, making
the consumption in St. Louis 15S, O5S,-
IA eggs annually, or ,O36 a day. As
the population of st. Louis is about
100000, this would give nearly one egg
a day for every man, woman and child
in st. Louis.
At this season of the year the re-
ceipts average nearly 10000 cases, or
100000 eggs a day. Later the re-
ceipts run even heavier, but at times
in the winter months they are very
light.
Although there are occasional re.
ceipts of fresh eggs in the winter, the
first heavy receipts begin to arrive
early in January, and are principally
from Texas. Later they come in turn
from Oklahoma and Indian territory,
Mississippi and Alabama, Arkansas and
Tennessee. Usually by the 1st of May
they begin to arrive in large quantities
from Missouri, Illinois and Kansas and
sunny VI tIN llIOl ( SOulIICIn SJdltS.
They are usually shipped to St. Louis
commission merchants by the country
storekeepers to be sold on commission
and are bought by shippers and egg
men in round lots as they arrive, but
are carefully "candled,' and only good
eggs are paid for.
The GAMBLER works in dark room.
and passes each egg between his eye
and light, so that he can determine
its condition. He carefully sorts the
different kinds of eggs, as firsts, sec
onds or spots, according to the differ
ent state of freshness.
An expert ''candler' is able to tell
by the size of the air cell in the end
of the egg almost to a day the time
that has elapsed since the egg was laid.
On account of the evaporation, the air
cell becomes larger as the egg grows
older.
An egg candler's lot is not pleasant
one, as the honest farmer" is not al
ways as guileless and innocent as per-
sons are led to believe by the comic pa
pers. Some of the eggs he brings to
market are so ancient that when held
to the light they explode with a noise
like a fre-cracker and an odor which
does not resemble new mown hay.
As a rule, the freshest eggs, or firsts,
are sold to the leading hotels and sa-
looms and grocers, or shipped to New
York, while the remainder is disposed
of to bakers and the cheap grocery
trade.
st. Louis has unique manufacturing
institution. where eggs, by a crystal
lization process, are prepared for use
on ocean vessels or lumber camps or
other places where it is impossible OF
inconvenicSt to procure fresh eggs.
BY patented process, every particle
of moisture is extracted from the eggs,
leaving the remainder in the form of
crystals which much resemble gum
arabic in appearance. In this state
eggs will keep for an indefinite length
OF time in any climate, and are not in
jured by extremes of either heat or
cold. They are put up in packages
with the whites and yolks separate or
together, as desired. When desired for
use the crystals are soaked in water
for a short time, when they may be
fried, poached, or used for baking the
same as fresh eggs.
AS SO per cent. of the white and 5334
per cent. of the yolk of an egg is water,
there is a great saving in bulk, as well
as convenience in handling, by the
process of crystallization.