The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-16


and storms arrive. The supply and the
price of eggs depend upon that unknown
quantity, the weather. Such an episode
as the egg famine of earlier times is
never known in this day of cold stora &c
and refrigerating facilities, but a long
winter means decided scarcity of fresh
eggs and jump In the prices of stored
eggs.
The egg business has been revolution
lied in very recent years and Its develop
ment has been marvellous A compare
lively short time ago, the market de-
pended upon local farmers and upon
michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa for
its egg supply, and the great Southwest
had no finger in the pie; but the i'm
provements In railroad facilities and re-
frigeratioI have changed all that, and
row Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri are
sending out enormous quantities or eggs.
The South, too, has taken up the indus
try, although the tendency in that re-
gion Is to go into the business in small
way, rather than with the breezy all
embracing sweep of the Western farmer.
Iowa is still, perhaps, the heaviest pro-
Queer, but Michigan eggs are said by ex-
perts to have the finest favor, the diff
ference being, doubtless, the effect Of
the sand and lime in the soil.
Poultry farmers today are showing q
tendency to conffne themselves to some
one breed Of hens, but the merit of this
measure lies not In superior flavor, but
in the uniform size and color of the eggs.
Those questions Of size and color cut an
important figure IN the egg trade, and
though the dealers say scornfully that
their concessions to public idiosyncrasies
are all foollshness. they make the cor
cesstons just the same. The ordinary
buyer absolutely refuses TO put aside a
prejudice in favor of eggs uniform in
size and color The grocer cannot sell
mixed eggs, however fresh they may be.
at a fancy price; so the wholesale deal
ers sort out the eggs, tack an extra price
to those that are uniform, and everybody
is happy. There are local prejudices in
this regard as well as universal ones
Every dealer the country over knows
that fancy sorted eggs, to find favor in
Boston. must be of a warm brown color,
and he knows equally well that New
Workers will not pay a fancy price for
brown eggs, but demand assorted whites
This sorting and classifying of eggs Is
a complicated performance. Sometimes
1t is done before shipping. More often it
is done in the wholesale houses or stor-
age warehouses. First the eggs are
caEdled and sorted according to their
degree of freshness. In the old days this
was done by passing the eggs before a
candle flame La a dark room; but cand-
ling Is now nisnomer, for the eggs are
held before a powerful electric light hood.
ed in tin, so that the light escapes only
through one small aperture. An expert
Gambler needs long training, and the
work is tedious and trying, though old
gamblers who have been at the trade for
many years pooh-pooh the idea that the
work is disastrous to the eyes The
Gambling room is picturesque place with
its inky gloom It's high lights on the
faces of the workers and the glowing lit
tie ovais of warm color that are swiftly
passed before the ray OF light and laid
aside. The incidental smells are more
than picturesque, but a disinfectant
thrown into the air quickly kills the odor
Of the bad eggs, and the workers say
that they are so used to the odor that
they really do not mind 1t.
The Gamblers in one OF New Yorll's
largest Wholesale egg houses get $14 a
week the year round, but their work is
comparatively light during the spring
and early summer months, when al
most all eggs are fresh. It is during the
hot weather that their troubles begin.
That season eggs must be handled quick
Iy and large percentage Of them are
not strictly fresh. The Gambler must be
able to grade the varying degrees OF
staIeness unerringly, separating blood
eggs, spotted eggs. heated eggs and thor
ougshly bad eggs into classes After they
leave the Gambling room, they are again
sorted, this time with reference to color
and size. The strictly fresh eggs. all of
one size and color are packed for fancy
trade; mixed fresh eggs go together; eggs
Of varying degrees Of staleness are d.