The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-11-13
PORTABLE ARMY HENS
New War Food Devised for
Use of the Soldiers.
GREAT BOOM IN THE EGG MARKET
Driea EGGS Are Purchased In Quantities
for Oar Bess In China and the Philippine.
They Lock Like sawdust. bat Are Gen.
verified Into 0melets and yarieas Other
Palasabie Dishes-A New Field for the
OHtpat Of the American Pallet.


The portable hen is the latest thing
adopted by the commissary department OF
the army. 1t lays fresh eggs every day.
Is guaranteed to produce eight dozen, just
as they are required. and weighs only TWO
pounds. Requiring neither food nor water.
II may be carried conveniently IN sol
diers knGpsack, and all he has 10 do
when he wants an omelet or a "scram-
bic" Is TO UnscTew the "critter' and ex-
tract the raw material from it with a
spoon.
Dried egg in cans is. Jspeak more ex-
actly, the army food OF the immediate
future. l. is put up now by a number
Of manufacturers In various parts of the
country. but chiefly Ia Missouri. under
different trade names. such as ''evapOrat-
ed egg" 'desiccated egg" and crystal
lized egg" From two Of these firms the
War Department has. recently purchased
large quantities OF the stuff, and thou
sands OF cans OF Il have been shipped to
China and to the Philippines for the use
of our troops. One pound is equivalent 10
four dozen fresh eggs, and II affords an
admirable substitute. being to all intents
an6 purposes simply hens eggs with the
water extracted. and Keeping for years,
even in tropical climate.
Fairly reliable statistics show that g.
OCO. O00. 600 of hens eggs will have been laid
in the United States during the year 19tsl-
a startling estimate truly, inasmuch as
these eggs. stood one on top of another,
ro!nt 10 butt would make a column 46l.-
elg miles in altitude-nearly twice the
= tho earth when
that orb is seen overhead. The annuel
value of this product exceeds that of any
mineral except coal, and is greater even
than that of our pig iron.
Egg 8eiI Has Moved Westward.
No wonder. then. that the Industrious
Yankee hen is looking for an outlet FOR
her superhucus energies. She is the great
American expansionist Under favorable
circumstances she lays her own weight IN
eggs In six weeks, and she must have
room 10 grow. The egg belt In this coun-
try. like the wheat belt, has moved stead
lily Westward during recent years. and IL
is now In the latitude Of Missouri, in
which State and its geographical neigh
borhood more eggs are produced than IN
any other region of equal area In the
world.
large fraction OF the winter eggs con-
su,aed in Eastern centers OF population
They are called winter eggs because they
are consumed during that season, but they
are laid in the blooming summer time,
when the gentle zephyrs agtate the tree
blossoms, scattering their tender petals,
and the amorous rooster calls his mate
with stentOrian note to give attention TO
the elusive but nutritious worm. During
this annual epoch of plenty the prudenti
packer, well advised of an inevitable
scarcity to come, buys up the overproduct
of the farmyard at TO cents per dozen
and puts II away in barrels of lime water
or in cold storage, for 10! after many
moons have waXed and waIed he will be
able to dispose Of these eggs as fresh
laid at 80 TO 40 cents a dozen.
Near to the haunts of the feathered
producers, in the heart of the Ozarks,"
or elsewhere in the Chicken Belt, 10
Gates the maker of dried egg, with a
view to reducing to a minimum the cost
OF his raw material. From all the region
round about, gathering them from farm
ers and farmers wives, who have here
dozen and there a few hundreds TO dis
pose of weekly-merchandise productive
of pin-money for the women, convertible
into dry goods and ribbons at the coun-
try "store"-the manufacturer derives his
supplies % hen fruit" Millions of eggs
pour into his hopper, and, as fast as they
arrive, are broken into pans, evaporated
to absolute dryness, and finally granu-
lated by grinding. In this granulated
shape they look like sawdust and thus
they are put up in barrels and tin cans.
The preparation is in various forms, so
= 1,t.. Cd
desiccated yelks, whole egg desiccated,
or even desiccated ham and eggs.
Used BY British Array.
Dried eggs have been utilized largely in
Alaska of late, in the Klondyke, and at
Cape Nome. They have been furnished
to British soldiers in South Africa, in
Yankee cans In this and other ways
the American hen is distributing her
product all over the world. and recent
arctic and antarctic expeditions have car
ried similar supplies with them Mean
while, the eggs of various species of wild
fowl are being used abroad in the man.
ufacture of a substance called egg al
bumen," which is imported into this
country and extensively employed by
bakers and for glazing prints. 1t looks
like a fine quality of glue. broken into
small bits; Is golden-yellow in color. and
quite transparent and pretty. The price
of IL is about So cents pound, retail.
Thirty years ago the art OF preserving
eggs in the shell was wholly unknown.
There were no heated cars 20 keep them
from freezing in transit during the cold
season, and in summer they spoiled for
lack of refrigerator cars. Ignorance in
such matters was so profound in that
epoch that quite a sensation was created
by the exploit Of an adventurous but
thoughtful person, named S. p. Pond, now
residing in Keokuk, Iowa, who took a
carload of eggs from the West 10 New
York City in winter. tending the perish
able freight himself with the help OF
small stove, and delivering them at their
destination In satisfactory condition.
In those days s a dozen was frequently
paid for fresh eggs in winter, and the sup
ply, even at such prices, was small. Eggs
were then packed. most commonly. in bar
rels, with oats or straw, 10 prevent break
age-the modern crate and pigeon-hole
box of pasteboard being as yet unthousht
of-and they were apt TO taste Of the pack
ing II was all quite primitive, indeed. AT
the present time eggs are kept by millions
from summer 10 winter by picking them
in lime-water or by keeping them in cold
storage. There Is money in buying eggs
at S or 10 cents dozen. keeping them in
cold storage for five or six months. and
selling them at 40 cents.
No wonder, then. that trial has been
made OF many processes for preserving
eggs. They have been bathed in wax,
coated with yaseline. painted with paraf-
fin. treated with lard. and manipulated in
many other ways; but none has been
- r.. -
tanned that a hens eggs is provided by
nature with a varnish which excludes the
germs that cause decomposition. and the
obvious conclusion has been drawn that
every effort should be made 10 AVOID
washing this coating OF, the desirable
thing apparently being 10 Increase the
thickness and density OF the protective
envelope. Hence, il has been proposed 10
wrap each egg separately In an alright