The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-08-12
COLD STORAGE OF EGGS.
How They Are Tested ans Kept Fresh
for Months al n Time.


for Months at Time.
Cold stortge of eggs Is one of the
greatest conveniences of modern
times, giving housewives eggs in abun-
dance at a season whom there would
otherwise be an egg famine, and en-
abling the produce merchant to con-
troll the market the year round. Be-
fore this was done there was no GER
tainty Of obtaining fresh eggs except
In spring and early summer, and spec
ulators were continually arising to
"bull' the market, process which Of
ten met with abject failure. "No soon
er was the market cornered than hens
all over the country began laying"
said an unfortunate sceculator. "And
there was no possible way OF controll-
ing the hens" he added, sadly. Today
the prices Of eggs are definitely con-
trolled by the cold storage houses.
The demand seems to be always equal
to, II not greater than, the supply. It
is estimated that every FIVE years the
consumption of eggs doubles, and only
the success of cold storage keeps down
the prices. In cold storage houses
eggs may be kept for an indefinite
time as fresh as If they were Just laid.
The secret Of success in this matter
lies in careful sorting and packing Of
the eggs in a uniform temperature.
An old picture in the Dresden gal
lery represents a Dutch housewife
testing eggs" and shows that the
method In use today was in vogue
more than hundred years ago. ex-
cept for the substitution of a strong
electric light for the ancient oil amp.
The interior of the egg is examined
by the glow of light which shines d.
rectly through 1t. II perfect ball of
rosy red is found floating in clear IL
quid in clean shell. the egg Is fresh.
II there is a slight vacuum at one end
1t is fresh enough for ordinary use, but
not quite so fresh as the first one.
Evaporation has set in, but for cake
making and for many purposes this egg
Is better than a perfectly fresh one.
Finally when the egg has decomposed,
the yolk sticks to the shell; 1t is stale
and unfit for use, though it may not be
odorous. Eggs which this test shows
to be practically fresh laid may not
have been in the barnyard for months,
while those that have not been prop
erly stored will not bear Gambling"
though they have been laid only few
weeks.
The cold storage houses begin to
store eggs in the month of February,
and stop storing after the month OF
June until cold weather comes again.
In the hot, sultry weather of August
eggs, like all other perishable pro-
ducts, spoil easily, and are usually un-
fit for storage purposes by the time
they are brought to market.
The first eggs to reach the great
packing houses come from the far
south. In March the middle states and
those near by send in their eggs for
storage. In April and May eggs from
the north and the eastern states reach
market in great quantities. Before the
| end of June there are often a thou
sand carloads in market to be stored
for the dull season when the hens
will not lay"
At these packing houses the tenn
perature is kept at 80 degrees Fahren-
heit by means Of pipes through which
brine circulates. exactly ss steam does
in modern houses. The secret of
storing eggs successfully consists in
keeping them at only two degrees be-
low freezing point. In surroundings of
spotless cleanliness, and in sorting
those that have begun to be stale from
those that are strictly fresh.