Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-04-16
Ignorance Responsible For Most
|. Of The Trouble.
TRADE N TIVE UNITED STATES
Milo N. Hastings, Of the Bureau OF
Animal Industry, Discusses Subject
in Al It's Phases-Product Should
Not be Kept to Spoil.

.il'iuons Of dollars arc carried down
the sewers of the count! in the sG' y"
=. bad :ggs. according to MILO
Hastings scientific as. lstant or the
i;ureau OF Animal Industry Of the he
rlliiI' Mt Of Agriculture. He has jus
comEleiCc some Interesting results n
a strdy made during the past year oi
the conditions surrounding the 10
dAc; ion aud marketing of eggs. with !
view 20 determining c" uses OF deter
Grafton in quality and consequent loss
MIR. Hastings observations are pre-
scented in a bulletin entitled THE Egg
Trade OF the United States" In this
publication he calls attention to the
enormous loss due to the spelling OF
eggs which it is pointed out could
largely be prevented by improved
methods.
Briefly. Mr.. Hastings points out the
necessity first for a campaign OF edu-
cation among egg producers that Will
show every farmers wife that when
eggs are allowed to remain in damp
nests. under broody hens. or in hot
kitchens. there Is a loss In quality
which means an actual loss of money
to herself and to her neighbOrs. and,
secondly. a system Of buying eggs ex-
actly In accordance with what those
eggs are worth.
ALTHOUGH an individual farmer may
appear to make a few cents by hold
ing or picking his eggs" says Mr..
Hastings, the gain Is apparent only
for the destruction of wealth involved
in the injury to the quality of the egg
must be borne by the farmer himself.
Above all else. the infallible rule con
corning the marketing OF eggs Is for
the farmer to sell his eggs as soon as
possible after they are laid.
The great bulk OF the poultry wealth
of the country is produced by the gen
eral farms of the Mississippi Valley
and it is also in this region that the
most rapid increase in production Is
shown. Some idea of the rapid growth
of this industry in this region may he
gained from the figures OF Kansas,
the value Of poultry and eggs sold In
that state increasing from $6.49s,S56
in 1903 to $1O.300.OS2 in 1907.
In spite Of the rapid increase in the
production of poultry products. the
supply has not kept pace with the de-
mand. The price of eggs for the last
ten or twelve years has shown not
only an absolute rise, but also a rela-
tive rise when compared with the gen
eral average of values OF either farm
crops or food products.
Attention is called to the fact that
the quality of American eggs in the
general market. is decidedly inferior
to that Of several European countries.
In pointing out that freshness Is not
the only vital point Of quality In egss
Mr.. Hastings states that the actual
age of an egg is only one OF the fac
tors which affect the quality. An egg
As hours old that has lain in a wheat
shock during a warm July rain would
probably be swarming with bacteria
and be absolutely unfit for food. while
another egg stored eight months in
first class cold storage room would
be of much better quality. The two
changes which cause the greatest OF
lection to eggs are due to the develop
ment Of the embryo chick or to the
formation in the decaying eggs Of the
very foul smelling hydrogen-sufphid
gas
Concerning the detrimental changes
in eggs and the consequent financial
losses. it is shown that the amount Of
such losses to the trade caused by
needless deterioration runs into very
large figures. The absolute proven
ton of loss cannot be attained. Mr.
Hastings points out. but the esttma.
ton and classification OF the cost Of
deterioration should serve TO call at.
tention to its extent and to show
where the remedy is most needed.
Summarizing. II Is found that the loss
from each class as compared with the
to the total value Of the nations egg
crop is about as follows: Dirty eggs
2 per cent: breakage per cent
chick development s per cent: shrun.
ken or held eggs, S per cent; rotten
eggs 2 1-3 per cent; moldy and bad
favored eggs y per cent; making a
total Of II per cent loss sustained D.
deterioration in the egg crop Of the
United States.
Mr.. Hastings declares that while
the loss from curtailei consumption
due to deterioration in eggs cannot he
estimated. it is apparent that II high
quality in eggs were the rule rather
than the exception. II would result not
only in a gain by decreasing the loss
es due to deterioration, but In an even
greater gain from an increase in the
general price level.
The eggs Of the United states are
worth much more when laid than
they are when they reach the con
sumer.- says Mr.. Hastings. IF they
reached the consumsr In good coudi
ton. he would paw q greater price snd
would receive better eggs apd more d
them. In summarizing his conclusion
Mr.. Hastings states:
The loss in this country due to the
actual spelling Of eggs constitutes al
enormous waste, which could, In
large measure be- saved, were egss
given reasonable care from the timt
Of laying until they reach the con