Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-09-19
IMPORTANT INVESTIGATION CON-
QUOTED BY DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE.
WRONG METHODS OF HANDLING
AAsrENs DETERIORATION
Uncle Sans Exports Devote Time to
Special investigation Of Egg Prob
lem-Improper Methods Cause Great
er Loss Than Long soiourn in Cold
Storage.
Especial Correspondence. ]

Washington. Sept. 19.-Uncle Sam is
giving lot of attention just now
to so plebian a thing as the common
or garden egg. Experts of the bureau
Of animal industry, Harry NJ. Lamon
and Charles L. Opperman have been
giving special attention TO the i'm
provement of the egg and has written
a bulletin on it. with special refer
ence TO the Improvement of the farm
egg.
Inasmuch as the hen plays great
part in promoting the agricultural
wealth OF the country and her pro-
diets aggregate over s620.00o.000 annu-
ally. according to the most recent sta
tistics OF the department of agricul-
ture. it is not difficult to see that the
study of the egg is of economic i'm
portance. The products for which the
American hen is responsible equal the
value of the hav crop. exceed the
combined value OF the oats and po-
and are nearly nine times as valuable
as the tobacco crop.
Losses Thru Poor Handling.
+ Moreover. there are now large losses
in eggs in this country due to poor
lnent OF agriculture place this loss at
l. per cent of the crop" or about
si5,ooo.0oo annually. This loss means
so much that packers and car-lot
shippers in Kansas have distributed a
circular saying the value OF the egg
product Of that state would be In
creased million dollars by proper
handling
The department has set out on a
campaign of education with respect 10
the egg One OF the most remarkable
things about the egg. as appears from
the writings of the experts about It.
is what most folks don't know about
it. On the farms where everybody is
familiar with chickens and eggs from
the time of infancy, there is much
ignorance about the proper care OF
eggs The loss in egg supply due to
improper handling and understanding
Of the subject falls in the end. as
the experts point out. on the consumer
who has to bear the burden in the
form of higher prices, 20 say nothing
ot poorer quality.
Ignorance. Not Cold Storage.
The poor quality OF eggs is not due
so much. the experts find. TO long go
iourn in cold storage as it is to the
failure to put the eggs into storage in
proper condition. While there is said
to be room for Improvement in cold
storage methods. the chief thing to he
sought is better handling OF the eggs
from the farm TO the packing estab-
lishment.
In attempting TO improve the egg.
the bureau of animal industry Sc
lected Kansas as the state IL, which to
make its campaign. One reason Tor
this is the enormous egg production
there another is that the Kansas people
have become more or less insurgent on
old methods OF handling eggs. and an
other is that the state board OF health
has abundant authority to prevent the
sale Of bad eggs in the state.
Thru cooperation of federal and
state authorities, careful investigations
have been made and numerous valu-
able suggestions have been worked out
for the farmer. the country merchant
and cash buyer. railroad officials and
car-lot shippers. Frequent marketing
OF eggs and protection OF them from
the rays of the sun are among the
suggestions for the farmer Careful
packing and daily shipments are
among the suggestions for the coun-
try merchant Refrigeration for eggs
or local freight trains Is urged and
car-lot shippers are urged to keep the
subject stirred up and educate the pub
Tic. A system of purchasing that
makes the seller responsible for unfit
eggs has been found to work out sue
cessfully.