The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-09
ALL ABOUT EGGS
AND COLD STORAGE:
How Syndicates .Overdid Thing.
Up-to-Date Poultry Men Do
Not Fear Storage Eggs.
By WALTER C. scHAAF.

Long years ago the German and
Dutch farmer lads of Pennsylvania
would pick up newly found eggs. COW
ering all but the ends with their hands,
and look through" the eggs at tho
sun to See If they We're fresh. The
custom brought from Germany and
Holland, where 1t had existed for ages
was ridiculed by the neighbors OF these
simple farmer folk. but ii continued
with their children and grandchildren
and to-day is developed into a science
that is the foundation of the cold stor
age egg industry of the world.
The wholesale egg industry OF
America to-day depends on the cand-
ling of the eggs The unlettered coun-
try boy of century back never dream
ed he was laying the foundation for a
huge business. with millions of dollars
capital invested in magnificent build
ings and unlimited cold storage capac-
ity to hold hundreds of thousands Of
dozens of eggs, known to be good
through the all-revealing electric light
or Gambling process.
EGGS arriving at the wholesalers
place from the country ire supposed TO
be fresh. II the supposition was lived
up to there would be no work for the
GAMBLER. who. by the way. takes years
to become expert in the business.
ne SHuulinE Room.
The cases of eggs are taken to the
Gambling room. which is not unlike the
photoSra piers dark room. tin can
large enough to slip over an ordinary
incandescent light has round or
slightly oval hole cut in it, With the
electric light turned on this gives o
powerful light focused through tn.
small hole and a strong beam Of ligh,
SHOWS through an egg held in front
OF same
The Gambler takes three eggs In each
hand, and with rapid twisting motion
of the wrists holds them all before ths
llSht. AS the light strikes each egg.
1t reveals the condition OF the inside
almost as clearly as though there were
no shell on the egg. 1t is almost un-
peHeVahle how many cases OF eggs an
expert GAMBLER Will handle In a day
without single mistake. Mistakes are
costly here like any other business. An
| egg may have only n crack in the
she'll or a little Nth outside OF the
shell. and would in either case cause
trouble after while
An esq with a crack. be it ever so
small. or simply a moldy place on the
shell. will after a few months go bad.
| and one bad egg means more bads eggs
around 1t. and If left long enough will
| spoil the whole crate. Years ago they
We're always afraid OF freezing thu
eggs, but they have found out now that
at the temperature Of twenty-nine de-
| grees they will keep indefinitely with
out danger of freezing
The Money End.
While IL may be good thing TO
store the surplus eggs of the country
! to take care or its needs during the
time of demand. the SPECTATORS last
year not satisfied with the ordinary
profts. held back eggs, resulting in
prices not warranted by conditions.
Everything worked lovely season OF
1910. but this last gone winter they
got caught seemingly at their own
game. The medium and poorer classes
OF people who could not afford to pay
81 to 10 cents per dozen for eggs sim
ply stopped eating them. After this
had been going on some time. 1t re.
suited in the wholesalers ending that
they mad full warehouses aud no de-
mand Then came a period OF uneas!-
ness. followed by downward trend
in prices. and this soon developed into
a pronounced drop. carrying prices
down TO level that left absolutely no
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