Evening star., 1912-09-03

kansas to
Methods Investigated make investi-
by the Government. the Methods Of
handling eggs. This school is one result
of their efforts. Another Is the introduc-
ton of the "loss or system Of buying
eggs. which has now been adopted, hrst by
the Kansas CarIot Egg Shippers Associa-
ton and later by the organized egg dealers
Of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma.
The loss off, system Is one by which the
eggs are paid for according to their quail
ity, while with the ease count system
formerly employed the farmers were paid
for the eggs by actual count, with no re-
gard to their quality. They had, there
fore, no incentives sto gather them regu-
larly, to keep them in a COOL dry place
for q time not exceeding a week before
transferring them, properly protected. to
the store or egg dealer, or to give eSpe-
cial attention to the hens producing them.
1t is believed that the keynote to the
success of the movement for egg improve
ment lies in the organization of the deal
ers with the cooperation OF the state
authorities to buy upon quality only. This
requires a definite knowledge Of how eggs
are to be sorted and these schools are es-
tablished to teach the proper criterions.
including the Gambling process, by which.
II properly conducted, all egg defects may
be promptly recognized.
-.
There are few food products as diff
cult to grade as eggs because each one
must be consid-
Grading of Eggs cred separately
n.n,A and the egg
0nVuAS AAvSess' cannot be ex-
amined as to its actual substance without
breaking the shell. Eggs may be graded
in the early spring with reasonable ac-
curacy by their size, color, cleanliness
and freedom from cracks. Later in the
season an egg candle must be used In a
technical sense. any kind Of q light may
be used for this purpose, but a sixteen
candlepower electric light inclosed in a
box having an opening about the size OF
a half dollar is considered the most de-
srable. The room Is darkened and the
candler holds the egg to the light, large
end up. and gives II a quick twirl in order
to view all sides and cause the contents
to whirl within the shell. To the expert
this process reveals the actual condition
of the egg to an extent that novice
would hardly realize and the egg Gambling
classes are the most important feature Of
the schools now In session. 1t cannot be
taught by a worded description. It must
be learned from an expert unless one is
Wiling TO Dreak many eggs TO STUDY the
essential points.
There are six classes Of deteriorated
eggs recognized by the trade. Heated
eggs are the most numerous and have
several gradations, thte most frequent of
which is the fertile egg or the one in
which the embryo has developed. When
ever a fertile egg has been subjected to
certain conditions Of heat and moisture,
whether under a setting hen in a nest, in
a tin bucket behind the kitchen range or
in a case setting in the hot sun upon a
railroad station platform ready for shim-
ment, the result is the same.
The degree of the development OF the
embryo will determine the class recog-
nized by the eggmen into which 1t should
be placed.
Light floats" are eggs in which the de-
velopment is only slight. equal to that of
eighteen or twenty-four hours Of incuba-
tion. This may go unnoticed by the aver
age housewife. Heavy floats" ''blood
rings and other terms are used to desig-
nate further advanced stages until the
fully developed chick is formed for the
disgust of the restaurant patron who
finds this in the boiled egg he has ordered.