The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1912-09-12
THE CARE OF EGGS.
Department of Agriculture at Wash
ington Sends Our Letter.

Washington, d. c., August 6, 1912.
1t is a conservative estimate that
more than S45, ,O0O,0O0 are lost in the
egg producing sections annually because
of improper handling. This enormous
loss is due to small eggs, cracked and
broken eggs, dirty, stale heated (hatch-
ed and rotten eggs. Just think of the
waste this sum means, from the time
the mother hen loses from her business
of egg laying in order to hatch and
bring up the hens that lay these wasted
eggs, to the money that the housewife
pays for the egg that cannot be used.
1t is a loss to you, to the farmer, to
every one in the egg business, and to
the consumer. Will you assist US in
our effort to save this loss and to i'm
prove the egg that finally gets to the
market?'
When farmers, peddlers, merchants,
ETC., come to you with eggs for sale
talk to them about the Improvement of
the market egg, and enlist their coop
Grafton in the elimination of this great
loss. Here are some of the fundamen-
tai points to be considered by all egg
men, whether producers, shippers, or
middlemen:
l. Encourage the production of large
eggs. This can be accomplished by
keeping pure bred general purpose"
breeds of fowls, Matching only the eggs
that weigh at least two ounces apiece
snd from only the most vigorous stock.
A higher price for large than for small
eggs will help along the argument.
2. Infertile eggs do not hatch, do
not form blood-rings and seldom form
black rots. If the male birds are sold
or penned up after June 1st the flock of
hens will lay more eggs and they will
be infertile.
3. A year-round observation of New
York egg receipts showed that over IL
per cent were dirty shellcd, and sold for
lower price on this account. You
should buy these dirty eggs at a lower
price, for you are paid less for them
If one nest is provided for each six
hens, in a cool, dark place, kept clean
and vermin free, dirty eggs will be re-
duced to a minimum.
4. More than ten per cent of the
eggs received in New York during the
year are Seconds" because they are
stale. Tell your egg men that gather
ing eggs every afternoon, or twice
daily III hot or muddy weather, keeping
them in cool, clean, dry place until
marketed, and marketing at least once
a week and more frequently in the
summer time, will reduce the number
of stale eggs greatly. Of course, stale
eggs are worth less money than fresh
eggs, all along the line.
5. Can you convince your trade that
eggs from stolen nests and from incu-
bators are meyer fit for sale? If the
farmer thinks they are good, reliable
food urge him to eat them at home.
Since the egg buyer can afford to pay
more for large, clean, fresh, whole
shelle1 eggs, it is good business for the
farmer to use small, dirty, cracked
eggs at home.
6. Do you know how to candle eggs?
If not, learn, and learn quickly! There
is no other way by which you can de-
termine the worth of what you are pay
ing for. Having yourself learned how
to grade eggs, show the merchants,
peddlers and farmers in your neighbor-
hood, by means of the candle, what
kind of eggs they are bringing to you.
Farmers are not scamps, nor egg buy
ers angels. Show the farmer the kinds
of eggs you cannot pay for and he will
find way to eliminate the bad egg and
to make the good egg even better.
Z. When first quality eggs come to
your packing house what means do you
take to keep them so until they get to
market? To build up and keep a good
reputation for your output you must
grade carefully and uniformly; pack in
good filters, flats and cases; ship quickly
and under good conditions. If you
would be cIassed among up-to-date
shippers you must have mechanical re-
frigeration that the chilling of the egg
may begin the minute you receive it.
Candle in room where the temporal
ure does not go above $50 F. Ship
chilled, in good refrigerator car, in
car lots. If you can not chill the eggs
before shipping, useSa refrigerator car,
well iced, AMI ship only the minimum
load, that the eggs may receive the
benefit of the ice before the market is
reached.
Send this letter, or copies of it, to
the egg people in your vicinity if it will
serve to strengthen your argument for
better egg handling.
M. E. PENNINGTON, Ph. D.