The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-10
LOCAL SOLUTION
OF HIGH EGG COST
Albumen-Dried Whites of
Eggs-Adopted by House
wives and Restaurants.
SHORTAGE is SOLVED
Declare Weather Conditions
Of Last Season Caused
Cessation of Laying.
SHORTAGE IS SOLVED

Hereafter whom the thrifty house.
/ wife who feels thnt she cannot afford
/ 10 pay so or so cents for dozen fresh
1 eggs and disdains TO secure the variety
sold at 30 or 80 cents, long forgot by
! the hens who laid EN-, wishes to bake
a cake. she will not overdraw her hus.
band IS bank account to purchase the
necessary eggs. She will just go to the
store and order half pound of albu-
men.
That albumen-which is the dried
whites of eggs-is already being adopt
ed by Salt Lake bakers and restaurants
as substitute for eggs, is the opinion
Of state pure food officials. The dried
eggs only costs about 80 cents pound
and, mixed with water, a pound of al
bumen is equal TO about two dozen eggs
for food purposes State food officials
say that the egg substitute is sanitary.
Albumen, like dried milk, so tar is
hardly commercial product, but is
used mostly IN baking powder to make
1T foam. and Is also used to some extent
by bakers. according TO Herman Harms,
state chemist He says it is probable,
however. that albumen may become
popular with housewives in the ratio
that eggs become unpopular with their
steady advance IN cost.
Solve Problems.
Pure food officials say that while al
bumen makes an excellent substitute
for egg when mixed in cakes or other
products of the oven, they would hard
" regard 1t as breakfast food. A
soup made or albumen might make
good substitute for the present three
minute boiled breakfast egg, but it re-
quires stretch Of the Imagination to
figure how lovers of fried eggs could
secure that dehcaoy under an albumen
regime
Most albumen is made in Germany
and il the Democrats remain in power
it is probable that In several years
from now albumen will be better
known than eggs. Then when house
wife COOS into tho grocery store and
calls for albumen her grocer viii, if he
doesn't happen to have any, tell her
that ne has n few eggs which are
: just as good.
Food officials also think that dried
milk NAV have its day If milk con-
tinues to soar in price, as the local
milk dispensers threaten it will, This
has been on tho market for several
years and is used extensively by candy
makers for making chocolates. Mixed
with water this powder resembles milk
and tastes moro like real milk than
does the evaporated kind. It is guar
anteed, however, not TO raise cream.
Cause of Shortage.
Anent the high cost of eggs and the
failure of hens TO lay, experts of the
department of agriculture have, accord
ing TO dispatch yesterday from Wash
ington, discovered that the weather has
been responsible. The dispatch fol
lows:
WASHINGTON, Dec. e.-Relief from
the prohibitive egg prices IS in sight,
the experts OF the department of agri
culture announce in a special report on
the subject, because the pullets al over
the country have begun to lay. Infor
nation reaching the department is that
already poultry owners are reporting
80 per cont egg production.
The experts say this change of heart
on the part OF the eristocrats OF the
barnvard is not due TO the threatened
egg boycott, but 10 natural conditions
Of the shortage Of last
fall, they say, dates back TO weather
of last spring and summer.
Investigation OF weather condi-
tions," says the report, "shows that
the spring was unusually wet and cold;
and the unusual drought of July fur.
ther postponed the laying period, be-
cause both Of these weather conditions
affect the food supply OF the pullets. !
The pullets that normally begin 10 lay !
in the fall have not commenced their |
laying until about month later than
the usual fall laying season.
Unless extreme cold weather should !
this pullet egg supply should |
now continue, says the report, and |
bring with it gradual reduction in /
egg prices