The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-20
BULLETINS READY
 FOR THE FARMERS

lngtOn, where the bulletins may be had for the asking, information that will be found helpful to persons who . the hurry of business or pleasure forget. details that are essential to the successful outcome of their work. Un- der date of June 9 comes a synopsis of Bulletin 160, in which are pre- scented the results of experiments con- ducted in Kansas to determine what deterioration took place in eggs when retained under typical conditions on the farms, in the country store, and during transportation. The bulletin says:
 The field chosen for the work was one where the production and market ing of eggs was an important factor, a location where the cooperation of several farmers could be secured, and a town that was far enough from central collecting point so that the eff feet of typical transportation condi- tions could be observed! The eggs were collected at a stated time each day from several farms and every egg, fertile or fnfertile, was supposed to be absolutely fresh when entered in the experiments. The different tests included keeping eggs in dwelling house. in cyclone cave, in nests pro vided for laying hens, eggs placed un- der sitting hen, under &orncr1b, in nest in weeds or underbrush, in nests in strawstack, and, in stolen nests for periods varying from two to seven days. The tests emphasized the facL that inferti1e eggs keep better than fertile. One-third of the annual loss in eggs is due to ttb1ood rings" A ment and subsequent death of the ern- bryo of a fertile egg subjected to heat. No embryo can develop in an 1nIer- tile egg, no matter how long 1t may be subjected to heat Unless cooled at once and kept cool, a fertile eggs will hot almost quickly as raw milk. Some of the loss due to ..rots'. and 'rspots'' is caused by con tamination in the nest and Is largely, if not entirely, prevetnable. Among the results of the tests 1t was found that:
 Eggs kept in the cyclone cave prov ed much better in quality than those kept under other conditions;
 Taking the season as a whole, an unheated room in a dwelling is not conducive to good quality in eggs;
 During the hot summer months the conditions surrounding the weed nest the nest in the straw stack, or under the corn crib, and the stolen nest, as well as the keeping of eggs in the house, favor the production Of spots, blood rings, and rots;
 Infertile eggs, regardless of where they may be kept, are much more re- sistant to deterioration than fertile; Two-thirds of the total loss in fer tile and infertile eggs takes place on I the farm. The basic factors respon- sibIe for this condition are the hap hazard methods of poultry manage ment on the farm.
 l The results of all the experimental
 work point to the fact that the pro I duction of the infertile egg IS the 1 greatest asset in the attempt to pro | duce high-qua1ity market eggs during l hot weather.
 To assure a high quality of product
 and prevent in a large measure the
 loss now experienced in the value of l the country in egg production, pro-
 ducers are urged to observe the fol 1 lowing five simple rules: give the hens
 clean nests; gather eggs at least once daily; keep eggs in a cool, dry place;
 market eggs at least twice a week; 1 kill or sell all mature male birds as
 soon as the matching season closes. The bulletin is responsible for the statement that: Every year there is l a loss of millions of dollars in bad | eggs, the direct result. of haphazard
 methods of production, marketing. and 1 shipping which are now in vogue in
 many States. The greatest part of l this loss Is due mainly to ignorance 1 Or indifference on the part of the
 farmer and producer, and only a small
 part Is caused by carelessness on the part of the buyer and shipper" Inn portance is added to these statements 1 by the fact that a local concern that
 handles thousands Of dozens of eggs
 annually received word few days ago from a large Western shipper that l there were no eggs on hand to fill the
 local order. Of course the breeding
 season is on, which shortens the crop 1 tenporar ri1y, but 1t is beyond belief | that with careful management and a
 close eye to details there could be a 1 shortage of eggs at this season Of the year unless the broody part of the | a1a a arr as persistent one owned -5y the writer of this paragraph. He has ex- | hausted his portfolio of preventions
 for more than two weeks, only to find
 her as determined as ever to sit ii
 out.
 STOCK IN TRANSIT.
 Another important bulletin relating
 of especial interest to stockmen, of whom there are quite a number in the
 state. The bulletin says:
 Tn connection with the enforcement
 of the twenty-eight hour law, the bu-
 reau of animal industry has made in- vestigation of the feeding. watering,
 and resting of cattle, sheep, swine and l other animals while in the course of 1 interstate transportation. The results l of this investigation and the concIu- l sions based thereon are announced as l an indication of the views of the De- partment of Agriculture as to the min
 imum requirements of the law. The amount of feed which should be l given to different classes of animals
 varies with the length of time be-
 tween feelings and the weights Of the
 animals. For each twenty-four hours | the ration for horses and cattle should
 be not less than one and one-quarter
 pounds of hay to each hundredweight of animal; for sheep, not less than
 one and one-half pounds of hay to each h1ndredweigft of animal: and for
 hogs, not less than one pound of she'll
 ed corn, or its equivalent in ear corn
 or other grain, to each hundredweight
 of animal. For periods greater or less
 than twenty-four hours, the ration should be greaer or less, respectively,