The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-09-19

FRANK E MuSSehl, Department o.
W ANSAS is one of the eleven
states in the Union that pro
- - duce more poultry and eggs
than are consumed within
their boundaries. It has many adYan-
tages which ought TO put it well in
the lead as a poultry and egg state
Climate conditions are very favorable,
plenty Of good poultry feed is pro-
duced near at hand, and there are
markets in all directions. Thousands
of cases of eggs are going to Colorado,
California, Texas and New Mexico for
the ranch and mine trade, and the
larger egg markets Of Chicago and
New York are calling for all the eggs
Of the better class that they can get
Kansas farmers are losing a million
and a half dollars each year because
their eggs are not produced and han
died properly. Forty-tHo per cent OF
this loss can be traced to the fact that
Kansas farmers are producing fertile
eggs during the summer months when
it is almost impossible to handle this
class Of eggs in such a way that they
will remain good food for any con-
siderable length Of time.
It seems to be a common belief that,
in order to have germ development in
a fertile egg, the egg must be kept at
a temperature OF 102 or lob degrees
Fahrenheit The truth Of the matter
is, however, that in fertile egg, germ
development is taking place at all tenn
peratures above 6S degrees Fahren-
heit.
Well developed blood rings can be
distinguished in fertile eggs kept at
1O2 to 103 degrees for three days, at
ter which the egg is no longer fit for
food and is a total loss to the producer
or to the dealer. This change takes
place as quickly in the farmers ktch-
en-, or on the road to market, as it
does in an incubator.
We can well understand, therefore,
why it is so hard to keep fertile eggs
in a marketable condition in the sum-
mer months. InfertiIe eggs, on the
other hand, can be kept under the
same conditions for a considerable
time and still remain pure food" An
infertiIe egg will lose its quality if
kept too long, but viii not spoil by
heating. The air cell will become
larger and the contents viii dry down
will still be tit for food.
There are two reasons why IL = so
hard to get an improvement in the
quality of eggs produced. One is that
the change which is taking place with
in the fertile egg cannot readily be
seen unless the egg is examined be-
fore the candle When a basket Of
fruit or hamper of vegetable spoils,
the producer, as well as the consumer,
can readily see what is going on.
Within the egg shell, however, even
more detrimental changes may be TAX
ing place without being noticed until
the egg is opened for use.
The other reason why it is hard to
improve the quality is found in the
way our market eggs are now han
died. The greater number of eggs are
handled, at some time or other, by
grocers who buy on a ease couEt"
basis, paying as much for small, dirty,
and stale eggs as they do for good,
fresh, clean stock Until the grocers
and produce men discriminate in favor
of the better eggs brought in, we can
not expect a very rapid improvement
in the quality. Too many grocers and
merchants look at their egg business
as a necessary evil-neeessary to hold
the farmers trade and carried on for
no other reason
1t is commonly thought that the rea-
son why the price Of eggs goes down
during the summer months is because
of over-production. The true reason,
however, is that the quality goes
down so that the buyers and dealers