The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-16
VAST SUMS LOST
IN HANDLING EGGS
CarclessncSs Is One Of Chief
Causes for Great Waste
Which Exists Now.
CLEANLINESS ESSENTIAL
~ WALTER q. KRUM.

Wnen one VISITS VHe large ees CHi"ilHs
establishment and sees the enormous
amount OF riggs consigned to the garbage
one wonders who is responsible for this
and the similar losses. estimated by tho
United States Department OF Agriculture
to have amounted last year to about
$4,000. 900, or II per cent. OF all eggs
shipped. OF these . per cent. were dirty
eggs, 2 per cent. broken eggs. o per
cent. eggs In which chicks have begun
to grow, 6 per cent. with shrunken con-
tents. 9 per cent. rotten and I per
cent. mouldy and bad favored. Many
producers and shippers complain that
they do not receive fair returns for their
products. feeling that they should have
received at least the highest quota
tions,' without realizing that highest
prices are paid for high quality only.
New York city pays tie highest price
for No. / white eggs, while Boston n
the best New England markets call for
fancy or No. ! brown eggs. Yet OF all
the eggs shipped to these markets only
about > to : per cent. are Of the color
and quality desired for the best trade,
while the bulk Of the shipments contain
eggs Of various colors. sizes and quality.
There are also NAM fresh laid ,gss
good on the outside. hut containing mea;
spots and blood clots easily detected In
Gambling. which ~ ay he mistaken by TIE
customer for partly developed chicks.
one can only expect u receive for such
eggs prices in proportion TO their qualify.
Nearly all the losscs and low prices
can I've traced to tho ignorance, careless
ness or indifference of the producer or
shipper. and could Ice asuid"d IL only
good business methods were followed.
The poultry man should keep only healthy
stock. carefully selected and bred So is
to produce large. uniform white or brown
eggs. As color and size Of eggs are in
herited characteristics II IL advisable 10
keep only Thoroughbred stock and m
cubatc only the best types Of eggs.
All eggs should be produced under
sanitary conditions. The buildings
should be properly ventilated SO as to
admit plenty of fresh air. watch Is q
most potent factor I'm maintaining the
health Of the fowls. The nests should
be kept clean, and protected AT night
with "a door or cover 10 prevent hens
roosting In them aud sciliuE them I'M
, necessarily. The houses should Ice
cleaned and dlsiufoctcI often and the
yards either used alternately OF large
enough that the hens viii have a green
range. Muddy feet mean soil',l eggs.
Do not use in the nest disintcvtauts
or nest Eggs having Objectionable ulorS,
as eggs will as quickly absorb these AS
they Will odors from Nth.
Eggs should be collected a. least once
a day and In extreme cold or hot
weather twice :, day. All soilcd ones
should be- cleaned at once with a damp
cloth. They shouId never be soaked in
water. as egg shells ar" porous and -
large amount OF filth would bc soaked
/ through and flavor or faint the egg
The germ In a fertile egg may start
TO develop into a chick IN "A temperature
as low as - degrees Fahrenheit. II is
therefore advisable to keep males In the
Nocks only during the breeding season,
thereby producing i~nfcrtile egg, cspc-
cially during the warm summer months
All eggs should he sold as promptly
as possible. for they deterioratc rapidly.
When 1t is necessary 10 hold them q
few days they should not Ice stored in
a cellar or cooler where tie air il stale,
where there Is decdyed fruit or vcEc-
tables or near vegetables having strong
odors. such As onions. cabbage or tur-
nips. The hest place TO store eggs for
a short time Is IN a clean, SlighilN moist
cellar that; Is well ventilated aud prefer
ably AZ a temperature OF A. degrees 10
a. degrees. Th"s" eggs should be
caudled before shipping to remove ANY
cracked or thin shells, any that may
have been spoiled in stolen nests or mat
contain blood clots or meat spots II
Eggs are hold Ia = warm or dry room
the moisture cyaporatos. aud a large
air space appears iu The GEE Su'h
eggs are graded rs 'hc'd egg 't Very
poor gradci. AMI always suffer q l',t''
discount on he market
The production 81 a large number ~
high grade eggs is mol only a matter ~
breeding, pr per feeding Is an equally
important ~fartu. Hens need 'drC"
amounts or water. and this should a.
ways he clean. They must have sharp
hard srit always available. smooth
sand or gravel viii not do,
Since a good egg shell cort7ius about
% per cent. carbonate O. lime, this
should be furnished in an available and
cheap form. know nothing better for
this purpose than u>stcr shell, yet often
when this is before the birds all th"
tim. We lind many soft and th'n SHIELDED
eggs. This is liSunll$ du" 10 TIN" f'ri
that the method of fccduug - such iuo
hens take hut little cNc ,ls". "httIuluG
their food 50 C'SllN lihl lN'l hl'i~'''
become 8 r. ard thor hodlc~ $50 filled
with soft and ottcujlm"s diseased iit
that the lime cannot -" utilized. GIVE
plenty Of green food all tho year round
as a stimulant tN appetite, "a all to d.
gcs,ion and to produce rich yellow 'GE
yolks no not, however, feed MONS ~
other vegetables or foods hay ~ =
strong flavor, as they might affect TIN"
flavor OF the eggs Your state colleges
| and experiment stations will gladly FUR
! uish you with formulas FOR III" ratl IL
best suited to Nour l~u,llIty,
The demand Tor high grade r@gs t. al
WAYS in excess of the supply and can
best he filled by the man who produces
a uniform output throughout the We r
Ia order to do this h" must hatch his
pll,ets early enough TO con- rcucr pro-
WI TIT