Evening star., 1918-04-14
WAIER-GLASS PLAN
FOR STORING EGGS
Sodium silicate Sd sdon Cheap, But
Preserves Freshness for
Many Months.

So long as eggs are traded in on the
! basis of the law of supply and demand,
prices are going to be low in the spring.
The markets are then glutted with
eggs, SO to speak, and to find an outlet
for them the bulk OF the shipments
must go into storage.
Back yard poultry raisers and farm
ers will find it to their, advantage to en-
ter this field, If only to meet the de-
mands of the home table. Why sacri-
fee your eggs at low prices In glutted
market. when you might just as we'll
store them at home, and use this sur
plus later on? The professional egg
dealer finds it profitable to store eggs,
why not get in on this game? Very lit
tie equipment is required, and the risks
are small, providing certain precautions
are taken. 1t is not necessary to store
the eggs all at once; you can put them
down few at time-every day, as
you get them. Preserving eggs is as
simple as preserving fruits. And where
is there a woman who does not take
pride in displaying storeroom or cup
board filled with rows Of jellies. jams
and other goodies? She regards pre-
serving as part of good housekeeping,
much the same as cooking and clean
ing.
The home preservation of eggs is by
no means a new practice: it has been
observed for years. Unfortunately.
only few housewives have taken ad-
vantage of this opportunity to make a
worthwhile saving. The chief reason
for this oversight is that the average
housewife does not know about it; or
IL she has heard of 1t, she regards it
with skepticism, or as being difficult
to carry out. These fears are ground
less, as we shall see.
Principles of Preservation.
Eggs resemble milk. in that they
offer an excellent breeding place for
bacterial development: they spoil read
lily when exposed to insanitary condi-
tions. The shell of the egg is porous
to admit the passage of air when the
egg is Matched. so that the embryo may
breathe: but this shell is coated with
a mucilaginous substance. sometimes
spoken Of as the "bloom" of an egg,
which prevents the entrance of bac-
terra, unless the coating is very old.
wet. softened by moisture, or rubbed
of by careless handling.
Obviously, it is a poor practice to
wash eggs, or to hold them in damp
places; and 1t is equally bad to expose
them to heat. or to handle them more
than necessary. Most of us appreciate
the fact that eggs are highly perisha-
Bile, yet the majority regard this per-
ishability as having to do with the
fragile nature of the shell, whereas
moisture is one of the greatest foes,
quite as destructive as heat.
There are several ways of preventing
bacterial development: One Is by shut
ting out the micro-organisms. another
is by cutting of the supply of oxygen
and a third method consists OF lower
ing the temperature below the point
where this growth will develop. which
is commonly called cold storage.
The housewife cannot hope to con-
duct an individual cold storage plant,
but she can operate a system of ex-
cluding the causes of deterioration Dy
immersing the eggs in a liquid, pre-
glass, which Is another name for
sodium silicate or potassium silicate.
Water-dlass Treatment.
Water glass, or soluble glass, is COM
monty sold in two forms, a thick, 4sirup-
like liquid of about the consistency OF
molasses. and in the form of powder.
Both forms are sold by leading drug
gists, though the liquid glass is prob
ably the most popular. Usually a con-
siderable saving can be made by or
dering the material direct from the
manufacturers at wholesale prices.
According to the test conducted by
luton of the desired strength may be
made by dissolving one part liquid wa
ter glass in ten parts water. If the
powdered glass is used, hlightly
smaller quantity of the silicate may be
employed.
Only pure water should be used in
making the solution, and to be sure of
the purity. the best plan is to boil the
water for about twenty minutes, then
allow it to cool before adding the sill
cate. In the case of powdered glass,
stir the liquid vigorously to prevent the
formation of Jumps. The water glass
Is heavier than water. and will go to
the bottom unless thoroughly mixed.
Stone Crooks Are Best.
Almost any sort of a container will
do for packing the eggs, but it is best
to use one Of wood, glass or crockery
than one Of metal Large earthenware
crooks which have a glazed or yitrified
surface are preferable. They are easisr
ta clean and will not absorb the solu-
tion. Five-gallon crooks fitted with
covers are most desirable.
Thoroughly scrub and scald the con-
tainer before it is used, and then store
the filled receptacle in a clean, cool
place, such as cellar. If kept too
warm excessive evaporation is likely
to happen. in which event the silicate