Evening star., 1942-09-19
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

About 400.000000 American hens are
producing, for home consumption and
to feed the Allies, approximately six bill
Ion eggs a month-about billion more
than ever have been produced before in
this country.
Their patriotic output is nearly third
greater than the 10-year average. There
are more hens. They are eating more
grain, an essential for egg-laying. The
eggs, with all the water taken out but
rich in proteins and vitamins, are being
shipped to England by the ton. There
water can be added and dishes like
scrambled eggs served which are about
as good as if the eggs were fresh from
the shells.
A year ago it was determined by food
experts that dried eggs constituted one
of the best forms in which the man.
moth food production of Americas farms
could be gotten overseas with mini
mum of shipping space. The result,
Department of Agriculture experts say,
has exceeded their expectations. The
people of England have come to accept
the dehydrated eggs with some en-
thusiasm.
Soon after the lend-le program
started, it became apparent that ship
ment of entire eggs was not practical
1t required refrigeration, and refriger-
ated bottoms were at premium for
other foodstuffS. One of the first cargoes
of whole eggs was delayed for weeks and
when it arrived at a British port it had
to be dumped down an abandoned mine
shaft, the stencil was so bad
The program demands a constant re-
placement of the laying hens. In March
quarter billion chicks were Matched,
an all-time record, and the number that
have pecked their way out of incubated
more than during the same period last
year. More than half of this increase
was in the West Central States, where
poultry food production is localized
About third of this increase, how
ever, was of roosters that must 60 for
broilers and fryers, for which there is
no excessive demand. Some hatcheries
in the large commercial broiler areas
in the East have Matched about 40
per cent fewer chicks this year than
last, and the problem of getting rid of
the excess males may become acute
The increased activity of their laying
hens has been quite profitable to the
farmers. The price for eggs has kept
we'll above the spring average-57 per
cent above a year ago and 65 per cent
above the 10-year average. The national
average has been about 26 cents dozen.
The statistics of egg processing are
astronomical. For example, commercial
egg-breaking plants during May pro-
duced s5 million pounds of liquid eggs
half again as much as in the same
month last year. About 81 million
pounds were frozen for preservation,
The output of dried eggs was about q
million pounds, nearly 4o-fold that of
last May when the food features of the
lend-lease program were Just getting
under way.
Early this month there were close to
quarter billion pounds of frozen eggs
in storage, the largest reserve on re-
cord. They will be dried, mostly for
shipment abroad, next fall and winter.
But the hens must do even better to
meet the requirements, says the Depart
ment OF Agriculture in its latest war
letter to American farmers.
Every extra egg that can be produced
can be used. There is no time to wait
until this springs chicks start laying,
The only way to get extra eggs out of
the present layers is by extra care and
extra feeding.