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Show BIG DEMAND FDR EGGS Call Is Growing Faster Than Supply Sup-ply in All States. Freshness In the Sense of High Quality Qual-ity Is Quickly Determined by Process Known as "Candling" Candle Is Easy to Make, In eggs and poultry wo havo an agricultural product of enormous money value, considered either 'Individually 'Indi-vidually or by comparison with our other agricultural productions. About 89 por cent of our farmers raise chickens; hence eggs may be said to bo a universal food, as well as a food of high nutritlvo value. Tho output of egge Is Bteadlly growing, hut the demand Is growing even faster than the supply, duo to the Increased price of meat, as well as a preference for eggs as food. Though tho production of eggs Is so widespread, only eleven states produce pro-duce more than are consumed within their own borders, and this production does not cover the entire year, but only those months when climatic conditions con-ditions are favorable to laying. It one considers the number of months each flflfl-oflHHBSfl!HHB BJ?BBBB';vJtB flfl ''"VBfl. 'vJ?jAj BbbV jbBsIBbbV -"v.flB IHHbv .BBBBBBw 'BBi Appearance of Fresh and 8tale Eggs A, Fresh Egg; B, 8tale, Shrunken Egg. year when climatic conditions pre-, elude egg production almost entirely over much of our egg-producing territory, terri-tory, It Is plain that some provision for theso months of scarcity must be made from tho season of plenty If eggs are to appear tho year round on tho tables of any except wealthy people. Therefore we must etudy and work for Increased egg production. Let us see what sorts of eggs are found on our markets! Here are rotten, rot-ten, broken, cracked, dirty, stale and shrunken eggs, and last unfortunately unfortunate-ly many times least are the fresh, Bound, clean eggs, which the market calls "firsts." The causes contributing to this list of undesirable and loss-producing loss-producing grades are mainly three: (1) Cllmatlo conditions; (2) careless or deliberately bad marketing; (3) poor care of tho poultry on the farm. Eggs aro graded for market according to size, freedom from dirt and cracks, and freshness. Size, cleanliness, cracks and color may be readily determined by Inspection. Inspec-tion. Freshness, in the sense of a high-quality, firm-bodied egg, Is determined deter-mined by a process known as "candling." "can-dling." The egg candle consists of a bright light, protected on all sides by an opaque shield in which are ono or two oval holes a little smaller than the egg. The eggs aro firmly pressed against these holes and, as tho light shines through, tho yolk and whlto may be Been, as well as the air space at tho large end of the egg and any foreign bodies that may be present. An egg which has Just been laid and is still warm, entirely fills the shell. Dut as It cools to the temperature of the air It contracts, leaving a small space at tho largo end of tho egg empty. As the egg ages this space I increases In etze, duo to the escape of moisture from the egg through Its shell. When the nlr ap'aco becomes Candling Eggs Shows Up Defects C, Fungus, "Spot" Egg; D, Rotten ' Eos. I pronounced It may in extremo cases occupy almost half tho shell tho egg Is known as "Bhrunkon." Tho slzu of tho air spaces la determined by candling. can-dling. A freBh egg, held beforo tho candle, ehows tho yolk but faintly as a red dish ball In tho center of tho shell. Ab tho egg ngos tho position nnd opacity opac-ity of tho yolk change; it becomes freely movable, perhaps rising, perhaps per-haps falling, in the shell and acquiring acquir-ing sharper outlines. |