It would be well for housekeepers to make the test by packing eggs from the same lot each way and noting the result.

Melted wax or suet may be used to coat the shells.  Eggs are sometimes immersed and kept in a solution of lime water, a pound of lime to a gallon of cold water, or simply packed in bran or salt, without a previous coating of fat or gum.  By any of these methods they will keep for several weeks.  Eggs, however, readily absorb flavors from surrounding substances, and for that reason lime water or salt solution are somewhat objectionable.  Nothing of a disagreeable odor should be placed near eggs.

Eggs for boiling may be preserved by placing in a deep pan, and pouring scalding water over them.  Let them stand half a minute, drain off the water, and repeat the process two or three times.  Wipe dry, and when cool, pack in bran.

Eggs should be kept in a cool, not cold, place and handled carefully, as rough treatment may cause the mingling of the yolk and white by rupturing the membrane which separates them; then the egg will spoil quickly.

The time required for the digestion of a perfectly cooked egg varies from three to four hours.

It is generally conceded that eggs lightly cooked are most readily digested.  What is generally termed a hard-boiled egg is not easily acted upon by the digestive juices, and any other manner of cooking by which the albumen becomes hardened and solid offers great resistance to digestion.

TO BEAT EGGS.—­This may seem trivial, but no dish requiring eggs can be prepared in perfection, unless they are properly beaten, even if every other ingredient is the best.  An egg-beater or an egg-whip is the most convenient utensil for the purpose; but if either of these is not to be had, a silver fork will do very well, and with this the beating should be done in sharp, quick strokes, dipping the fork in and out in rapid succession, while the egg should grow firmer and stiffer with every stroke.  When carelessly beaten, the result will be a coarse and frothy instead of a thick and cream-like mass.  Use a bowl in beating eggs with an egg-beater, and a plate when a fork or egg-whip is employed.

If the white and yolk are used separately, break the shells gently about the middle, opening slowly so as to let the white fall into the dish, while retaining the yolk in one half of the shell.  If part of the white remains, turn the yolk from the one half to the other till the white has fallen.  Beat the yolks until they change from their natural orange color to a much lighter yellow.  The whites should be beaten until firm and dry enough not to fall from the bowl if turned upside down.  The yolk should always be beaten first, since, if the white is left to stand after being beaten, a portion of the air, which its viscous nature allows it to catch up, escapes and no amount of beating will render it so firm a second time.  Eggs which need to be washed before breaking should always be wiped perfectly dry, that no water may become mingled with the egg, as the water may dilute the albumen sufficiently to prevent the white from becoming firm and stiff when beaten.