Many eggs that would not do for ordinary storage are preserved by direct freezing.  These eggs are broken and carefully sorted and placed in large cans and then frozen.  Such a product is disposed of to bakers, confectioners and others desiring eggs in large quantities.  Another method of preserving eggs is by evaporation.  Evaporated or dried egg is, weight considered, about the most nourishing food product known.  The chief value of such an article lies in provisioning inaccessible regions.  There is no reason, however, why this product should not become a common article of diet during the season of high prices of eggs.  Dried eggs can be eaten as custards, omelets, or similar dishes.

Preserving Eggs Out of Cold Storage.

Occasional articles have been printed in agricultural papers calling attention to the fact that the cold storage men were reaping vast profits which rightfully belonged to the farmer.  Such writers advise the farmer to send his own eggs to the storage house or to preserve them by other means.

As a matter of fact the business of storing eggs has not of late years been particularly profitable, there being severe losses during several seasons; Even were the profit of egg storing many times greater than they are the above advice would still be unwise, for the storing, removing and selling of a small quantity of eggs would eat up all possible profit.

The only reliable methods of preserving eggs outside of cold storage are as follows: 

Liming:  Make a saturated solution of lime, to which salt may be added, let it settle, dip off the clear liquid, put the eggs in while fresh, keep them submerged in the liquid and keep the liquid as cold as the available location will permit.

Water glass:  This is exactly the same as liming except that the solution used is made by mixing ten per cent. of liquid water glass or sodium silicate with water.

Liming eggs was formerly more popular than it is to-day.  There are still two large liming plants in this country and several in Canada.  In Europe both lime and water glass are used on a more extensive scale.

All limed or water glassed eggs can be told at a glance by an experienced candler.  They pop open when boiled.  When properly preserved they are as well or better flavored than storage stock, but the farmer or poultryman will make frequent mistakes and thus throw lots of positively bad eggs on the market.  These eggs must be sold at a low price themselves, and by their presence cast suspicion on all eggs, thus tending to suppress the price paid to the producers.  The farmers’ efforts to preserve eggs has in this way acted as a boomerang, and have in the long run caused more loss than gain to the producers.

For the poultryman with his own special outlet for high grade goods, the use of pickling or cold storage is generally not to be considered for fear of hurting his trade.  Any scheme that would help to overcome the difficulty of getting sufficient fresh eggs to supply such customers in the season of scarcity would be of great advantage.  The proposition of pickling a limited number of eggs and selling them for “cooking” purposes, explaining just what they are, ought to offer something of a solution, although, to the writer’s knowledge, it has not been done.