GRADING EGGS FOR EXPORT.

Shannon News, 21 October 1924, Page 3

GRADING EGGS FOR EXPORT.

MIiTHiQD OF WELLINGTON DEPOT

With a view to gaining wider knowledge o£ the methods, employed m the grading of eggs for export, Mi- H. J. Mackay, wao is in charge of the Levin Poultry-Keepers' Association's depot, last week proceedeu to Wellington, and spent a day in l>ne Government grading aepot, which is located in Messrs Wright,

Steplienson, Ltd.'s cheese store ai Pipitea wharf* . Unuer tne guidance of Mr F, C* Brown, the departmental officer in charge, Mr Mackay spent a hig-iuty- interesting arid instructive day., as the result of which he .will be enabled ito considerably the system of grading which, he has adopted to date and still obtain the same results. Speaking jo a "Chronicle" representative this morning he gave a very interesting acoount 01 the procedure adopted ajt the store, On arrival at Che stQrej he states, tiie crates were unloaded on to a roller-conveyor laid in sections down the length of the stor©, one man being able to push thirty or more crates piled three high, with ease. On the left Qi the store are long tables, arranged under powerful .electric ligius upon which the crates of eggs are unpacked.

. THE INITIAL PROCESS. Two women stand, one on oact, side of a table upon which a crate of eggs, is placed, and the preliminary grading vis commenced by dividing the eggs into. two trays placed one on either side of the operator. These trays measure about three feet by two feet by four inches in depth and ar e so constructed that they can u placed one on top 0,l the other without danger to the eggs they contain. Into one. tray are put what are apparently first-grade eggs, suitable for export, on the oflner.si.de the second whilst the rejects, are placed in boxes on the floor. Immediately a crate is emptied, another is placet, in position by q, man who occupies his spare time in making. wood-pulp pads tor tlie "export", craves. The preliminary sorting completed, , the second grading is carried out under the supervision oaf the Govern-! merit Grader, when all mis-shapen, ! 'thin-shelled,; land under-weight eggs I are taken out. On front of each sort-1 er is a pair of. finely-adjusted scales on winch any egg the weight of which is doubtful, is weighed.. THE INTERIOR TEST. From this second sorting the trays oi eggs pass along to where two and } some times three women put them to | the final test, the "candling" or light j testing. . j The -light-testing apparatus is sim- i ply a small frame-work covered with { ruberoi.d or similar material, having J two 'hole§ close together immediately opposite an electric glQbe suspended down the wall. From the tray o. eggs on the "bench in front}, the tester •takes, two at a time, places them opposite the holes a<nd aocepts or rejects according tQ the. size of the aircells, blood-spots on yolk, or cracked shells, those for export being packed in crates on tlie left and the rejects placed in boxes on the right. PACKING FOR EXPORT. Each crate is weighed when empty, its weight, together with the weigof the wood-pulp pads, fillers and flats being marked, on tihe orate. When full, the crate is placed on a conveyor], taken to the scales, nailed down, and then weighed; if for instance the gross Weight is 64|l'bs, and. the crate, fillers, flats and pads weigh 151 b, leaving a neitt weight d eggs 49£lb, the nett weight of tin. crate would give a" lfi&lb pack to th idfcig liundiredl ((otherwise 10 dozen eggs)., there being three long hund-. reds to the crate. On the left hand bottom corner of the cra.te is marked the gnade (A or B), the colour (white or brown), and the weight per pack. The label on one end Qf the crate snows a 'Leghorn hen in white on a blue background, and a plate o! eiggs oil the bottom righit -hand corner, over which goes the Government stamp. Along the top is printed -New Zealand Eggs"). The other end of the crate has the initials of the senders on it and along the centre batten o.n each side of the crate is marked "New Zealand Eggs." The shed in which the grading is done is insulated,, and fitted with, refrigerating machinery. Every aigiH this- is put. into operation and t- 11, temperature reduced as much as. possible with a view to. the prevention, iu as iar as is pQssib.le, of deterioration. \. ..... -r i