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I don't know what kind of storage Stillman has in mind for his eggs, but it would have to have been cold storage, available at the time, probably in ice houses. Below is a narrative taken from a patent application for an egg storage preparation device that was submitted in 1919 and granted in June of 1922. It details some of the problems that egg merchants faced in storing eggs. Notice that March and April are peak months for storage. I guess Stillman was lucky to have cheap, available labor to get his eggs ready.
Description of Method of Preparing Eggs for Storage. Patented June 20, 1922.
The treatment of eggs in preparation for storage is now a well established industry, but, on account of the fact that the production of eggs is much more abundant at a certain season of the year, namely, in the months of March and April, than in the remainder of the year; and also that, under the present systems of treatment for storage, especially the candling of the eggs to remove therefrom the defective eggs, expert labor is required; and that expert candlers are few in number and difficult to obtain on account of the fact that their services are only needed for a month or two in the year, the number of eggs that can be packed for cold storage is by no means commensurate with the number of eggs that could be so packed. The packing under the present system cannot keep pace with the supply.
Furthermore, under the present system, eggs are collected at various points in the country districts and are shipped by rail to a central storage plant, as, for instance, in New York City, before shipment, they are graded by hand, but the grading cannot be absolutely relied on. Moreover, a considerable number of the eggs, on an average from 15 to 18 eggs in a case of 50 dozen eggs, become cracked in transportation. Under the present system these cracked eggs are treated just like the sound eggs and are placed in storage, the reason being that the only way to detect whether or not the eggs are cracked is by the sound or by candling and it is practically impossible to obtain help to do this in the short time permitted.
Consequently, these cracked eggs go into storage with the others. They come out moldy and unfit for use, and, in addition, they infect the sound eggs. Not only is loss caused to some of the sound eggs on this account, but there is the extra expense of storage of unsound eggs, transportation to the places where they are to be retailed, and storage therein before they are finally sold to the ultimate consumer, with the additional inconvenience that the eggs have to be sold with the knowledge that there are a number of eggs in a case unfit for use.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a machine which, by dispensing with the necessity of expert candlers, and by the rapidity of operation of the machine itself, will enable the packing to keep pace with the supply, as well as exclude cracked and unfit eggs from storage.
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