956 



EXPE'RIMENTAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v., A. 1915 



Table No. 1. — Prices, by Provinces, of New-laid Eggs at the Experimental Farms and 



Stations for three Winter Months. 



It will be noticed that December had a higher average price than had the months 

 of January or February, and this is usually the case for the strictly new-laid quality. 



British Columbia comes highest in average price, and Manitoba lowest. One of 

 the reasons for Manitoba's comparatively low price is because of its nearness to Chicago, 

 from which so many train loads of eggs are shipped into Canada every spring. The high 

 prices reported from British Columbia are largely owing to the Station at Invermere 

 in the Upper Columbia valley, where because of local conditions the prices were excep- 

 tionally high, December 70 cents, January OS cents, and February, 62 cents. 



During the year a shipment of Chinese eggs arrived in Canada and found their 

 Avay to many centres throughout the country. In Ottawa they were sold as ordinary 

 stored eggs, and it is quite possible that those consuming them were not aware that 

 they were not Canadian or at least American. It is likely, however, that they were 

 used only in cooking. The eggs were smaller than ours, and in some places were 

 ■disposed of as " pullets' " eggs. According to the Customs figures, there were in these 

 shipments 406, 562 dozens, valued at $59,954. 



This Chinese invasion need not frighten the Canadian producer who markets the 

 strictly new-laid egg, as the class of eggs likely to be received from this source will not 

 come into competition with his superior quality. The shipments from the United States 

 however, are a much greater factor in influencing the general prices in Canada, and 

 though these should not come into competition with our new-laids in the winter, they 

 do help to bring down the prices in the early spring a few weeks before our own fresh 

 eggs come on the market. During the last fiscal year, 11,274,036 dozens of eggs were 

 imported into Canada, at a cost of $2,630,364. Poultry to the value of $293,513 

 was also imported into Canada. 



In an agricultural country like Canada it does seem as if we should grow eix)ugh 

 €ggs and poultry at least for our own use. 



THE YEAR'S INVESTIGATIONS. 



Most of the investigational work to report this year is comparatively new, and 

 because of this the experiments reported will not be many and in some cases the report 

 will be one of progress rather than of final results. 



The experiment on cotton-front houses has been running since 1907, so that the 

 report this year will be but a continuation. Other experiments such as breeding- 

 must necessarily cover indefinite periods, and may take several years before there 

 will be anything to report 



Ottawa. 



