THE GROUPING OF PRODUCTS 77 



tive added, it is despatched by the London and 

 South Western Railway Company's boats to 

 Southampton, en route for London, the output 

 of the factory representing from 200 to 300 

 gallons of cream a day. 



This concern is not a co-operative one, but 

 it nevertheless illustrates the important fact that 

 even where, in France, there is no actual co- 

 operation among the agriculturists, there may 

 still be such a grouping of products gathered 

 in from a wide area as to eventually represent 

 very large quantities to be consigned by a single 

 firm or trader, instead of a multiplicity of small 

 lots forwarded by individual producers; and from 

 the point of view alike of the railway companies, 

 in their charge for waggon -loads, and of the 

 British grower who sees huge consignments of 

 foreign produce passing his doors, the point as to 

 who are the consignors of such loads is a matter 

 of detail. It may be of interest if I give one or 

 two more illustrations of how, even without direct 

 co-operation, these huge consignments may still 

 be got together. 



In regard to eggs France is distinctly behind 

 Denmark in her system of collection and export, 

 and this may be one reason why, as already 

 mentioned in Chapter II., French consignments 

 of eggs to this country have fallen off so much 



