226 AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATION IN IRELAND. 



be hoped that they may see their way to meeting the demand of the pig- 

 feeders, which appears to be perfectly reasonable. If pigs can be bought 

 by weight and the quality judged while alive in the market elsewhere, it 

 ought not to be impossible to adopt a similar custom in Ireland. 



The returns of the business done by the Agricultural Societies give but 

 a faint idea of the amount of good which they have accomplished, for their 

 effect has been to reduce prices of agricultural commodities not only to 

 members of Societies but also to those who are not members but who live 

 in districts where the influence of a Society is felt. Farmers, whether 

 members of Societies or not, are now becoming more critical purchasers, 

 and unless they are deeply indebted to the merchant from whom they 

 obtain supplies, are now much more particular as to the quahty of the 

 goods which they purchase. As far as possible it has always been the 

 desire of the Society to encourage Home Manufacture in manures, cakes, 

 etc., in order to keep the money in the country, and it must be admitted 

 that the manufacturers are, at last, becoming alive to the importance of 

 the Co-operative trade, and evince a far greater desire to cater for the 

 wants of Societies than hitherto. As the Societies are bound to increase 

 rapidly, it behoves Irish manufacturers to leave nothing undone to render 

 it unnecessary for our Societies to look anywhere outside Ireland for their 

 supplies, and the least that can be expected of them is that they will 

 put the Societies upon trading terms as favourable as those enjoyed by 

 ordinary dealers in their products. 



The Co-operative Poultry Societies now number 21, with a membership 

 of 2,569. These Societies have been formed for the 

 P If ^ 'pf double purpose of improving the breeds and methods 

 ^ ■ of rearing and fattening poultry, and improving the 



methods of placing poultry and eggs on the market. 

 With these objects in view, this Society has employed Poultry Experts who 

 impart Technical Instruction to the Societies in the form of lectures and by 

 demonstration. One of these experts — Mr. Viggo Schwartz — has been 

 brought from Denmark especially to teach the Societies the Danish methods 

 of selecting, grading and packing eggs for exportation. Besides these 

 twenty-one Societies specially formed for carrying on this business, twenty 

 Dairy and Agricultural Societies have taken it up. Most of the Poultry 

 Societies have been but a short time at work, and their total trade turnover 

 for I goo only amounted to ^^9,47 5. This comparatively small trade was 

 mainly due to the difficulties which they had to encounter in obtaining due 

 recognition for the excellence of their eggs on the English markets — the 

 past barbarous system of packing and exporting eggs from Ireland having 

 almost forced down Irish eggs to the lowest position on the markets. An- 

 other cause which militated against them was the determined opposition of 

 the egg dealers who offered prices far in excess of what they had been 

 paying before the Societies were started, and, even in some cases, beyond 

 the real value of the eggs. 



When it was decided to take up the re-organisation of the egg and poultry 

 industry some years ago a crisis had arisen in the Irish Egg Export Trade. 

 The Liverpool and Glasgow egg merchants had issued a circular to the 

 ^ Irish Egg Shippers informing them that on and after a certain date they 

 would cease to buy Irish eggs unless they were fresh, clean, properly packed 

 in clean dry straw, or " wood-wool " and in non-returnable cases of the 

 pattern used by Continental shippers. Though this resolution was not 



