POULTRY ORGANIZATION 153 



peasantry of Hungary, Servia, Roumania, Siberia, and 

 other countries, will always be able to provide eggs of 

 the cheapest type at a lesser cost than could be done 

 at home. But when, in the case even of Dutch eggs 

 (of which large quantities are sent to England), there 

 is generally a delay of from six to ten days before they 

 reach the actual consumer, the advantages in favour of 

 the English farmer controlling the market for really 

 * new-laid ' eggs are obvious. All that is needed is that 

 he should avail himself of his opportunities, along the 

 excellent lines advocated by the National Poultry 

 Organization Society. This most useful body (with 

 whose secretary, Mr. Edward Brown, anyone interested in 

 the subject should communicate, at 12, Hanover Square, 

 London, W.) has now forty branches or depots, at 

 which 3,350,000 eggs were sold during 1904 an in- 

 crease of nearly 700,000 over 1903. The value of the 

 produce disposed of in 1904 was 15,400, and the 

 average price obtained was a fraction over is. i-Jd. per 

 dozen. 



Of poultry the total value of the importations (dead 

 or alive) into the United Kingdom during 1904 was 

 1,089,044, distributed as follows : From Russia, 

 343>7 61 ; Belgium, 248,552; France, 235,700; 

 United States of America, 219,787; other countries, 

 41,244. In these figures we get further evidence of 

 the aforesaid possibilities, for poultry fully shares with 

 the other commodities here dealt with the honour of 

 increased patronage from all classes of the community 

 in Great Britain, and ' chickens ' at a modest price 

 would be still more popular with the average house- 

 wife, as an alternative to the eternal rotation of beef, 

 mutton, pork, and veal, if she could be always sure that 

 the birds she bought really were chickens, and worth 

 the money she was asked for them. But here, again, 



