POULTRY STATISTICS. 



30:? 



1838, it appears that eggs were imported into 

 England (though loaded with heavy duties) from 

 the Continent to the value of more than a mill- 

 ion dollars. 



"In 1835 the value of eggs exported from 

 Ireland to Great Britain was G8,G87, and at 

 the present time may exceed 100,000. [Mr. 

 M'Culloeh says the price paid by England to 

 Ireland for eggs and poultry may be estimated 

 nt from 200,000 to 300*,000 "a year.] At 

 fourpence per dozen the number of eggs which 

 this sum purchases would be 72,000,000. From 

 France and Belgium there were imported, in the 

 year 1840, 96,000,000, on which the duty of Id. 

 per dozen produced 34,000. In the last three 

 years the importations of foreign eggs were : In 

 1842, 89,548,747 in 1843, 70,415,931 ; in 1844, 

 07,487,920." 



Richardson, in his little work on " Domestic 

 Fowls," published in 1847, says, "I have had a 

 statement furnished me by Mr. P. Howell, 

 Secretary of the City of Dublin Steam-packet 

 Company to the following effect : 'The number 

 of boxes of eggs shipped by that Company's ves- 

 sels for London, during the years 1844-45, was 

 8874 ; about the same number was shipped by 

 the British and Irish Company, making a total 

 of 17148 boxes. Each contained 13,000 eggs; 

 but occasionally large boxes are used, containing 

 more than four times that number. This gives 

 the result of 23,072,400 eggs as annually ship- 

 ped for London. To Liverpool were shipped 

 5135 boxes, containing 25,566,500 eggs, mak- 

 ing a total of the shipments from Dublin alone, 

 during the years 1844-45, to the two ports of 

 London and Liverpool, of 48,639,900, the value 

 of which, at the average rate of 5s. Gd. per every 

 124 eggs (the return made), gives a sum amount- 

 ing to about 125,500 as the annual value of 

 the eggs shipped from Dublin alone; and since 

 this return the export of eggs has enormously 

 increased. Assuming the export of Dublin to 

 be equal to one-fourth of the exports of all Ire- 

 land (a calculation reaching much above the 

 mark), we have very close on 500,000, or half 

 a million, as the value of this branch of com- 

 merce to Ireland, showing also an increase of 

 four-fold since 1835." The same writer adds 

 in n note : "Bv the same returns I have ascer- 



tained that the export of eggs is now nearly 

 doubled, bordering on a million sterling." 



A writer in the " Quarterly Review" gives 

 some very useful information in regard to the 

 rearing of poultry and eggs, but confines his ob- 

 servations to London alone : " There can be no 

 doubt that the trade is a very valuable one, and 

 it is much to be regretted that our farmers (who, 

 by keeping poultry, admit the necessity of such 

 stock on a farm) should throw away so great 

 source of profit. The following figures will show 

 that the trade is very considerable. They refer 

 only to the quantities brought into tuo of the 

 principal markets of London, and are as fol- 

 lows : Eggs, 75,000,000; fowls, 2,000,000: 

 turkeys, 100,000; ducks, 300,000 ; geese, 100.- 

 000 ; pigeons, 400,000. 



"In addition to these quantities, the vast 

 amount sent to poulterers and private houses 

 must be considered. It is difficult to say what, 

 proportion of this comes from abroad, but the 

 fact that 60,000,000 eggs are imported annual- 

 ly from France, and that the Brighton Railway 

 alone carries yearly about 2600 tons of eggs 

 brought from Belgium and France, are fair in- 

 dications as to the rest." 



The rearing and keeping of poultry has be- 

 come a very important branch of rural economy. 

 Until quite recently the subject, in this country, 

 attracted little or no attention. Many at first 

 viewed it as too insignificant to merit considera- 

 tion. This is quite natural. Little things are 

 frequently treated with contempt, although in 

 the aggregate they assume magnitude surpass- 

 ing credulity. This is so, literally, with poultry. 

 Because a fair stock of fowls can be bought for 

 two dollars or so, they are regarded as beneath 

 the rank that entitles them even to kind treat- 

 ment, more especially if viewed in connection 

 with expected remuneration. But although the 

 winter stock of hens on a common farm may be 

 estimated at two dollars only, the fair valuation 

 of these hens in the country gives them a com- 

 mercial importance ranging with some of our 

 best products. 



In the absence of general statistics we must 

 take isolated ones, and from them draw general 

 conclusions ; and it is believed that we shall be 

 able to satisfy the reader that the culture of 



