February 7, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



119 



that he had sold .£300 worth of poultry last year to one lady. 

 I, for one, shall not join the Poultry Club until I am con- 

 vinced that the affair is not got up to satisfy the prize-list 

 appetite of a few of the largest exhibitors. It may not be 

 so, but a great many are very mi^oh afraid that such is the 

 case. I give you my name and address as a giiarantee of 

 good faith. — A Timid Exhibitor. 



PRICE OF EGGS. 

 Me. Getelin is correct in his supposition, I do reside in 

 the country. However, since I last wrote to you relative to 

 the price of fresh eggs, I have been in London, and as I am 

 in a position to supply a few hundreds weekly, I thought I 

 would try to obtain a price similar to that quoted by Mr. 

 Geyelin. The highest offer I had was exactly 5s. per 100 for 

 fresh-laid eggs. At this time of the year they are worth 

 more than that in the country, so I did not succeed in doing 

 a trade. If Mi-. Geyelin or any of your readers would be 

 good enough to tell me where I could dispose of my produce 

 at his prices, I should esteem it a favour. — C. S. J. 



will realise a proportionate profit, but the above may be 

 taken as an average. 



The expense for buildings, machines, hatching-appliances, 

 stock, &c., does not exceed ^£1 per head on the breeding- 

 stock ; and allowing for wear and tear, and interest at the 

 rate of 10 per cent, per annum, there will be a charge of 2s. 

 per annum on each hen. 



Estimate for one breeding-hen per annum : — 



KEVENUE. 



£ 5. 



150 eges at 10s. per 100 15 



24 chickens at 5d. each . 

 Manure . 



EXPENSES. £ 



Interest 



Food, including share of 



cock 



Labour 



Rent, fuel, sundries 



4 6 



£0 10 

 Nettproat 12 



peeseeyijS'g eggs. 



I SEE various plans mentioned for preserving eggs. The 

 best and simplest of these plans I have not yet seen in your 

 coluinns. Let me describe it. Take a half-inch deal board, 

 bore in it as many li-inch holes as it will conveniently hold, 

 then take four strips of the same deal, two of the length 

 of your board, and two of the breadth, and 3 inches broad ; 

 fasten them to the edges of your board with sprigs, allowing 

 half an inch of each to project above the board as a raised 

 edge. You wUl then have an egg-crate, which wiU keep 

 sggs good for an indefinite time if they have never been 

 allowed to get wet. In my hoirsehold they are kept in this 

 manner from August to February, when eggs again become 

 plentiful and good for all culinary purposes, except, perhaps, 

 tor bringing to the table as boiled eggs. A crate which I 

 have just been measuring, is 40 inches long and 12.V broad, 

 and I find it holds seventy-five eggs — viz., fifteen rows of 

 nve each. The half-inch projection above is to prevent any 

 egg from rolling off.— T. G. 



£12 £12 



Estimate for one laying-hen per annum. A hen kept fr-om 

 the cock will lay at least 180 eggs per annum. 



REVENUE. 



ISO eggs at 10s. per lOO.. 

 24 chickens at 3d. each .. 

 Manure 



£ s. 

 18 

 6 

 1 



d 

 

 

 



£1 5 







EXPENSES. £ s. d. 



Interest, rent, fuel, and 



sundries 16 



Food 4 



Labour 10 



£0 6 6 

 Nett profit 13 6 



£15 



Epitome of the total estimated revenue and expenses of a 

 poultry-breeding establishment, with 3000 stock fowls and 

 50,000 chickens per annum, as per preceding details : — 



POULTEY-KEEPING FEOM A COMMEECIAL 

 POINT OF VIEW. 



{Concluded from page 100.) 

 Estimate of annual revenue and expenses for a poultry- 

 breeding establishment with 3000 stock fowls :— 



Proat from 10(10 breeding fowls at 12s. each . 6(J0 6 



Ditto from 2000 laying.fowls at 18s. 6^/ 1850 



txtr.iproflt from the sale of choice birds 600 



i;roat on the sile of 60,100 fat chickens at Is. 6rL eacli 3760 



ixtra proBt lor eggs laid in winter (see page 16) ■ 626 



BEVENUE. ±. 

 / 50,000 chickens at 2s. 6d. 



I each 6250 



i The feathers at Irf. each 208 



' The manure at Sd each 626 



(2000 laying-hens at 18s. 1800 



i Chickens at Cs 600 



( Miinure at Is. each 100 



!1000 breeding-hens at 



15s 750 



Chickens at 6s 300 



Manure at Is. each 50 



From extra eggs during 



winter 625 



From extra price for 



choice birds 5B0 



EXPENSES. it s. a 



/ 50,000 chickens, inter- 

 est, rent, fuel, and 

 sundries at 3rf. each 625 

 Cost wnen hatched 2d. 



each 416 



Food at 9rf. each 1875 



VLabour at 2rf. each 416 



I 2000 layini:-hens, inter- 

 est, rent, and sundries 



■{ at Is. 6rf. each 150 



Food at 4s. each 400 



V Labour at Is. each 100 



11000 breeding-hens, in- 

 terest, rent, fuel, and 

 sundriesatSs Odeach 175 

 Food at 4s. 6(i, each ... 225 

 Labour at 2s. each 100 9 



Total annual expenses. ..£4482 

 Netl profit 7320 



; 



Or a nett proat of £7325 



This large profit on an outlay of about .£3000 for buildings, 

 fittmgs, and stock is explained in detail hereunder; and 

 when it is considered that there exists an almost unlimited 

 , demand for eggs and poultry, that the sales are effected 

 tree of trouble and at a moderate commission by wholesale 

 salesmen, and that the proceeds of the sales are remitted 

 the day after the consignment, it must be from want of know- 

 ing these facts that so Httle has hitherto been done by 

 capitahsts m keeping one of the most useful but most 

 neglected of domestic animals. 



Estimate of revenue and expenses of one chicken, six 

 months old, fattened for the market :— 



Total annual revenue £11,808 Oi £11,808 



From the above it wOl be seen that ample allowance is 

 made for 

 Interest, rent, fuel, and sundries, which in the aggregate £ s. (f. 



amountto 950 



The food figures for 2500 



The sum charged for labour will allow of an efficient stjff of 

 at least thirty hands, young and old, of both se-tes G16 



The revenue, on the other hand, will bear disappointment 

 in any or all its items, and then leave an enormous profit in 

 proportion to the capital employed. 



£ s. d. 

 The revenue from stock is represented in the aggregate by... 8800 



From hatching chickens by artificial means 900 



From feathers 208 o 



From manure 725 



GENEKAL PLAN OF BUILDINGS. 



HEVENIIE, £ s. d 



Selhngpnoe 2 6 



Feathers 1 



Manure " 3 



EXPENSES. £ s. d. 



Interest, rent, fuel, and 



sundries 3 



Cost of chickens when 



hatched 2 



Pood 9 



Labour 2 



£0 14 

 Nett profit 16 



£0 2 10 £0 2 10 



V^Suckens sent to the market at fom- or nine months old 



Abreeding-establish- -t" 

 ment on the above 

 scale will require about 

 four acres of land for 

 the buildings. Six 

 buildings, each300feet 

 long, wOl contain 1200 « 

 poultry-homes ; then a 

 building at each end 

 joining the six build- 

 ings will be used for 

 artificial hatching, for 

 stores, and aU neces- 

 sary offices. The cost 

 of the whole will be 

 about dfiSOOO. An un- 

 interrupted covered 



300 FEET .•> 



rig, 24.— General 1-ian of Buildings. 



