General Considerations. 15 



dozen after paying all expenses. Notwithstanding that eggs 

 are admitted free of duty, there must be some sort of relation 

 between the price of eggs and the price of feed upon which 

 they are made, and it seems strange that, with our cheap grain 

 and other "chicken feed," greaves, pork-scrap, etc., which we 

 are constantly exporting, it is possible to import eggs with 

 profit. Though the quantity is small, it shows that the 

 demand for eggs is increasing faster than the supply. 



In England a different state of things prevails, for, during 

 the last four or five years, which are marked by a great 

 increase in population as well as in the consumption of poul- 

 try products, there has been no appreciable increase of impor- 

 tations. It is clear that the English home producer is waking 

 up to the advantage which he has over the foreign one. He 

 is near the market, and can get his goods in to take advantage 

 of its fluctuations ; and with fresh eggs and poultry, in form 

 to suit the trade, the highest prices can be realized, and it 

 would seem that, unless the price of feed in England were 

 very much higher than abroad, the home producer would soon 

 be able entirely to shut out foreign competition in first-class 

 goods. In America of course the producers have no excuse ; 

 they simply let that eighty-two thousand dollars slip through 

 their fingers because of their neglect to see and act up to 

 their own interests. 



The prices now paid for fresh eggs, not only in the cities 

 but in all great manufacturing centres would have been re- 

 garded as fabulous a few years ago. "We can remember that 

 twenty years ago fresh eggs could be bought at 12£ to 20 cents 

 a dozen; but now these are never less than 2- cents each, and 

 oftener 3 cents, 4 cents, and even 5 cents each. We have 

 been informed by a lady who lives within two or three miles 

 of a military head-quarters that during June and July she 

 can sell about thirty dozen eggs per week at sixty cents 

 a dozen. They are sent for to her own door, the cash 

 paid down, and she could sell twice as many if she had 

 them. This is undoubtedly an exceptional instance, but 



