22 



INTBODUCTION. 



one district, but which I liave modified a little in ac- 

 cordance with later information. 



By the courtesy of the London, Brighton and South 

 Coast Eailway, I am able to give the figures showing 

 the extent of traffic in dead poultry from Heathfield. 

 The following figures are for six months, representing 

 about half the year's trade : — 



By Goods By Passenger 



The year's operations consist of six busy and six slack 

 months, and the above table gives the returns for three 

 of each. From this it will be seen that from April, 

 1892, to March, 1893, the railway company conveyed 

 certainly not less than 1,350 tons of dead poultry from 

 this one station. If the average weight of each bird 

 were four pounds, and probably, taking one season 

 with another, this would be fair, for the largest birds 

 are not produced at Heathfield, that represents more 

 than three-quarters of a million fowls (750,000), truly 

 a marvellous result. What the total extent of the 

 Sussex trade in poultry is we have not been able defi- 

 nitely to obtain, but, inclusive of other districts, it 

 probably exceeds 2,000 tons per annum, which on 

 the same ratio means 1,112,000 fowls. The exact 



