262 



Poultry Rearing and Fattening. [aug., 



Prices run highest between January and June, and in April 

 they are generally at a maximum, but these are the months also 

 when it is most difficult to have chickens of the proper age and 

 grown to the size and weight required for fattening. It is easy 

 to see, therefore, that a good deal of intelligence, care, and skill 

 is needed in order to reap the greatest possible profits from the 

 chicken-raising industry. 



The following description of the work of a society, which may 

 be taken as a fair example of the average Irish poultry society 

 engaged in the fattening and marketing of table poultry, will 

 serve to illustrate the methods usually pursued in the south- 

 east of Ireland in preparing table poultry for the British markets. 



This society is situated in a well-wooded valley, which is the 

 centre of one of the most flourishing table poultry industries in 

 Ireland, and it operates over an area of about sixty square miles. 

 The members of the society reside within this area, and consist 

 chiefly of farmers and farm labourers, to the number of about 

 200. The aggregate nominal value of the share capital is 

 about £300, made up of £1 shares, and whilst the majority of 

 the members hold only one share each, some of those who 

 are. well-to-do hold three or four shares each. The society is 

 governed by a committee appointed annually from amongst the 

 members themselves, and in the election of this committee every 

 member of the society has one vote, and only one, whether 

 he holds one share or more than one. Meetings of the committee 

 are held fortnightly, and during the busiest seasons sub- 

 committees are also appointed to meet at more frequent intervals, 

 but during the comparatively slack seasons the manager of the 

 society conducts the business under the supervision of the 

 general committee. In addition to the share capital there is also 

 a further sum of ,£200 to £500 borrowed from one of the 

 banking companies, and on this the society pays interest at the 

 rate of 4 per cent, per annum. Part of the share capital has 

 been invested in buildings and appliances, and the borrowed 

 capital is used chiefly in conducting the business. It is necessary 

 to have a rather large capital, as the chickens are paid for when 

 they are delivered at the stores, and it takes three weeks to 

 fatten them and another week before the price is received from 

 the English merchants, so that the society must have at all 



