526 



Eggs versus Table Poultry. [dec, 



they would eat, in the morning, with a good feed of corn at 

 night, and nothing more. Such a system assists winter egg pro- 

 duction, but the fault of nearly all farmers and poultry-keepers 

 lies in supplying too much food, in giving rich and fatty meals 

 and grains, not only costly in themselves, but preventing 

 abundant laying during the scarce season. Whatever be the 

 method adopted, everyone who goes in for egg production must 

 constantly aim at meeting the winter demand. One egg then 

 may be worth three in the spring, and it entails no more expense, 

 as the hen has to be fed whether she lays or not, and every egg 

 so produced probably means one less when they are plentiful 

 and cheap. 



Preservation of Eggs. — It is natural, however, that eggs 

 should be more plentiful during the spring and early summer. 

 In many districts farmers find it better to sell even at moderate 

 rates than attempt preservation. But where there is con- 

 venience for storage it is found very profitable to keep eggs 

 until November and December, when, if they have been put 

 down fresh and have been well kept, they can be sold at 50 to 

 60 per cent, above the spring prices. They should, however, be 

 sold as preserved eggs, and they are decidedly superior for 

 cooking purposes to the box eggs sold in the shops during the 

 winter season. The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have 

 published a leaflet (No. 83) showing the methods of preserva- 

 tion recommended. Eggs should be perfectly fresh and quite 

 clean when preserved, while they should be carefully tested 

 before they are sold, and kept all the time in a cool place. 



Table Poultry, — The production of high-class table poultry, 

 for reasons already stated, cannot be so general as that of 

 eggs, although in every part of the United Kingdom there are 

 districts where chickens could be reared as successfully as in 

 Sussex. The requirements of our best markets can, however, 

 only be met where the work of breeding and rearing is com- 

 pleted by the final process of fattening, which is a highly 

 specialized industry, and one that requires a regular supply of 

 suitable birds. Fattening can be carried out with as much 

 success in the North of England, in the Western counties, in 

 Wales, Scotland, or Ireland, as in the South-Eastern district 

 of England. The great advantage which the last-named has 



