1907.] 



Russian Egg Trade, 



"3 



The Russian egg trade, which a few years ago was considered 

 to be scarcely worthy of notice, has developed to such a degree 

 and attained such a position, that egg-; 

 Russian now figure in Hi'' front rank of exports 



Egg Trade. from the Russian Empire. Mr. A. 



Woodhouse, H.M. Consul at Riga, states 

 that Riga is the principal port of export, though the eggs 

 shipped thence are not gathered from the Baltic Provinces 

 or from any of the neighbouring governments. The real egg- 

 producing region, from which supplies are drawn for the foreign 

 markets, may be readily traced on the map. It starts at 

 Tchernigoff in the south-west and sweeps round in a curve 

 towards the north-east, embracing on its way the Governments 

 of Kursk, Kharkoff, Voronejh, Tamboff, Saratoff, Penza, 

 Sauna ra, Simbirsk, Nijni-Novgorod, Kazan, and ends at 

 Viatka, but the more prolific districts are those of Voronejh, 

 Tamboff, the Volga, and Kazan, while a large trade appears to 

 be developing at Viatka. Eggs are also obtainable in Siberia, 

 and at a cheap rate, but their quality is not to be depended 

 upon. 



Tin manipulation of the egg business in Russia has been 

 Worked up to .1 high degree of perfection, and the agents of 

 th- firms in 1 his trade are legion. Every available district 

 lias been tapped, and the only areas that have not, as yet, 

 n exploited are those without adequate means of com- 

 munication. 



In the region mentioned the agents are engaged from May 

 to >< ptcmber or October 111 collecting, packing, and forwarding 

 the eggs to the coast for shipment, but before they can be sent 

 abroad, tlnv are e.irefullv sorted bv experts and repacked 

 according to class. The merchants or representatives of the 

 Continental firms engaged in the trade, pay periodical visits 



to the egg districts in order to see for themselves tin- condition 

 of the countrv, and to t<>rm some idea el the prospects for 

 future < 1per.1t H 'US. 



The prices of eggs varv according to (list 1 it t. time of season, 

 ,iml class ol egg. and range between 24 roubles (£2 CIS.) and 

 50 roubles (; 5 i.v'.l per case of 1 ,.pjo eggs, delivered at station. 

 There is no rule bv which pines are fixed, although some 

 districts yield better eggs than others, and the merchants 

 (1327) H 



