58 
importation of liquid and dried eggs as given in the statistics of 
the imports and exports for the United Kingdom is equivalent to 
322,000,000 eggs in the shell. This includes the albumen and other 
forms of eggs used in technical trades as well as those sold to con- 
fectioners and bakers and for household purposes. Assuming that 
all of these eggs replace the shell eggs for food purposes, the in- 
creased consumption per capita would not be increased over eight 
eggs and would still fall far short of pre-war consumption. This 
decrease in consumption is probably due to the increased price of 
eggs, lack of employment, and a general increase in the cost of 
living. Under these adverse conditions eggs are usually one of the 
first articles curtailed by the housewife and usually without thought 
as to the relative value of other foodstuffs. The cessation of im- 
ports of eggs from Russia, which just before the war amounted to 
53 per cent of the total importations into the United Kingdom, 
has also been advanced as a reason for decreased consumption. The 
lack of Russian eggs may have increased the price of eggs in 
Great Britain and thereby decreased the consumption. But if con- 
sumption had been maintained at the increase in price, eggs from 
other sections of the world would have been available, so it would 
seem that the Russian effect was secondary rather than primary. 
AMERICAN EGGS FOR EXPORT 
The exportation of eggs to Europe is confined almost exclusively 
to Great Britain. It is necessary, therefore, to describe onty the 
demands and requirements of the British market. 
COLOR 
Great Britain prefers brown eggs to white eggs, although there are 
not the differences in pi-ice that have been prevalent in the past 
between white and brown eggs in the United States. The higher 
prices paid in London for eggs from the Netherlands are due 
largely to their brown color. Eggs from Barneveldt, Netherlands, 
are of an especially deep brown color. No breed of fowl in this 
country, not even excepting the Brahma, produces eggs of the in- 
tensely brown color of the Barneveldt fowl. Shippers of eggs in 
some European countries purposely mix their white eggs with 
brown on the theory that the brown ones will help to sell the white 
on British markets. 
SIZE AND CLEANLINESS 
Extra large eggs sell more readily than those of medium size, 
yet there is seldom a difference in price commensurate with the in- 
creased food value. Eggs that weigh 1G pounds to the 10 dozen 
are, on the whole, a satisfactory size for British trade. American 
eggs weighing not less than 45 pounds to the case will fall in this 
class. 
British markets are more lenient in their discrimination against 
dirty eggs than the uest American markets, but this tolerance does 
not extend so far as to permit the exportation of dirty eggs, as such, 
to Great Britain at a profit. As. in this country, absolutely clean 
eggs are more easily sold than those that are slightly dirty. The 
