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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1385 
Washington, D. C. 
May, 1926 
THE POULTRY AND EGG INDUSTRY IN EUROPE 
By Howard C. Pierce, 
Consulting Specialist, Bureau of Agricultural Economics 
CONTEXTS 
Page 
Interest in foreign poultry produc- 
tion 1 
Production of poultry in Europe o 
Effect of land tenure on poultry 
production 3 
Effect of European climate on 
poultry production and quality 7 
Breeds of fowls 8 
Turkeys 10 
Government interest in raising poul- 
try 11 
Egg-laying contents 13 
Commercial handling and marketing 
of poultry 13 
Village market davs and auc- 
tions 14 
Transporting poultry 15 
I "reusing of poultry Its 
The continental poultry plant__ 18 
Preparing the Surrey fowl 20 
French methods of dressing 
poultry 27 
Belgian method of dressing poul- 
try 28 
A refrigerated poultry package. 29 
Wholesale selling of poultry 29 
Retail selling of poultry 30 
Marketing of geese 32 
Page 
Preparing American poultry to meet 
foreign demand 35 
Sizes :;.-; 
Fat and color 35 
Squatting 35 
Commercial handling and marketing 
of eggs . 36 
Gathering eggs from producers- 36 
Quality buying 37 
Payments to producers 38 
Purchase of eggs by weight 38 
Testing and grading of eggs 4<) 
Ecg packages 43 
Packing materials 4tJ 
Methods of packing for export__ 47 
Advantages of the European ex- 
port case 48 
Disadvantages of the European 
case 48 
Transportation of eggs 4!» 
Preservation of eggs 50 
Wholesale selling of eggs 52 
Wholesale prices of eggs .'.:; 
A noiseless auction 54 
Retail selling of eggs : 55 
Consumption of eggs in Great 
Britain 55 
American eggs for export oS 
INTEREST IN FOREIGN POULTRY CONDITIONS 
Production of poultry and eggs in the United Si ate- has been 
progressing at an astonishing rate, both as compared with other farm 
ynimals and as compared with the population. Since 1880 our popu- 
lation has slightly more than doubled, sheep have declined in num- 
bers, hogs have remained about constant, milk cows have increased 
about 25 per cent, but poultry and egg production is over four times 
that of 1880. (See Table f and fig. 1.) In view of the rapid in- 
crease in production of poultry products in this country, it is not 
tj7730°— 26 1 1 
