lOO 
The Illustrated Book: of Poultry. 
one to three hundred dozen daily, and the trade is increasing and these fine fowls making way. 
While, however, admitting that when in good condition finer fowls really cannot be found, it is 
well to point out that for all such as demand a professionally fatted fowl — and the best London 
demand is for such — these Saintfield fowls will appear inferior to the Surrey, and more resemble 
the excellent natural birds sent from Lincolnshire. Irish complainants also appear largely ignorant 
of the tremendous difference condition makes in price, and how peculiarly difficult it is to get the 
better fowls in good condition to market across sea. We had not fully grasped this ourselves, until 
after repeated visits to Leadenhall Market in the hot weather of 1887, where we saw on various 
occasions the arrival of consignments of various qualities of “ Irish ” fowls. The small and cheap 
ones presently alluded to came over chiefly packed in ice, and though soiled and common-looking, 
were perfectly fresh and good. Besides these, there used to come over packages of comparatively. 
“ fine ” fowls from Carlow and other places. We never, however, saw these laid down in ice, and 
were told they did not “ come well ” that way ; as it was, we saw box after box opened, to reveal 
the fowls within already turning green, and only to be sold for just what they would fetch, though 
originally worth two or three times as much as the others. Difficulties of this kind have to be 
overcome before the best Irish poultry can compete on equal terms with that of Surrey and 
Sussex, which is raised close at hand. Nevertheless, progress is being made, and the marked 
improvement in Irish poultry has brought down the prices of English very seriously. The 
London so-called market “report” of August 19th, 1887, gave the following prices: — Surrey fowls, 
4s. to 6s. 6d.; Sussex, 2s. 9d. to 3s. 6d.; Essex, is. 6d. to 2s. ; Irish, is. 9d. to 2s. 2d. ; Boston, 2s. 3d. 
to 3s., where it may be remarked that the “ Surrey ” fowl is the “ fatted ” fowl, and it will also be 
noticed that even the average “ Irish ” fowl quotes higher than the Essex district, even at the 
cheapest time of year. 
In all the west of Ireland there is not a single good market for poultry, and hardly any in the 
south. Generally, the small farmers rear as many chickens of some small breed as will keep up 
their stock, and no more; the surplus cockerels being sent to market at about three months old, 
where dealers buy them at 5s. to 8s. . per dozen. These are the common “Irish” fowls of the 
market, and this is what is paid for them ; in Leadenhall Market the same class of birds are 
sold for about is. 3d. each. They are small, simply because there is the same low price 
for eggs, be they large or small ; hence the cottager prefers small hens, as he can feed more 
for the same cost, and the small breeds are also the best layers as a rule. This accounts for the 
curious fact mentioned by Mrs. Smith as her own experience, and which we have had exactly 
corroborated by others, that while she and others have spread amongst the peasantry more or less 
of all the most desirable breeds, all in general soon disappear except Leghorns and Hamburghs, 
which are popular from their smallness and good laying. A reform in the egg trade would mend 
matters directly, and here and there, where butter factories buy up also eggs to send over, “ provided 
they are large enough,” the effect is seen very soon. The peasant is very quick to see all this, 
although he has not yet fully learnt the money value of mere cleanliness. The London dealers 
say that one reason of their preference (and their customers’ also) for foreign eggs over Irish, is that 
the former are clean and the latter “ dirty ” in comparison, which is simply owing to dirty nests. 
This point, however, rs mending, and Irish eggs are now much cleaner than they used to be. 
Eggs in Ulster (and many other parts) are mostly collected by women-dealers, who call weekly, 
each townland being visited on a certain day. Of course this means that many eggs are a week 
old while French are collected generally twice a week. These women sell to the dealers, who pack 
in large boxes for shipment. In England and Scotland (the latter taking largely) they go through 
“salesmen,” so that eggs, like fowls, are sold four times before consumed. The exporters prefer to 
