102 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
Let us quote a few. The Rev. R. S. Woodgate, of Pembury, sends out neat cards, guaranteeing 
fresh butter and eggs at certain prices. For eggs his price is 2s. 6d. per dozen November to 
Pebruary, 2s. per dozen March and April, and September and October, and is. 6d. the rest of the 
year, paying carriage and sending labels for empties, all which have locks and keys. His carriage 
by express trains averages 2d. per dozen, large and small parcels. The trade, he says, “ paid me 
splendidly, and has so grown this year that I can hardly superintend it.” Another example is 
from a correspondent now in business, but who was previously a farmer. He sold all the spare eggs 
from about 160 hens to a small grocer, at from is. 4d. per score in summer to 2s. 6d. per score in 
winter, “as he could warrant them.” An occupant of a small dairy farm in Northumberland sells 
all her eggs at from twelve to sixteen for is. in summer, to six for is. in winter, “to milk customers 
and a few shops ” in Gateshead. In that neighbourhood, in fact, the farmers who have eggs to 
spare generally do send direct to shops in Newcastle or other towns, an example that might be 
widely followed in many places ; as also might the large local sales to the rural mining population 
at their doors. One farmer at Hatfield sends to private customers in London at id. to 2d. each, 
according to season ; and another at Stevenage sends his to two refreshment houses near King’s 
Cross. And in one case, already referred to, one producer sends 50,000 eggs per annum to London 
“ direct to consumers,” as prices offered him by others did not pay. These may serve as hints of 
what is possible with a little enterprise and ingenuity ; and they also show that progress really 
is being made to an extent little dreamt of by some who write upon the subject. 
One difficulty connected with this part of the question is, that in many places the shopkeepers 
“ candle ” the foreign eggs, and sell the best of them at higher prices as new-laid. We have traced this 
practice in several quarters, and unfortunately there is no means of checking this form of adultera- 
tion by Act of Parliament. It injures the farmer not only by keeping down prices of the genuine 
article, but by so deceiving the public, that more than half of that estimable body absolutely do not 
know what a really new-laid egg is or tastes like ! For the literal truth of this last fact we can 
vouch. But it leads to another point, by which some check could be maintained. Nearly all the 
foreign eggs are pure ivhite , while many British eggs are tinted, and these last have only to be bred 
in preference, to afford a ready means of distinction. Moreover, tinted eggs being generally richer 
in flavour and colour of yolk, are themselves preferred by the public, and command higher prices, 
so that we knew of one small raiser in Kent who obtained 2d. per dozen more than his neighbours 
on that account. All such points should have study in producing for market ; and a Minorca- 
Langshan cross may be strongly recommended from this point of view, as well as being a 
splendid layer. 
There is a still greater difficulty, however, in the fact that as a rule farmers have only eggs in 
spring and summer, whilst egg-merchants must have a constant supply, and will not discard those 
who serve them in the scarcest time, for mere summer producers. This was pointed out by several 
merchants who took part in a discussion of the question in The Times of March, 1887, and who 
also remarked that their imports came to them under well-known brands, which were a guarantee 
of quality. Moreover, in the summer, eggs are cheapest and least remunerative. We learn that 
the first foreign eggs come from Italy, owing to the climate ; then come French and Algerian, &c., 
and the last in the market are Swedish. Ireland also produces eggs in winter, one of the 
correspondents just referred to stating that he got 15,000 per week from one merchant in Ireland 
in summer, which quantity went down to 8,000 per week in winter. Such, however, is a very fair 
proportion, probably due to that “ warmth of the poor man’s cabin ” which was mentioned by 
Martin Doyle fifty years ago in this very connection. But all our evidence goes to show that the 
methods of the average British farmer concerning this matter are deplorable. On this one point 
