The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-06-10
agricultural 1spartmf
CONDUCTED BY ALERT CHAPMAN.
Eggs as n commercial Commodity.

Eggs form . very important CONNER
cial commodity. What the extent Of the
business in New York is. there are no re.
turns to enable one to state definitely,
but that it is large is manifest. We can
form some estimate of it by glancing at
the consumption in other cities.
In Paris it was calculated that the
annual average consumption of eggs per
head was one hundred and seventy-ive,
or in q population of two millions a total
Of three hundred and fifty millions. The
average Of the country districts was
placed even higher than this,-while the
aggregate French product has been esti.
mated at between seven and eight thou
sand millions annually /; a number large
enough to form a string of beads that
would twice e%ncirclc the globe.
In Great Britain the quantity con-
sumed has been set down at one billion
five hundred millions, Of which one
hundred millions are imported. The
bulk of the importations and large
quantities of the home produce 90 to
London, which, however, does not eat,
proportionately, SO large a plumber as
Paris.
1t will be sale to assert, after a due
comparison with these cities, that New
York consumes annually one hundred
million eggs-an amount which may be
more readily comprehended by remember.
ing that this number would weigh about
thirty.six thousand tons; and on the
principle that an egg is equal ia nutritious
value to a quarter of a pound Of meat,
would represent an average of twenty
FIVE pounds of flesh meat per year, for
every man, woman and child in the
metropolis.
The cash value of this product cannot
be less than two millions of dollars, while
the demand for the article and its selling
price are steadily increasing. These
figures show, that trifing in detail as the
egg trade may seem, in the aggregate it
is an important business. And they
suggest, also, the question,
Hoc can the supply be increased p
Unlike a great many other occupations,
no one seems to make egg producing a
speciality, with a single eye to making q
living out of it; and yet, taking the
figures above quoted as trustworthy data,
they point TO the conclusion that there is
money in the business. Some years ago
We read an interesting account of an
establishment near Paris for the manu-.
facture-or perhaps production would be
a better word-of eggs and chickens for
the Partisan market. 1t was on an i'm
mense scale, and was a great success.
Why cannot we have large memories
near each Of cur principal cities? Or,
to limit the inquiry to a single case, why
cannot some enterprising person or per-
sons, for there is room for dozens, establish
one or more egg manufactures on the
outskirts of New York? Let US see
what preliminaries would be necessary
for such an undertaking.
A fair but not excessive amount of
capital is required, which would be in.
vested under these two favorable circum-
stances, that there would be immediate
returns for the outlay, and an excellent
market for the produce. But it is not
necessary that there should be any fancy
and. consequently, high priced breed
another importcnt consideration affecting
the original capital. General experince
has shown that good barn.door fowls, as
they are termed, prove as profitable in
the end as more p~retentious birds.
Mr.. Warren Leland, of the Metropol.
itan hotel, New York, finds it beneficial
to allow an acre to every hundred hens,
but rough, broken ground, with some low
bushes and heaps of sand, ashes and lime
scattered about, answers admirably. The
London Field corroborates Mr.. Leland's
experience, while a writer in the MaSSa.
husetts Ploughman states that six acres
Is plenty for a thousand hens. If the
land is to serve in part as a feeding
ground, then the first estimate if merely,
or mostly, for exercise, the latter is
ample.
A good supply Of Jood.-This is i'm.
portant. "Hen-laying," says Mr.. Leland
again, sis hard work, and requires high
feeding" This is very true, and a false
economy here would be fatal. But he
points out also a cheap and excellent
source of supply. Much of my success"
he adds, sis due to the fact that my hens
get all the scraps from my hotel" In a
large city, like New York, these scraps
could be obtaircd for a triae IN many
cases, for the mere trouble of collecting
them in others. Why cannot they be
gathered and transformed into eggs ?
This will prove the cornerstone of success
IN making eggs cheaply. Food of any
kind always goes farther when cooked,
and animal food and a certain degree of
warmth are essential to early and prolific
laying.
Other details ,wW readily suggest
themselves. There must be sheds for the
accommodation Of the poultry without
undue crowding, and these must be kept
perfectly well ventilated and arti6cially
heated in winter. Coal is a cheaper fuel
than any kind Of food. Layers, sitters
and fattening birds must be kept separat-
ed. Quietness and cleanliness should
reign everywhere, and all outside in.
truders must be vigorously excluded.
Plenty of fresh, pure water is a necessity,
and a portion Of the old stock should be
regularly renewed, as only from young
and vigorous fowls could the best results
be obtained.
Chickens not brought into the account.
We say nothing of chickens, though
these would doubtless form a useful
department in the outline here family
lined. Nor do we enter into any
calculations as to the amount of profit to
be realized. This would depend largely
on personal qualities. A recent writer
in one Of our farming papers claimed a
profit of ten dollars per hen per annum
on a small scale. We believe that with
New York to furnish the scraps for