Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-30
EGGS FROM ANCoNA.
a Million Hens which Help to Feed
Europe.
From a ~ NnM 60.

From the Pan NAL Gdsetts.
One Of the duties OF our consuls abroad
is TO report upon the trade and commerce
OF their districts, in order to afford us n
knowledge OF the business transacted
there and the best manner of turning such
information TO our own account. The re-
port just published in a blue book from
Vice Consul T0massini on the trade OF
Ancona, in Italy, affords an excellent ex-
ample OF what such document ought to
be. 1t is entirely devoted to eggs, the ex-
pOrtation of which to England commenced
but 10 years since, and now has assumed
such large proportions that $50 railway
trucks, of 10 tons each, are required for
their transport The trade increases every
year, and now amounts to about 10000
600 eggs per aunum. OF these 10000. 900
are forwarded by rail 10 England, and
the remainder to Switzerland, Ger
many, Belgium and Holland. They
are packed in straw, in long
boxes OF dry white wood, weigh
ing about $50 pounds each and containing
/ ,440 eggs. The boxes are divided in
halves by board, ana when sawn through
form two boxes, 720 each, without touch
ing the contents. For the convenience OF
the custom houses they are so constituted
I
be thrust through them, so as to prove
without unpacking that they contain
nothing in the shape of bottles or pack
ages of tobacco. These eggs are collect
ed in the district around Ancona and the
neighboring towns. Last year their price
on the spot varied from G los. TO GO los.
per 1000, and must have afforded consid-
cradle profit to the industrious and pru-
dent peasants of the district; otherwise
~ ~ N moi hor fy,p o.ad
so rapidly.
The railway transit from Ancona to
London varies from six to seven days, and
the charges upon truck Of ten tons are
about $40 In the summer months. in
consequence of the eggs being exposed to
the rays OF the sun, they suffer deteriOra-
ton, but in the winter and spring they
can be preserved for weeks, and there
fore, saws the Consul, 81 am under the
impression there is a possibility OF this
expectation being worth the consideration
OF ship0wners. especially those having
steamers trading to the AdristIc. If
they would accept a freight of sos. TO Cos.
ton, and make this port the final one on
their hOmeward voyage direct for
/ London, they could always obtain
from fifty to hundred tons of eggs
here" When the export OF eggs from
the province of AncOna first commenced
dbuAll Oh Tue Ouly lQub6 Nutt OUCH WAS
via Mount Cents, Paris, and Dieppe or
BOulOgne. The time then occupied varied
from II to Is days, and the charges upon
a truck of 10 tons amounted to about E64
to London. Upon the opening Of the st.
GOthard route strong competition arose
in the price OF transport and saving Of
time. During the last few years four
fifths Of all the eggs exported were tor
warded via st. GOthard, Antwerp, and
QueenBOrOugh; however, the French rail-
ways are now trying to do all they can to
regain this important traffic, which they
had almost entirely lost.
If each ben on an average laid 100 eggs
a year, In Ancona there are half million
of hens devOting their lives TO supply
| British wants, while 100000 more favor
the swiss, Germans, Belgians and Dutch.
/ This enormous amount from a single dis
trict arises from the system Of small
| farms and peasant prOprietors. Strange
/ to say, poultry rearing has never been
/ found to pay in this country when worked
on a large scale. Within the last twenty
/ years hundreds of limited companies have
! been established to carry on poultry rear
! ing, but we have not heard of any proving
a permanent success. Generally some
disease caused by large numbers of fowls
in one place carries off the stock and
ruins the profit. Should the subdivision
of land now so much talked OF be carried
out 1t will cause a considerable increase
in the production of eggs and poultry, as
every small landowner keeps some.