Main Factors of Successful Poultry Farming.—The main factors of successful poultry farming may be summed up as fol lows:— Business Ability, a most essential quality if one is to make a success of the undertaking. It is probably more important than capital, and without it capital is useless.
Knowledge and Experience.—This is closely linked up with the foregoing factor and is essential to success. A large percentage of failures can be traced to lack of knowledge and experience. Some prefer to begin operations on experience gained under some what restricted conditions, but this is undesirable.
Capital.—No one should commence operations without suf ficient capital to tide them over the first two years. During this period little or no income is secured, and anything accruing from the venture should be invested in the farm. Quite a high per centage of failures is due to shortage of capital in the early stage.
Tenacity of Purpose.—Perseverance is essential, for results are often slow, and at times disappointing, and only those who are prepared to wait patiently for success can hope to succeed.
Branch of Industry.—In order to secure the best results from capital invested, one must consider the most lucrative branch of the industry. Pedigree breeding will appeal to some, others will favour commerical egg production, whilst others may have a lean ing towards the table poultry side. The district and markets available should solve this problem. As a matter of fact they play a very important part in the establishing of a poultry plant.
Breeds.—This factor is influenced by the above. It is very important to select right breeds.
Equipment.—Up-to-date equipment will add considerably to the success of the undertaking. It costs more, but labour and future expenses are lessened, and in the event of a compulsory sale, satisfactory prices are secured.
The British Egg and Poultry Trade.—Great Britain is primarily an importing country, the exports consisting mostly of frozen and dried eggs which have been imported from other countries. A study of the figures for imports of eggs in shell con tained in the Annual Statement of Trade during the period 1913 to 1926 shows that if the Irish Free State figures for 1926 be de ducted from the total for that year, the imports were less by nearly 18% than in 1913. British home egg production is esti
mated to have increased by some 6o% since 1913. In 1913 Russia supplied over one half of the British total imports, whilst Bel gium's contribution was almost negligible. By 1926, however, im ports from Russia had dwindled to about one-seventh of the 1913 quantities, while Belgian supplies had increased nearly thirtyf old. Supplies from France and Italy have fallen off, due partly in the case of the former country, to the prohibition for a period of egg exports, whilst imports from the Netherlands have become con siderably greater. The diminution in supplies from Russia is, of course, due to the results of the War and the political upheaval in that country, though some of the imports now received from Poland probably originated from territory formerly in Russia.
Imports of eggs into Great Britain from British Empire sources constitute a comparatively small proportion of the whole, being about 23% in 1926. The Irish Free State contributed by far the largest share, due no doubt to its close proximity to Britain, and to the fact that poultry-keeping has always been an important subsidiary of agriculture in Ireland. From Australia, New Zealand and South Africa imports are increasing, but from Canada they have fallen off, as although that country's production has developed rapidly in recent years, consumption has also greatly increased.
In addition to the considerable imports of eggs into the United Kingdom, there is a fairly substantial import trade in dead poultry. The total imports from all sources amounted to nearly 14,000 tons in 1913, and since the War have been increasing, reaching 20,530 tons in 1926. In that year the principal importing countries in order of importance were the Irish Free State, France, Austria and Latvia. Net imports of eggs and poultry into the United Kingdom in 1926 totalled £20,470,000. The estimated value of home produce for the same year amounted to £26,324,000, this being over one-and-a-half times the total estimated value of the wheat crop for that year. It may be estimated, therefore, that the United Kingdom consumes annually eggs and poultry to the approximate value of £40,000,000, of which one-half is imported.