TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 236, 5 October 1928, Page 15

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

TITIRANGI.—There is one fume that will rid the house of the vermin, and that Is cyanide, which forms a gas when in conjunction with sulphruslc acid, but the fumes are death to humans if inhaled, perhaps even more so than to the vermin. See that all windows are thoroughly closed, then place some china or earthenware saucers or similar vessels o$ the floor, in which you will pour some sulphuric acid. Then, commencing at the saucer furthest from the door or outlet, drop into the sulphuric acid -some cyanide. Do your work quickly, walking out of the building and closing the door. Keep the building tightly closed for a few hours, then open the windows and the door before re-entering If you do not care to take the risk of this fumigating, paint the wood thoroughly with kilmite. THREE KINGS.—The secret of keeping bantams small is to hatch them late and breed from your smallest bird. It is foolish to feed them by weight or measure. Give them as much as they will greedily consume. Fowls do not lay at a certain age, but at a certain stage of growth or development. One breeder would have Leghorns laying at five months old, but if another person fed them they might not lay until they were seven or eight months old. Feed the bantams as you would ordinary chicks. Keep them by themselves if possible.. Pullets do not go broody at a certain age, but when they have laid a certain number of eggs. Even then It depends upon whether the broody propensity has been encouraged or checked in the pullets' ancestors. Leaving eggs in the nest will often encourage broodiness. SHELL-LESS EGGS. — Discontinue the spice. It is a stimulant, not a food. Discontinue the maize and give oats. If this does not effect a enre reduce the ration till the birds cease to lay for a week, then increase the food. PABKAKARIKI.—You do not give me much data to work on. The birds may have cramp, they may be fed too fattening a food, and not sufficient bone forming. You may write me again and say how you are feeding them. Just saying that you cive them mash does not tell me much. ROTORUA. — If you cannot procure the small quantity of barley flour that you require for feeding the mealworms you could get over the trouble by grinding some barley in a coffee mill or pounding it between stones. It might even be crushed by some of the mincers. If you cannot do anything else to keep the mealworms alive there Is a finely ground barley sold in tins. You could use this for the time being. AMATEUR.—It is probable that the ducks have a touch of rheumatism. ,Dry bedd t i ? B , a , nd a dr y Place where they can sit will greatly assist. Do not feed an excess of meat. Rolled oats, oatmeal and a little new milk In addition to the ordinary food will push your ducklings along. EGGS—COMMERCIAL, EXPORT.—I would not entertain the organising of the poultry Industry, but I would be quite prepared to give suggestions re Increasing the consumption of eggs to a really representative body. y