SOME ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1061, 25 February 1911, Page 14

SOME ITEMS OF INTEREST.

. THAT GREEN FEED. Ono wonders how many poultry men will make provision for green feed for their poultry in winter time, especially for their breeders. Tlio writer has had some surplus slips from his lucemcd clover patches, and has dried it and stored it 111 tho loft for winter.: Winter cabbage, kalo beet may .bo grown for winter feed; Do not " neglect this advico-or your eggs will lack nourishment for-healthy chickens, if green feed is not a portion'of their diet. Comfort for Winter. . Another experiment which I am trying is the forming of paths and runs so that, during tlio winter, tho fowls may bo kept warm and dry, and'additional comfort added to tho work of feeding and attending the poultry.' Tho runs aro being tarred and dusted with tlio: sittings of oyster shells. Tho sittings aro also used for tho paths. I believo it will afford mo dry runs through, tho Winter.' Poultry that aro puddling around in tho mud cannot 00 expected f to lay. Egg Circles. Though tho ogjj circlo movement in Australia has had a short career with disastrous results, it is to bo hoped that tlio movement in New Zealand will meet with better favour. In Now Zealand poultrymen aro working on their own account without Government assistance. Tlio success of tho Masterton circlo shows what can/ bo dono when tho management is characterised by business competency. Tho secretary at Masterton (Mr. Boddington) is a capablo officer and; to his efforts, tho circlo owes its success. Tho following statement by tho South Australian Minister for Agriculture shows that tho egg circles aro doomed in that State. Tlio Minister says:—"l am closing down tho egg circlo business as it has been worked in tho past 16 months, and in conforlnity with tho progress report of tho Select Committee I liavo determined to alter tho system absolutely. Business will in future bo conducted 011 similar lines to tho lamb industry, which is undertaken hv tho Agricultural Depot, and from January 31 tho egg circlo business will cease. Eggs will bo received by tho. Agricultural Depot from tho different centres or producers on a commission basis only. Wo shall endeavour as far as possiblo to givo encouragement to consignors by .providingl means'for proper cold storago and by finding a market for tlio eggs cither in Australia or abroad. Wo shall ceaso to bo buyers of eggs from January- 31. Mr. Kinnear, tho organising secretary of egg circles, will, in accordanco with a promiso inado by mo somo months ago, when I was endeavouring to put tho egg circlo business on a sounder footing, bo restored to his old position in tho Survey Departriient. Tlio other officers who can bo drafted into Government Departments will also bo transferred, : Tho egg business will bo under tlio direct management .of Mr. Popo (general manager of tho Produco Do-" pot). .Ho has enough officers,on his present staff to do tho extra work, and tliero is 110 doubt that he will givo keen, attention to tlio export of eggs to London, whero the consumption is so largo. A market will doubtless always bo found at a prico which Will prevent glut rates ruling in ! Adelaide, and therefore tho business will -be of advantago to producers'of tlio State."

■;/,]V.'";'' Breading. "Hardshell," poultry scribo for tho "Adelaido Observer," speaks thus 011 breeding:—"Although it is not breeding time, a few ideas just strayed into our skull; and wo writo them down for, future use. Breeding, in tlio hard senso of tlio word, is merely to bring tho two sexes together, but scicntific breeding is 'quito another thing. In a nutshell, it is to bring selected specimens together, in order, to produco something better than tho parents, and so on until perfection is reached. To do this each bird is chosen for its marked possession of tho features in, which'.tlio other ono is deficient. Dominant traits, or characteristics, thus havo to bo regarded. For instance, wo hear people say, 'What a beautiful tail that bird has,' and tail is tho dominant featuro which wo regard in tho mating of that bird. Maybe, tho. next bird is nothing to look at, but is a fino layer, and in this caso tho laying propensity, is dominant. Another bird-will fight anything that walks, and pluck is his characteristic, aud.so on, a pronounced development of any characteristic causing tho bird to bo dominant in that point, and being dominant will put tlio particular characteristic into tho stock. Breeding poultry is not an exact scienco —if it wero thero would be nothing to fight for—but, it is plain liorso senso to -supposo that a bird, with a 'full, beautiful tail is moro likely to throw I it than would tho bird with. a skimpy | tail; honco tlio.reasonableness of filling a deficiency in 011 c bird with a corresponding development in tho other."

Annual Volumo of Department of Agriculture. Brevity has evidently been tho mo,tto of tho composers of tho volumo for 1910, and tho work is n docided improvement. Previously, it has been n cumbersome work of unnecessary details and. statistics that few would bother to road it. Tho balance-shects of tho Uurnham and Milton farms open up room for criticism, but it is somewhat pleasant to note they have n credit, balance. They are not true profit and loss accounts, hcnco one is unablo to afiirm that poultry-farminrr is a profitable industry in pounds, shillings, and pence, but tho instruction value of the farms is ornrof their-best assets for which 110 credit is usually given.' ■ - Why South Australia' Failed. ' I was inclined Mo believe ■ that tho weaknesses'to' which-' poultrymon<- nrc subject. .were.'largely, confined,.to.. J\'cV

Zealand, but it appears that every country suffers tho same. Individual failures among producers are common everywhere, but is it rcgrettablo that the Eaino spirit enters into tlio commercial life of poultrymen, and it would appear that failure among them is just as pronounced as among producers. South Australia is tho latest instance of failure. Tho lesson learned lias cost a tidy sum, and wo who study the progress of our industry should take warning. The following is a brief report of tlio committee:—

"A few months ago a select committoo from tlio South Australian Legislative Council and Assembly was appointed to inquire into the Export and Agricultural Department of that State. During last week tho committee reported that it had only been able to inquire jll to one branch—the Government: egg circles and tho methods of working and collection. Theso circles wero established with tho idea of providing a better market for eggs, by careful supervision in collecting and marketing, and also to keep the prices moro uniform by. regular consignments to other States. Mr. A. E. Kinnear was, iu August, 1909, appointed to organise and manago these circles. It was found that tho circles had been established in six various parts of tho State, and up to tho end of Octobcr, 1910, tliero had been a loss to tho Government of over £8500. The causes which contributed to this loss wero stated to be:—(1) Eggs becoming unfit for uso through excessivo handling for grading purposes in cool storago; (2) pulping eggs when the prico was too high and tho pulp going bad in tho freezer; (3) tho business extending so rapidly as to get beyond tho capacity of the management, and there being insufficient accommodation of a suitable character; (4) the employment, of inefficient sorters and packcrs; (5) the want of a competent business manager with tho necessary training and experience; (6) tho custom adopted of not charging tho consignor with cracked and smashed eggs, caused during transit to tho depot, and in paying .in several instances, prices 'at country stations above ruling rates; (7) the reckless buying on tho part of tlio management from other than members of tlio egg circles when tliero was 110 possiblo liopo of ' a profit. Tlio committee mado tlio-following recommendations:—' (1) That tlio operations by tlio Government as purchasers in such risky business bo'Stopped 1 forthwith; (2) that until a board bo appointed on co-operative lines to bo responsible for tho management and losses, that tho Department deal with egg circlcs on commission only."

Wo cannot do better than take theso reasons of fa.iluro in tho order they aro given. (1) Bad eggs. It would be interesting to know how many thousands of pounds are wasted annually, through bad eggs. Wo aro at a loss to understand what "excessive handling" represents. Wo know what it means, but how is it dono. Surely our friends with a warmer climato than our own know.how quickly oggs loso their flavour. .Promptly sent forward in carriers and tlio choice selected for. tho cool chamber and tho inferior promptlv markotcd this might havo been avoided. (2) Pulping eggs when eggs wero high.' It seoms as if tlio Government officials wero speculating. With a correct chart of tlio monthly egg markets they -might havo avoided this error. Pulping eggs'lias grown to bo'quito n business in Australia, but suroly thero was a right timo to set tlio machines going so as to givo profitablo results. (fl) Insufficient accommodation. It is always tho samo with us. Wo seo eggs by the thousands, and wo imagine tho growth of business is easily worked by untrained men. Wo tako number thrco comnjent as a reflection 011 the management, though it is not specified who was tlio manager. It\ was impossible for Mr. Kinnear to do this work. Possibly ho had enough offieo work to do in his own department. 111 any caso thero aro fow littcd to manago a poultry concern of this nature. At least wo know very fow in New Zealand qualified. It requires a wido training and much experience. (4) Untrained labour. If tlio manager dees'not kn'oW his work ho. is scarcely able to detect tho inefficient worker till tho damago is dono. (5) Want of a competent inauagcr. This boars out our contention that- the man who knows this business is hard to secure. ,To get a suitable mail-; ager for a poultry farm is hard enough,: but it is| nioro'difficult to obtain a mail of the right kind of experienco for thiol position of manager! of n big concern as .that in Adelaide. Such a man would bo worth £500 a year, and can command tbat return for his services. (G) Higli ; prices and not including smashes. Wo have had some experienco in this matter, and know that' it is easy to loso money along this lino. It would appear as if tlio fundamental featuro of any trading businoss had been sadly neglected in not studying tho riso and fall of tho markets. Soiiicono is to blamo for this, and shows that tho arrangements of tlio managers' work had been divided with 110 oiie 'responsible--at tho head. 111 New Zealand tho egg trader could very soon drop money iu this way. Our markets aro now somewhat uniform. Even tho Wellington, which has boen tho pick of Now Zealand markets ban this season proved no attraction for . high prices. At certain times of .tlio year it has been, slightly lower than' southern ..markets. , (7) Rcskless ljuying.Maiiy.a business man has lost in a-speculation of egg's. They aro an uncertain :cbmmodity to. deal with. Ono of our first losses amounted to £40 over cold storage eggs, and wo know that caro has to bo' exercised to make profit. With ' careful buying, preserving, and grading . tlio egg trado can bo mado profitable, but it requiros knowledge of tho markets and tho proper treatment of the eggs. Poultrymen in Now Zealand could mako a considerable amount of money if. rightly guided, bin no ono will cars to shoulder tho responsibility for tho wliolo to the advantago of tlio many. What tho Failure Teaches. Tho failure of tho movement in South Australia in 110 way condemns tlio egg circlo system. ■ It only goes to provo as it does with our own failures that capable managers are tho sino qua non of our business. The repeated failures both in Australia and Now Zealand are a sound warning to us not to put our capital into poultry co-operations until wo have somo--manifestation that: tlio right men are placed at tlio head of affairs, so as to ensure success. Having ono of the largest poultry businesses of its kind in Autralasia, wo can speak \vitli somo authority, and can assuro our readers that entrusting their capital to other's management is a very risky undertaking.