THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1091, 1 April 1911, Page 4

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

The splendid returns achieved-by the laying pens in the egg-laying competition which closed at Christchurch yesterday may be taken as evidence that the poultry industry in New Zealand is _ making marked advancement. The industry has had a haphazard career, but notwithstanding the many obstacles that have come in its way, it is to-day of great value to the Dominion. Our Ministers are very ready to laud the virtues of the fruit and the bee industry, the former of a value of some £250,000 a year, and the latter of £10,000, while the poultry industry, representing something' like £3,000,000, is rarely heard of. To the poultry industry, the farmers owe many thousands of pounds a .year. Damaged wheat, sharps, and bran would almost be valueless in New Zealand if it were not for the quantities consumed by poultry. The competitions have created a, great interest in the utility points in fowls. The shows arc purely for fanciers, to demonstrate the beauty of feather, colour, and type of each variety of fowl; but the competitions, while advocating standard characteristics, encourage the utility qualities, and seek to develop them. A few years ago the hen that laid' 100 eggs a year was considered a good layer, while the general average of farmers' flocks was about GO eggs per hen during the year. Then the 200-cgg-a-ycar hen made her appearance, and though this was deemed by many people incredible, the competitions soon demonstrated it possible. In the test concluded yesterday the two leading pens of six birds each averaged over 200 eggs each in nine months, and should by the finish of the year average about 255 eggs. Each hen during the vear will have laid exactly eight times her own weight in eggs. 'JL'his is truly a remarkable performance, and goes to show what breeding and selection will do. The full telegraphed report will be read by hundreds of poultrymen in our columns to-day—no fewer than 700 extra topics of to-dav's Dominion having been ordered for poultrymen in the North Island for that purpose alone.