POULTRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1313, 16 December 1911, Page 15

POULTRY.

A Growing Business. Few industries i;h'o promise of wirpassing tlio [xiultiy industry in rapid growth. If' wo n.ro to judgo by ilo suivnuccment in other countrio.s thoro are few that do rot double their output ot poultry products evory twenty jrars. Jen years o&u tho United Slatos and Canada u«xl to export eggs and poultry to biißland, but tho demand has, of late, beoomo so groat that they are both unable to paco in tho supply. On tho Continent the supply tor export is likely to docreaso cacli year. England finds it more difficult each year to import its requirements. Among ourselves tho demand increases each year, and, though tho supply increases rapidly, prices remain good. In fact, for primo tablo poultry, tho priccs aro higher to-day than ever thoy nave boon. Last week in Canterbury chickens and ducklings for the talxo reached nearly Os. per pair live weight, Tablo Pbultry, Tha rapid spread of the white leghorn has increased the supply of eggs., but it has spoiled the table poultry supply. Leghorns are useless as table chicken, and thoro is an excellent opening for producers to treed the heavier varioties. Chickens at 6s. to Bs, a pair wh<ai 6ix months old pay handsomely, nil(3 it is to bo hoped that more attention will be given to this phase of tho business. It is a pity that the public should havo to pay exorbitant prioes, as it lossen-s the demand. One sees no distinct advantage in having very high prices, becauso tho public cannot afford to buy, henco the demand is lessened. It may seem a low price for tho producer to take (lOd. a dozen for his eggs) but it leads to a consumption without which there would soon be a glut. It takes somo tim» to get the public into Buying eggs in the spring. During winter, iviien prices rule so high, they "go oit" eggs, or they become a luxury. It requires months to get them into the habit of buying them again. It would bo preferable that eggs should be kept at a more uniform price. This would help to increase the demand. Cheaper Production A number of poultrymen have spent a lot of time looking and agitating for a better market, but it would bo time bettor spent if it were devoted to cheaper and more economical production. Ten years ago, under tho old system of poullrykceping, it was considered good for one man to attend to seven or eight hundred fowls. Under tho intensive system of keeping birds in long, wide, open-front buildings, one man can more easily attend to double the number. With the firel'sss brooder, and growth of green food, otheT economics are clTectod which enables tho poultrymen to pt-oduce much cheaper and leavo a wider margin of proiit. Culling. Now th2t tho hens are nearing the moult, and tho egg (low is lessened, care should be exercised in marketing the culls. All male birds, except a remarkably good breeder, should bo sold. Hens that go broody or havo ceased laying should go. They are t&o drones, and will eat more food than their owner gets in eggs by way of return. All cockerels fit ioi- the marlcet should bo disposed of, while all pullots that aro wanting in vigour, and arc slow of erowth should bo sent to the sale. Sentiment must have no place in a poultry farm run for prc.lit. 1$ Co-operation Practicable? The inexperienced in business speaks of co-operation as if it were the panacea for all the troubles of tho poultrymen in the marketing of their goods. To him it is quite a simple matter and easy of attainment. Judging from tho many lailures of pouitrvtuen to co-operate it is evident thero is more in the management of the business than appears 011 the surface. Out of the several attempts in New Zealand to co-operate for the purpose ot marketing tho poultry products, there is not a .single company in existence to-day. Thousands ol pounds have been squandered and lost, companies and co-operative syndicates bave tailed, nnd the poultry business Las a bad name. There must l;e some reason for this stale of n (fairs, and now that co-operation is in tho uir it will bo well for us to prufit by previous experiences and failures, t'reeiseiy the same reason for failures among ponltrykecpcrs is tho cause for failures of a co-operative business; thero arc (00 many people who thiuK poultrykeeping far a living does uot require previous experience. They pay the penalty; they lose their cash and find out when it is too late that failure is imminent. In our co-operative attempts too many men of inexperience have had the say, Men with nine-tenths poultry knowledge and one-tenth of business havo rushed in and imagined they could teach tho business world how to market and trade in poultry proUucts. On tho directorates have boen men who could scarcely understand a Dr. and Or. transaction, secretaries who have understood little ol accountancy or business methods, am! managers who for the first time havo heei entrusted with the intricacies of trad--and finance. Is it any wonder many good prospects of co-operation have bee:: wrecked, money lost, and the poultry industry given a set-luck? In (hoory, cc. operation is a nice subject to write ami talk about, but in practice it rarely work 1 - out to satisfaction. We know thero ar ; many of our readers who will regard thi. as a pessimistic view. They aro mistaken it is simply a matter ol caution. Tb. possibilities of co-operation anion:, poultrymen arc great, but we adm< frankly that unless based upon a businesslike footing, and entrusted to men oi business training and experience, it should not be entertained. As a general rule, wo believe it would pay the producer to devote his time to production, and allow the middleman a commission to market his produce. Co-operation would, no doubt, eliminate some of the middleman's profits but it must be a united force and under proper management. In the light,of the many difficulties that have to be overcome, unless complete union is assured failure is imminent. In New Zealand we have had efforts made when the Government has subsidised the company, and yet tho effort failed. Even with this advantage thero was no actual economy. The great advantage of co-oporation as we havo been able to gauge it, has been in tho better production and distribution of the products. Mr. Ferguson's schcme at the lato conference is an excellent one, and possible of attainment; but to bring it into operation a great deal of preliminary education requires to be done. Wo aro as yet an unorganised force. We are divided one from tho othor, nnd co-opera-tion with only partial support would be a dismal failure. Our suggestion is for producers to got together and form themselves into clubs, circles, or organisations to deal with local problems; then, by nnd by, when education on the subject is complete, to prepare for the larger Bchflmo and make it a bucccss.