POULTRY SHOWS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1395, 22 March 1912, Page 8

POULTRY SHOWS.

AP>I-: TUFA' ON TUK DOWN GKADK? 'I'oultry-shows, in the ordinary acceptation of till! term, are certainly on the down grmh', but, says Mr. 1-'. ("'. Hrown, Government I'oultry Kxpert, writing in tho "Journal of Ibo 'Deparliiient of Agriculture," may the day wyer go for the show where our many licimlifiil types of doincstic poiilti-y may be seen to portVclion, but of a type in which breed characters are liaplii'v blended with utility i-haracters. "I would go further than this," he adds, "and appeal to all lovers of feathered slock to accept the new order-ami vigorously puisuo tho show- campaign. Unless wo have thn show-pen competition, the breed* will rapidly decline in (|iiiility, and wci will Ihi' breeding nothing but iiioiigrel--. To this end, nmendinent of flic s-landard for jiidj»inß--noiiHry is'required. A good means tn'onng-this about would be for tho pmtltry-3hoiv societies to arrange with

representative utility breeders h> confer mill bring about n common ground uf agreement as In (lio recently published utility standard, anil iMiilenvour. if possible,'to produce common-sense, standards. "licauly anil utility arc not inseparable, but in (ho iilj-eucu of public cmiipefilion tliis fact is m>l h> be ignored, if not lost fight of altogether. Our aim should be to combine! (he two ralhor than ab.-orb one with tlio other, The- best example, perhaps wo have to guide us is in tin- sheep world. J n judging sheep, the main considerations nru utility characters. ConKtituliuii is regarded »f paramount importance, Irnt mutton breeds must lmvu the svniiiietry of frame ami Hie proi>er development of lle.sh on the most valuable part-, while sheep wli.isc wool is the wain consideration, require to have length, density, and quality of wool; but; still, in cither" cusp, no animal can get into the prize-list that does not conlorm (o the special h-pe of the breed, even an unlucky black spot spelling at times disqualifieation. Tims we have a striking example of a happy combination of utility and breed characters dominated by the vital requirements of constitution. "It must be admitted 'that in judging poultry tlie.ro is a special difficulty in connection with parti-coloured breeds. At present tho best-marked birds must win, and in considering, under the new order, utility character and constitution, such 0, bird would very probably have to be disrated. It may bo worthy of consideration whether or not such breeds should not be excluded from the improved standardisation, and be left to be catered for in special classes as purely fancy races of poultry. The self-coloured bird can be reformed" with ease, but it will be an almost insuperable problem attempting to improve the utility characters of birds with fancy plumage while still retaining their peculiarities of feather-colouring."