THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2187, 27 June 1914, Page 19

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

$_ (By Chanteclcr.)

Eggs for Export. Some interesting statements on tho poultry industry, particularly as regards the export triide, were made to an "Evening News" reporter, Christ- : church, last week, by iMr. A. Wilson, president of the Kgg Farmers' Association, and by Mr. I l '. Crown, of the Department of Agriculture. "Wβ are out to >nako a featuro of the export trade," said Mr. Wilson. Ihreo years ago wo approached tho Government for assistance, but beforo anything came of our efforts the Ministry went out of office. The present Government came iuto power, took up the matter without any hesitation, and in an astonishingly short time, a trial shipment of eggs was on its way toi \ ancDuver. It was successful iu every ' way, but when we went in September last a trial shipment of 10,000 eggs we\i wero still taking a risk, as we feared I that with a larger chamber the results might not bo so good. That was not the case, and we cleared Is. Ojd. per nozen for the -whole shipment. Mr John Studholmc, of Coldstrcam, who has in many other ways assisted the industry, helped us with this shipment by sending 600 dozen eggs. We bought tho eggs for him, but, as it turned out, his share in the venture brought him a-small ,profit. This season wo arc gartering at least-three chambers, and snipping from forty thousand to fifty thousand dozen of eggs, estimated to realise from £2500 to. £3000. Within \ very, short space of time—say, five or six years—we expect to increase oui export fourfold. } Our shipping 'agent's expert has just returned from . Vancouver, and we shall bo furnished with tnq latest information as to packing, etc. Increased production is very evident. In Canterbury, one of the members- of the Egg Farmers' Association has disposed of 10,020 dozen eggs this season,..and for the year five members if tho association between'them have sent in over 18 tons in weight of eggs." . Mr. F. Brown, the Government poultry expert, referred to the fact that tho export business had another side, for tho reason that just at this tinio immense quantities of Californian chilled eggs were being imported into New Zealand, and the prices received wfero.mostly ovor 2s. a dozen. ' Apart from this, a tremendous, amount of desiccated tvhito and liquid yolks were-finding their way jnto kijw Zealand. "So far as I can sec," he said, "it's going to bo a see-saw business. We in: tho Southern Hemisphere experience .tho glut season when their winter is making eggs scarce, and vico versa; they have eggs lit abundance when tho prices' ruling here aro in the neighbourhood, of 2s. Cd. a dozen. Alter all, I don't know that the importation of these eggs' is doing tho.industry any harm, 'i'no importation of a good quality of eggs will tend to bring about a uniform price throughout tho year, and thereby increase tho consumption. With eggs at.the present high price, very few people can alt'ord to any them, and when onco the consuming public give up eating .eggs for a while it takes a considerable timo before they, get into tho way of eatingthem again. It would appear, so far as,. New Zealand is concerned, that we havonot an over-production, though wo certainly have an over-production at a certain season of tho year, so that there is room for a New Zealand export trade, and increased production. I might;. Bay that .so far as the last census was concerned it showed that there were about three million,, and., a half head of poultry in tlieA.Dbniinion—an increase in five years of half a million head. That increase did not come' from poultry farming pure ■ and simple: the increase in birds kept in flocks of over 60 was only a fratcion: but it came from new flocks. There is no doubt that the men who are making a living from poultry farming are running their business on sound lines, and they have ehown great advancement in' many ways • but where the' bulk' of the' pro- : duco comes from is tho farms, ad unfortunately they have not advanced with tho time. _ With regard to these farms, there are in the main two weaknesses— (1) They have either not got the right class of stock, or (2) tho management is not what it should be. To remedy theso weaknesses tho department is doing all that it can tint ,We supply sittings of eggs from tested strains at moderate prices."

fore of great- value eduoatioftoliy, flji.tl | material which was rich in .educational possibilities. The ordfcr of dtfW&pnieftt of tho various parts, ite'change sivi disappearance of the . yelk' and white, and the.blood vessels we're particularly iK-ticed. English ttom-positioij. by -ttayor discussioii attci wristeu stateracat, and drawing «« the rutins at fsjjrtSsjng the thoflghts and- feelings svidi a lesson provoked. It is safe to say that tlio edticativo effect of Urn csperiment did not end in. tho sche©W)ni. When the other eggs hatched , 'tfe eSteation of the chick 4nd- ike, tearing of Ihe brood gave opporfe&inty '.for obserration and short-Icssodjs. In addition,, a profit and loss accotmt frns kept. Liirfortunatoly circunwtaMfts prevented tli4 eon* tmumg of fef...iiiQre. tlian one season. What teas doiio occupied about an oiglitli of tfe. ti«o tfevotod in -the asricnltural progjvimino. It is obvious that tho quesrtfeitof Mioo is' Dot a bar" rior to tho fatttoduetiea. of scims cspernnents vMv wmMty vMsh many adults would he glad to we."

Poultry a School Subject.

.. Writing in a contemporary, "EducatioriStudent" discusses interesting possibilities in connection with the introduction of poultry study .is a school subject, and describes an experiment at a certain school in Otago. Tho poultry work at the school was part of 'the agriculture course, which included gardening, horticulture, and bee-kcopmg—two hours a week. The objective of the teacher was, in an elementary way, to show the possibilities of trap-nesting in tho production of a good utility strain. The Education Board supplied three trap-nests, tho teacher everything else. Half-n----clczon good-type Leghorn pullets were obtained, each with a numbered leg band. The trap-neets were attended to hve times daily—morning and evening by teacher, and three times by pupils, two acting each week. Each bird's record was kept on a slate in tho fowlhouse, the results being entered in notebooks by each pupil weekly. At the same time were recorded expenses, food, tho weekly market price, sickness, ana so on., Several ■' short • lessons wore taken on the house and yard, the method ot feeding—especially' for giving exercise in winter—tho appearance and habits of the birds; and shrewd guesses were made as to which would prove the best layer (the teacher readily confessed that somo of the pupils even in tho Third Standard knew more about poultry in general than he did). I. Bocording results regularly was in itself an invaluable lesson, but tho interest rose to high-water mark during the breeding season. A short time before, a cockerel was obtained, the trapnested record of whose ancestors 'for two generations back was known and supplied to"the, pupils. Great importance was attached to the selection of eggs for hatching. First, the record was examined, and the three best layers: (with 89, 82, and 67. eggs respectively for three- months) were noted. Observing those, birds in the.yard,. tho pupils considered that No. 110 (the best layer, with 89 toher.credit) was the poorest of the six in type, and on an examination of tho eggs of;cafch bird it was decided to reject those of No. 110, as they wore too • small. Finally were selected nine eggs from tho second-best iuhl threo from the third-best. For experimental work a pupil brought a broody hen, under which was placed stt two-day intervals a dato egg. A coffee tin, with tho bottom replaced by a pieco of slit tweed, was used by the pupils daily to watch and record tho development of the embryo in the shell. The change in the air cell was also noted in the eggs under the bird and in other eggs, the age of which , was known, and .an , attempt was made 1o account for this change. The care of the broody lion gave opportunity for discussion and practice. Tho hatching of tlio first chick under tlw. borrowed hen was anticipated with groat interest. Iho' remaining eggs wore broken into snucers marked with 'a ticket showing tho ago of the embryo or chick. The?o .saucers were a fruitful fiaiica of surprise and interest mid provided mi unrivalled opportunity for educative work. Hero was ample, material for though!, and expression; material which tou<-lind Uio honin ini terests ol every child, and was there-.

EGG-LAYING COMPETITION* S I

The official results for the eleventh>cek j of the New ApaUnd I tiht l ! oa!tr> [ Club's tenth lajing competttioc for fowls for tho week ending Tupeda , *, June 23, are aa fol'ovV.— LIQHr BRLEDS : . IVai Tftal for to i\eek dafp■Vorrall Bro- , 81, ... 21 2f)2 J AV. Mercer, ML .. 2J 104 Verrall Bros \\ L 30 2LG Dominion P PJint W L US Heretaunga P Co ,No 2, W.L. 24 166 Glencoe V Benrh, W h , 25 248 W. O. Sail, ML .4 6 A. R. BroTvne T\ L „ 21 111 ' Mrs. J. Mills ML ,5 163 t G. Clarke, No 2, M L 2j 12i I Ranghiru Egg Hauch, M L 33 180 G. Bomiott, W L 23 '2461 D. Y? Gibson, M I 30 277 > Reliable P Faim, IV L . 27 230 i AVaiiioni'P Tarm, M L .. 22 233 I J. Wordsworfh, M L 28 2-jC | H. S. Woodnoitb AVL 22 11" j H. F. Horbort ML 2G I' 7 { H. Leger, ML .14 llfi i T. J['ll«Taith \\ L i! 3 147 < T. M'hite, M r E 24 IK T. V.OSC, W L 24 185 IJ. P. L. Cla\son, WI « 2(4 R. Jarass, M r L , 2* 176! N. Solomon, M 7 L U 233 J 11. A. La/inii, M L 2U 270 j Heretaunga P Co , No 1 M r .L. 2G 2/"31 Wainoni P Farm, M L 10 2(17 J. \V. Green, W L J 222 Willis and Son, WL. . 80 2D ( G. Clarke, M'L 17 182 J. Corrie, WL . 28 88 M; Stewart, M , L , , 2? 85 A. G. Brailo), M r I, . ai US A.'W. Adanu, \V L . A) 2o<) Calder Bros, M L 28 211 L. T. MVigkt, W L .. . 21 152 W. E. Green, WL. . 32 157 Vf. Davey, W L OB R. W. Hawko, W L 1" 250 J.'W. Gieen Rt, W L 3T H3 :T. Krarup, B M 10 IS3 . Totals . 1030 7453 HEAVY BELEDS Total Total foi to week date T. Kennedy, M' W „ .„. 11 117 J. B. Merrett, W R . 13 70 T. Fazackerley, BO . 4 197 Mrs. J. M 7 Green, BM r 27 164 W. Scull, BW 23 l^ R; .MuYiger, Bl O .. 27 216 Miss Rita ISixon, Bl O .29 314 Miss R. E Lairg, Bl 0 .21 107 A>. R. Browne, Bl 0 33 126 E. Willis, Bl 0 ~ 17 169 J. B. Merrett, Bl O . . 12 132 J; B. Merrett, SW . ~ 30 92 A. W. Adams, SW. . 26 66 Jas. Ashton, SW „,. 17 14ft T. Kennedy, SW 10 133 Thoe. Wilson, 17 V>2 W. E. Green, SM 7 , 34 177 R. Roxburgh, SM r . 20 84 Totals 371 2614 : FOR DUCKS The New ZeihnJ Ctihti Pou\fcr% Club's fifth test for dnrfes Returns for tKo clo\crlh -week aie as follow:— j Total Totil foi to j wr«'v date T. Dowthwaite, IR ID "W Horotaunga P Co , I B 31 209 Wainoni P Farm, I R 1 1 Glencoe Ranch, IU 23 116 Evans and Johnston*, I R 23 HI T. R. Hall, I R 4 9 Totals 104 553 The letters after ench mtn rlrnote the breed, as imdei —BL Brom Leghorn; WL White Leghorn, RC W.L., Rose Comb White L»ehorn, B AI, Black Minmca' WW, Wliit/ 1 'Wvnndotte; WR« Wtitp Rock 8 0 Bnff Orpington, BW , BlvL M \andotto, 131.0., Black Orpiußtinj SW, Silver Wyandottes, IR , Indian Runners

AUCKLAND POULTRY SHOW,

(By Teleßrap:h,*~Pr?iiiE A*scf<i.l«.tioE.l : Agoklahdj fefe 26- : At the Auckland Fetilbry t'h.e-:' North. Island Cliainipiqiishig for .British. Game cock was svort by A : ; Nisen's es-; liibit; the chauipio-nsliip for bast Brjt-' ish Game lien whs won : fej* <(• , - G. Mason, who won iki Ladies' 33ra<;&le.t witli tho same lteii. j. Treiaar v.'on ■ the Nortlil 'Is'pjwd tJftamrritwsJdp ifof white cockerel, a.lftl J- % Builri tie. North Island CJiaßipiettsHp for blown cockerel.