POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 163, 30 March 1918, Page 13

POULTRY NOTES

(By 'Chanticleer.' , ) A Pica for Quality. Oα several occasions The Dominion has commented on the. need for an improvement in the pollard placed on the market. Wo have noon samples that were merely ground-up bran. Under the I'ure Footle Act tjiero is no standard specified for pollard, that iit as far as its nutrient properties are concerned, I'olla.rd Jβ a byproduct of wheat, and may differ in quality from the -whiteness of flour to the coarseness of ground bran. Millers complain that the email profit' made out of flour necessitated Ilieir making a profit out of the ollnl. Bran at £3 5b., the gazetted price till recently, was certainly a low price. Now that pollard has been raised to £7 10s., and bran to £5 10s., there should be no excuse why millers cannot give users of their by-products something • like a good sample. The preparation .of their by-products is only a aide-line with millers. They have never "been considered-' of sufficient value to require legislation as to a standard. Under the Pure Poods Act a miller can even evade the law by grinding up cheap grains and including them in bran arifl pollard An amendment is necessary in the Act to prevent this, though it is questionable if a nutritive standard for pollard could be enforced without considerable expense. The Conference The Poultry Confcrcnco opens to-day. Tho programme ie tot«xtensive, and the pro. ccedirigß will occupy only two days. The remits are well thought out, and have bearing on tub most necessary reforms' to help the industry. The delegates from Christchurch are Mr. H. W. Ohilds, Kaiapoi, vice-president; Mr. J. B. Merrett, secretary and treasurer.. Messrs. W A. Gee and J. Liggins (Canterbury Egg Cirole), S. Dick and A. 0. Mumby I.N.Z. Utility Poul-. try Club), Messrs'. R. TV". Hawlte. and G. Willis .(Egg Fanners' Association). It is intended to ask for the conference of 1919 to be'hcld in Christchurch It is now seven years eince a conference was held there, , and It would mean much to Canterbury to ■ have tho conference there. Sale of Competition Birds. . The sale of the competition pens on Wednesday did not prove very brisk; For several of the pens only a- few shillings were ofle'red. One of the highest prices paid was £5 for the pen owned by Mr. XI. Williams, and purchased by Mr. Fairfull. Mrs. Mills's pen realised £3; and was purchased by Mr. G. H. Ambler. The einglo bird owned by Mesers Green Bros, realised £2. ■ Possibly the of. the birds at the Bale contributed to the dullness of. the. bidding thie year, but owing to the test ending during the holidays . it could not be-avoided. , .The Poultry Market. Considering the many thousands of birds that.have been marketed during the past two weeks, prices have been maintained remarkably well. At this-season of the year.there is a-much greater supply than the demand needs. ; Buyere have to pro-, vide, against the scarce season, and place the birds in the freezer. This oosts a good deal, and naturally prices, are. -easier. . It is the" same as with the fruit, .provision has.to-.be made against the season of scarcity. Compared with ten years ago, prices are- 50 per cent. ■ bettel , . Hells are in good demand, but when in 1901 to 1909 they realised at this seaeon from 2s. to. 3s. per pair,- they now realise 2s. 6d to. ss. per pair.. Many of the-birds have shown a lack of. attention and care.. They have been 'sparsely fed, and consequently ■their- owners had to face the lose.