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King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 604, 20 September 1913, Page 2

We liiFve mi definite dais as to its value when compared with other green plants for poultry food, but the following remarks are offered as tha result of the writer's observation of the good effects following or. its use. All poultry keepers l;r.o\v how poultry reiish most tureen Fluff, but it is doubtful if all are aware what an important part this ite:n of food plays in the health and general productiveness of the hen. Green feed is a fowl's natural tonic, and has been described as nature's life-giver. When one sees hens which have not laid an egg during winter months brighten up in comb and begin to lay when spring returns with a natural supply of green feed, and geese gather their entire living, lay eggs, and rear young on a range weil supplied with green plants, it must be realised that a liberal surjpply of green material is ntcessary if the best results are to be obtained. One-third of the entire ration for poultry should consist of green stuff. It is not sufficient to give quantity : quality is what is needed, and it should be fed in the way in which it will be most relished by the stock. Though the runs may contain grass, in tou many cases this is so small or is 30 overstocked fifeat the grass is more or leas contaminated and is hardly fit for them to eat. In such cases fresh green feed should be supplied. Of all the green plants I have used I as poultry feed, none equals lucerne. This for several reasons —

H 1. Analyses prove it to be the most valuable.

2. When once established it will continue to grow for many years and will produce heavier yields of green forage and hay ihan any of the clovers.

3. It furnishes much of the yellow in the yolk, and gives this the desired rich colour, and is most relished by the fowls; it is rich in nitrogen. 4. It will supply a liberal amount of green feed from early spring until April, and can be made into hay for winter us*\

The lucerne should be chaffed fine, the finer the better; and it should be fed to the birds in troughs, as much being supplied as they will eat. The chaffed lucerne' may be mixed with the mash. The hay may also be chaffed and fed to the birds dry—it is surprising how much of it they will eat in this state; but I prefer scalding it and allowing it to stand for at least twenty minutes, then mixing it with the mashi Last season as much as one-half of the mash for young growing stock consisted of chaffed green lucerne, and the birds never seemed to tire of it.

Undoubtedly the most important, item of a chick's menu is green feed, and it should he freely supplied. We feed the brooder chicks largely on fine cut lucerne; and I may here mention that last season (before green lucerne was obtainable) we had some trouble amongst the chicks with toe-picking in fact, in several cases some of those attacked bad a toe picked off by the rest —but once a liberal supply of green lucerne was supplied the trouble ceased. In conclusion, I may add that no poultry keeper can afford to be without a patch of this most valuable food; indeed, a regular liberal supply of lucerne will do much towards keeping the birds in good health and the egg basket full. SEED POTATOES. Good seed is as important in potato culture as' in any other branch of farming. No policy could be more mistaken than tb use tubers for the purpose simply because they are not good enough for marketing. Seed potatoes should be the best specimens of their Kind that can be found. The best time to select them is when the crop is being dug, as then it can be seen whether the tuber selected cornea from a good plant or whether it

selection is to piunt nil the sets .i'r.im '' one potato in sneeossion, pp thai nt digging lime it can he ::'f-. .-riumed whether ibe phuits ;><•;. v ; miii'onu character. This. <;i rens.v. m ees'sitate? eiiitino- the pels in t'reiiti.i; he entr.ih more r.v;e f.h;m is usually j hut iiie method is em ;uun<i yeienfific. line-. Tlv v. hole subject ia i dealt with i.i ;; he.ih-tm recently issued j by the united SUiies Department of; The iiii'orm'ition is summarised n? t'ellow:,:- - * First.—(loot! seed? a determining factor in the production of maximum crop;: of potato?;-:. Second.—Good seed may be obtained by the tuber-unit and hill-seiec-tion methods through the elimination of unproductive and 'Peak plants. Third. Like produces like. If tubers from unproductive and weak . plants 3re used, a similar harvest will be reaped. I Fourth. —All tubers showing marked j discoluration of the flesh should be rejected. ! Fifth. —Purity of saed stock is an essential quality of goad ssed. Serious losses are sustained by the grower through mixturea. Sixth. —A more liberal u-e of seed will generally result in both increased production and profit. Seventh. —A good storage place i 3 essential in order to insure sound, firm seed at planting time. Eight.—The use of high grade seed would increase the returns from the potato crop of the country by millions of dollars. Ninth.—All seed should be treated with formalin before planting. A BIG DAIRY MOVEMENT. A meeting of representative 3 of various dairy companies in the districts surrounding Palmerston was held to consider the question of starting a large co-operative concern for obtaining supplies for farmers in New Zealand, and also with the object of handling their produce at Home. One of the proposals is to have a board in London to control New Zealand produce, with an advisory board in Nsw Zealand. It is understood that similar proposals will be put before all the dairy companies in the Dominioii with a view of seeking co-operation. The Palmerston meeting was decidedly sympathetic. If successfully organised the movement will be a very big affair. The meeting was held in camera.