THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2404, 14 March 1922, Page 4

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

WHAT MAN A W ATU IS DOING. UP-TO-DATE FARMS AND APPLIANCES. > % In order that the delegates to the New Zealand Poultry Association from other parts, might have an opportunity of seeing what was being done in this district, the. Palmerston Association arranged to give them a day’s outing on Thursday, and about sixty visitors accepted the invitation. Palmerston North was left by motor car in good time in the morning, and the first run was to Levin, fey way of the main Wellington road. The first halt was made at Mr H. Bowers’ farm, just before reaching Levin, where his flock of about jofto thousand white Leghorns and white Plymouthrocks was ’inspected, as were also about eight hundred Indian ducks, for which Mr Bowers is famous, lie having won most of the egg-laying competitions in the duck tests with these breeds. A move was then made to. Mr G. Webb’s farm. This gentleman is chairman of the Levin branch of the Association. Here were seen between 1,200 and 1,500 white Leghorns and white Plytnouthrocks, all of excellent quality, and it was here that the visitors saw the first of the continuous laying houses, which were such a prominent feature of most of the farms visited during the day. A move was then made to what proveij to be up to that time, the most up-to-date plant visited. This was the propery of Mr J. W. Sicilian, who has only been in the industry for about a couple of years, but wly> has already laid out somewhere in the vicinity of £6,000 in establishing a Hock of white Leghorns, from which this season he has obtained over 1,800 pullets of undeniable quality. Altogether he has hatched out 2,500 chickens this year. He has three continuous laying houses of 150 feet bv 20 feet, and one 150 feet ' 16 feet, besides a number of other enclosures, and all his plant is worked on the latest labour-saving principles. From here, the party went into the town of Levin, where they wcry entertained at luncheon and welcomed by the Mayor, who expressed pleasure at meeting so many persons from other parts of the Dominion. In the course of his remarks he mentioned that during the peak of the present season the Levin Egg Circle sent away 3,O0() dozen eggs weekly,.in addition to which several of the big breeders who had not yet seen fit to adopt co-operation and join, the circle sent very large consignments. These eggs were mostly sent to Wellington by motor lorries, as these were found cheaper and more expeditious than the railway. After luncheon, a start was made for Foxton, where the farm of Mr J. G. Honore was visited. Here were found some 2,000 white Leghorn hens and over 1,000 pullets, which the experts. present pronounced to be as fine as any birds., they had seen, all of which were being kept on the most principals. Mr M. 11. Walker’s up-to-date poultry farm was next visited, after which a move was made to Oroua Downs, where the well-known flock of Mr F. C. Raikes was inspected. This was probably the largest concern seed during the day, and comprised over 2,000 laying white Leghorn liens and 1,800 pullets. The visitors were particularly interested in the Alpha light which Mr Realms has installed in all his laying houses, and by means of which during the winter he is enabled to give the birds an evening meal, which is partaken of between 7 and 8 p.m., aiid by which means it is claimed that better eggs are produced and more are laid in the season than under ordinary treatment. Here the visitors were entertained at afternoon tea, after which they were aken to Mi’ S. Hutchison’s Waitohaitohai Farm at Awapuni, where they saw some three thousand white Leghorn hens and pullets, and nearly 200 cockerels, which are being retained for breeding purposes. Here they were much interested in the signle-pen system for layers, by which means it can be easily determined in a very short time whether any bird is worth keeping as a layer, and thus it becomes an. easy matter to call their Hocks by eliminating unprofitable birds. The visitors were then driven back to Palmerston, and before dispersingl passed a hearty vote of thanks to the Palmerston North Poultry Association for the courteous treatment accorded to them during their stay.

A noticeable feature during 1 the trip was the fact that at every place visited'a plentiful supply of green stuff was grown for the fowls, in which lucerne predominated, this being used mostly in the form of green chaff mixed with pollard and other foods. —M:D. Times.