HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 36

HOMING NOTES.

«•*■ Bi Madsta Mealt. Subscriber.— The cauefe of the youngsters sticking in the shell is because there is not enough air in your loft, and because your birds were not in the very best condition when the eiggs were laid. See that your oiest boxes have plenty of air in them, and that a bath is regularly supplied; in fact, if you sprinkle tha nest and eggs with a little water occasionally it wili do them no harm. See that tho wa^er gets on the eggs. Opinions differ ' as to the cause of youngsters sticking in the shell as you describe, and it arises from different causes. j " Southlandea-."— Much depends upon I the temper and disposition of the birds.. ' Some pigeons will allow their eggs and i young to be moved and not forsake them, j whilst the least change upsets others. The { birds sitting 10 days would possibly take to the squabs and feed, them. We have often given- youngsters eight or ten days old to birds that have been Bitting 10 or 12 days, and had no trouble or difficulty with them. Shift them at night, shut the. parents up in a small box with them, and •take care the hen covers the youngsters. Be up early next morning and look how things are going. Only too pleased to assist you. The Race Committee of the Dunsdin j Homing- Clvb — Messrs Hunt, Umbers, Reeves, Stone, and Tttbterafield — have drawn up their schedule of races for the \ ensuing season, which is as follows : — | No. 1 Hampers. — Oamaru,' ''interval, 59 miles, September '11 ; Timaru, interval, j 107 miles, September 18: Ashiburton, interval, 150 miles, October 2; Amberley, flock, 221 miles, October 9; Cape Campbell, flock, 347 males, October 23; Kaitoke, flock, 411 miles, November 20; Napier, ' flock, 554 miles, December 11. | No. 2 Hampers. — Oamaru, interval, 59 , miles, October 16; rimaru*. interval, 107 ' miles, October 30 ; Ashburton, flock, 150 ■ miles, November 6 ; Amberley, flock, 221 miles, November 13; Cape Campbell, -flock, 347 miles, -November 27; Ma.rton, flock, 480 miles, December 18; Auckland, flock, 706 miles, January 8. ! ' South Road.— Gore, interval, 77 miles, December 4 ; Invercargill, interval, 110 miles, December 11; Orepuki, flock, 136^ miles, December 18 : Gore, interval, 77 miles, January 15 ; Winton, interval, 106 , milee, January 22; Orepuki, interval, 135 1 miles, January 29. j 1 Youn,g Birds.— Oamaru, flock, 59 miles, j 1 April 30, 1910; Timaru, flook), 107 miles, May 7, 1910; Tima.ru (Derby), interval, | 107 milos, May 21, 1910; Ashburton, flock, i 150 miles, May 28, 1910: InvercargilJ, I flock, 110 miles, June 4, 191t. | j I cannot congratulate the committee on i the above schedule. They have too man? j short races— only ei-ght ' races above 200 , i miles, and the long races are the races | every fancier love* to win, for they require 1 members to devote more time to their birds to get them into the beat condition to sustain the severe exertion required of 14 or 15 hours on the wing 1 . How can t'-ey expect, to fly from Napier in the day. T t takes months of preparation, and to be successful you want experienced birds such (as Jean Gerardy, Apres Moj, Wakeful, , and IdoaList. The three former were on i the wing for 14hr 58min. Idealist was ; found on hLs perch in the loft the same night. He must have been anything over 16 hours on the wing. ~ These birds had experience, all havimjr flown Kaikouras, Cape Campbell, and Kaitoka, 411 miles, three times in previous seasons, thus accomplishing the water jump of 30 miles, the insurmountable barrier to many a good pigeon. How can a yearling or inexperienced pigeon be expected to do cuch a performance? A few Cape Campbell races test a pigeon. Oamaru and Timaru should b» cut out of the old-bird programme, and Culverden and the Kaikouras substituted. A bird who passes these tests is qualified I for a harder task from the North Island. I Mr Reeves, who is a member of the Race

Committee, fought hard for more long races, including an interval race from Wellington, but unfortunately was outvoted ia every attempt. An interval race from Wellington would make a very interesting race. Members would: require to put their thinking caps on. The members of the Wellington Club have been very successful with long interval races, and our birde in theii hands would receive the best of attention and a good liberation. Another fault is the interval between the .Cap« Campbell and the Kaitoke race— 27 days. This is too long. It means you have to be continually driving your birds at homo with a flag, which only sickens them. A fortnight, including- the tame spent in the hampers before reaching the tossing point, is sufficient resc. If a. bird! is not fit to go with that snail it" is batter at home, or down it will go like chaff before the wind. The interval races test the pigeon, providing the. interval is long enough, but tJuo-iman w-ittt. a- large numiber of birds is placed 'at a disadvantage in regard to training them. . . I would suggest that the Race Committee I appoint Wednesdays for traininig seeing that tire Saturdays are occupied^ and-allow,-the members the usa of their hampers, when all fee pigeons could be penned -up as for - a race, and charge' a email fee to ' cover actual expenses of cartage, etc. This -. would 1 'toe a boon to all, acd a relief to ' the railway staff, who would not be ham- " pered with a number of small baskets amr . .boxes every day as at present. The Interval races are • anrang«d as far as Ashburton; consequently menrbers- have io* 'jxaim biids privately ixr tfcat place in ,ordex .'to- fit ip with riejs above that point. , . . January is the beet month for Napier arid Maarton races. The weather is more settled. The Derby Race from Timaru is no test for a classic race. It ohXJuld havo been as -, formerly — from Ashburton. Tjma.ru is a I bad place for an interval race. There is nearly always a fog hanging over the town, and the birds do not get- clear away, and are consequently handicapged. On the south road the committee have arranged 1 one solitary race from InwercargUl, on the 4+h of June— the middle of winter. X a race is to be flown from In- ! vercargill, what is the matter with the j months of April or Ma-rch? It would be better for the birds and owners. It means keeping a few binds in training for one race— an absurdi ,idea. Ail the youngbird races, with one exoeption, are- flock races. Why not be consistent, and have all short races interval ones. The committee must know from experiences that the short distance flock races are aU won by quick trapping and position — in other wordß, trick flying, — which is brought about by mating up the young birds or 'keeping tfietn on short rations the day ' before the race. This is detrimental to the , birds in the winter. However, I blame, tha club for- electing inexperienced men </a tba Race .Committee, whemi : older" members, whose experience is inI valuable, "were rejected. < One more word to those fanciers who have birds intended for the * long; .aces : Don't pair them. Keep, them' separated for some fcimo yet if you want your candidates to have a full wing and to do you and themselves justice.