GENERAL NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 904, 22 February 1930, Page 28

GENERAL NOTES

The following are the results of the Taranaki Eg;g Laying Competition to and including the 45th week.

In the White Leghorn section the leading position is occupied by M. Scanlon’s bird with a total of 289 eggs, followed by Gibbons Bros.’ hen with 271, R. Cannon’s, with 270, and C. W. Taplin’s with 268. In the Rhode Island Red section, A. J. Lacey’s hen laid four eggs for the week, bringing her total to 242. Gibbons Bros.’ hens are leading in Golden Wyandottes, White Wyandottes, and Langshans. D. M. Waddell’s Black Orpington laid six eggs, her total now being 314. H. Kirkwood’s Light Sussex gained three eggs on her competitor. In Brown Leghorns, F. W. Walker’s hen brought her total to 228. In the three bird Light Breed team test, R. Cannon’s White Leghorn laid 19 eggs for the week, bringing their total score to 785. Heavy breed teams are not laying so consistently, the leading team belonging to Gibbons Bros, being 129 eggs behind the leading light breed team. In the Fawn and White Runner Duck section V. L. Gane’s duck gained two eggs on the leading duck belonging to D. Riley, one egg alone dividing them. In the White Runner section, D. M. Waddell’s duck still leads. J. W. Carrick’s Khaki Campbell is now only one egg short of the 300 mark. Pigeon racing in England is evidently a profitable hobby. The Manchester Flying Club recently paid out £5,176 in cash prizes. Mr. H. Riley, Godiey Hyde, won £350 14s 6d, Messrs. Marsh and Marsden, West Houghton,. £207, and Austin Bros., Winslow £205. Several other clubs in Lancashire and Yorkshire paid more than £3,000 in prizes. Mr. A. Robbins (Hastings) has had

a good season with his OI<J English Bantams and has a number of very promising youngsters. Mrs. Robbins, who has been one of the most successful exhibitors of English White Leghorns in Hawke’s Bay, is paying special attention to a few good Leghorn pullets.

Mrs. H. M. Wilson (Hawke’s Bay) has a grand lot of Barred Rock chickens running about as well as a few good Indian Game.

Mr. Wm. Hart is another Hawke’s Bay fancier who has had a successful rearing season. Several of his Modern Game Bantams will be exhibited at the Hastings Chicken Show to be held in March.

The Hastings, Gisborne and Wairoa poultry societies are arranging for shield competitions between them. It is proposed to group the different breeds and to ballot out four each year for competition.

Master W. C. Macfarlane (Hastings), who for some time has been a successful exhibitor of Rosecomb Bantams, has bred quite a number of Rosecombs which give promise of developing into good specimens.

The Hastings Club is following the example of a number of other clubs and is holding a series of lectures. During the past two months lectures have been given by Messrs. H. D. Mace, (Norwich Canaries), Wm. Hart (Game Bantams), Geo. Thornton (Minorcas), W. Wilkins (Working Homers). At the next meeting Mr. S. Devenport will give a lecture on the “Origin of Canaries.”

Mr. W. Shakespeare (Hastings) has a very taking lot of young White Runners, all bred from his winners, which will no doubt keep up the reputation of this well-known breeder.

The Hastings Society last year purchased 300 pens for pigeons. These were paid for by • debentures and taken up by members, and one third of these was released by the proceeds of an art union of birds held at the October show of the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society.

Judging from the success of the various breeders of canaries, both in Hastings and Napier, who have bred a lot of birds, there should be a good display of canaries at the Hastings Show.

Mr. Harold Winstone, Remuera, who, for several years, has been one of the most successful exhibitors of White Wyandottes in the Dominion, has not hatched near so many chickens this season and has reduced his flock of adult stock to 20 selected birds. His young stock is, however, full of promise and a number of them will, no doubt, figure among the prize-winners when the show season comes round again.

Messrs. A. T. Smith, W. H. West and W. E. Green have been appointed the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club’s delegates to represent the club at the annual conference to be held in Dunedin on March, 5, 6 and 7. The coming conference promises to be the most important yet held by the association.