Poultry Scratchings.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, 3 December 1887, Page 4

Poultry Scratchings.

Bronze Turkeys.— Mr King, of King, Walker and Company, Auckland, lately imported a line trio of American bronze turkeys from San Francisco. We had an opportunity of inspecting these birds immediately after their arrival. The male biid was a gigantic specimen, standing we should say about 2 feet 4 inches in height from the ground to the top of his back, and he Mas evidently quite a young bird. The bens were much smaller in size, which 'was of course natural, but we mean that the difference appeared to be much greater between the hens and the cock than is usual with ordinary turkeys. We are sorry to learn from Mr King that one of the hens has since died, apparently fr m some injury, but from tlia remaining pair he hopes to be able to rear enough thid season to form the nucleus of a flock of this splendid variety of turkey. There is no country in the world, perhaps, which offers such facilities for the successful breeding of turkeys at small cost bo farmers as New Zealand. In the North Island, wherevei turkeys have been allowed a free ruo over land, whether wholly or only partly grassed, they have <l_ no veil. The mildness of the climate is grea'ly in favour of the young broods, and the turkeys, if leftto themselves, will pick up all their own food. We would strongly recommend settlers to procure a pure bred bronze turkey cock to cross with common turkeys, as by so doing and occasionally renewing the pum blood they will soon have a greatly improved strain of tuikejs, which in the market will fetch special prices. Mr King intends to import a second trio veiy shortly.

A Successful Breeder.— This is the fourth year that Mr T. Gies-ham of To Awamutal has &hon n in the Plymouth Rock classes at poultry shows, and on the whole h\s success has been uniform. At the Auckland Show this year, as previously recorded in these columns, his }>rand bird Victor, bred by himself, was again awarded a special and first prizo, the samo honour being secuted by him la^t year at Auckland, Christchurch, and Napier. Wales, Mr Greaham's imported Plymouth Rock, took cecond honours. This bird weighs about ele-'en pounds, the standard weight being (Letdown in the American standard of ex-

ecllenco afc 9slbs. Mr Grosham's is prob^bly as good a strain of this useful breed of fowls as we have in the coViy, and by careful culling and mating thero is no doubthe ill be able to improve it still further. But first-class birds, vSuch ais can be supplied from hi-s yaid, are worth a e>peoial price, and if the special price is given there is no excuse for nob supplying a first-class bird, Sr.LKcr (_sood Brekdinu Stock. — If you want to have a really good strain of any particular breed, you must .select the breeding stock w ith which you stait with care. If jou want birds that will win prizes at poultiy thows, you must not only be prepared to pay a lair price for breeding stock to begin with, but you must cull jigorouslvv We have often urged this point upon readcis of The Farmek before, and we repeat it now, and &ay — if you want show buds, never bicel fioin a specimen with any serious imperfection, from a show point of view. Never mind if, by following this plan, you make slow piogiess in getting together a fair-siyed flock of good birds, for you will be lewaidcd for your t-t length of mind in culling hard and romoi^elcs'sly in the uniform excellence of your stock in the future Weakness of constitution also must be fought against by discarding birds exhibiting such dra.vbacks E.en a good bird as to show points, if a weakly specimen, should not be kept in the breeding pen a . Ot course, if you do not intend to show your fow h you may to a great extent di-icgard m eve show pou t* in breeding, but individual excelIcnco in laying qualities or haidine*s, should always be noted, in oidor that such specimens shall be given the preference m hen eggs are being "^elected for setting.