WHITE WVANDOTTES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 277, 30 June 1888, Page 6

WHITE WVANDOTTES.

Tjii. Wynndotte " boom" amongst poultry people in America shows no signs ot col. lapso as yet ; on the contrary, breeders are coining out with White Wyandottes, and (iolden Wyandottes, and if they get some of the Silver-laced variety a bit darker than they are now, no doubt we shall soon see Black Wyandottes figuring; among&t the ilhibtrations in the poultry journals. There is really no reason to prevent the production of any variety of colour in thi& breedBeing newly established, a comparatively small infusion of new blood is sufficient to produce a variation in feathering that will be nearly as constant as the original markings. The difficulty will be to get these variation.-' fixed sufficiently to suit tho patience of amateur fanciers who are not thoroughgoing devotees of fancy poultry breeding. But we began these lines for the purpose of introducing some practical advice on I mating Silver Wyandotte.s, by a correspondent of the California (Jadtfer. This breed, which id beyond all question a beautiful one when fairly up to sfcan dard requirements, is also endowed with some very valuable practical merits, and it ib sure to become popular in New Zealand. Badly marked specimens, however, have, it must be confessed, a somewhat mongrel appearance, and a great deal of experience will be necessary before our Wyandobte breedei s can rely upon producing a fair percentage of show birds. We believe Mr Alfred Bluck, the first m porter of the breed to this colony, has bea&on some really well-marked specimens ; Hut no doubt ho would himself confess he has still much to learn in the science of mating to produce uniformity of excellence as to leathering. We therefore are glad to be able to reproduce for the benefit •of New Zealand fanciers the following on the subject by Mr M. F. Kelsey, of Worcester, Mass. , which appears in the Gadder for May this year. He says: — "Breeding poultry — whether for pleasure or profit — should be started from a good foundation. The person that begins right with a brded will find it much easier to raise good birds. Fine chicks cannot be raised from poor stock that is only fit to kill. Then they should bemated right to get the best results. Some say there is no science of mating fowlb ; those that say it are behind the times-. Those that mate haphazard have poor luck in getting line birds ; they may once in <i while get a fair one, but generally they are poor specimens ot what can bo done with the same breed if properly mated. " M r Jvlilor, I\\ ill try anil give my method of mating and breeding Silver Wyandottes. They arc a fowl that will breed as true as any bi'ecd of Standard poultry if rightly mated. The reason why they do not breed any truer is because breeders change their opinions too often ; all because someone has said extreme mating will please you, such as light-coloured females and dark males, in my judgment tho product of these extreme mating.- is rarely satisfactory, anil it causes a gicat deal of dissatisfaction among young breeders of this beautiful \ariety. My plan has been never to breed from light-coloured females ; I mate my Mnestcoloured medium dark females with my finest male?, and the result ib that lgetalargje per cent, of evhibition birds. lam w&ll satisfied with my malings the past season, for 1 got over sixty per cent, of birds that scored ovur ninety points. [ look well to the hackle of both males and females to bee that it is free from the white in centre of feather. Tho breast is the most important feature on Silver Wyandottes. To get a good breast, medium dark birds must be u&ed ; if you do not breed from dark ones the feathers will be spangled instead of being laced. I say to young breeders, do not broed from smutty birds ; sec that they are free from brown block ; also see that their under colour is dark slate. tSomo birds will look well outside, and their under colour will bo nearly white ; such colour is not desirable. If your pullets moult well, keep them to breed from. A great mistake is wade in not keeping more old liens that shed fair ; you will get stronger chicks by doing so. 1 mate old hens with young male*, and young females with old males. : " Some breeders may not agree with me in my mafcings, for 1 belong to the dgrk-bird class, ] think they are morehandspme than the light ones, for their plumage is more evenly laced. A dark bird will score more points than a light one ; then why not breed dark birds? Breeder* will find nWe pleasure in breeding this variety if they will breed from darker birds,"

M[n t hrai/I'iiosi.»iiatks ok Lime.— Some thirtyyearsago when the mineral phosphates of liiiic were iirst generally recognised us J>aving valuable fertilising properties they wore sold al vory high price*. The supply was then, says Dr. J. E. Taylor, believed to be scanty ; and the raw material fetched as much as £4 or £5 a ton. Cieologisto were , an interested in finding phosphates as they had previously been in discovering gold pr coal. It was rapidly discovered, in,Canadp ; the United States, Norway, aiuijin various part's of England and Wale's. The prices dropoed in' consequence ; but they still remained' high enough to yield a good profit. Instead, of this valuable mineral being" raije, it wag found to be much more abundant in lVaturo than had been imagined. The Ja^t and most important place whore it has been found in large quantities is 'Mons,iu Belgium, wherb by some subtle metamorphic agency large tracts of the white chalk haye been phoßphutised. This can be and is now easily and ' cheaply worked for the market ; so' thajnfcte beating all othor kinds out. ' In ei^hl) yoars tho demand has risen from four thounand ions u year to more than ope hundred thousand tons : and the quantity: is practically inexhaustible. ' '' ' ! ' ' '