POULTRY NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 164, 15 July 1903, Page 4

POULTRY NOTES.

[By Wyandotte.]

Items of interest will be thankfully received from poultry-raisers. Please address to " Wyandotte," Km office.] t J Tffe-New Plymouth Poultry Show last i week was, without doubt, a great sue cess so far as birds ware concerned, and afforded an indication that the people of this district are starting on right lines in the poultry industry. From an educative p jiijt of view it was worth ♦be while of every settler to visit the exhihitioD, it must be said that only a very sua 1 percentage took the trouble to attend. The Society hive, however, no cause to feel discouraged, for these shows will grow in popuUr favour es the potentalities of the industry become apparent. It appears to me that the time is now rips for co-operation amongst poultry rais°rs for the disposal of the produce. Situated close to a aeaport and freezing facilities there is money in organise! combination. This Is being recognised all over the colony, and if the New Plymouth poultry raisers are true to their own interests they will not lag behind. As an instance of what may be done in the egg trade alone, a faw extracts from the report of a meeting to form a Poultry and Produce Co operative Society at Timaru may be given. A Mr Beilly, who presided, pointed out truthfully that at present the small producer is at the nnrcy of the midd'emio to a very great extend; these middlemen absorb (he profits which ■hould go to the producer, and the aim ahould be to tecure all rightful profits for the producer, and place all farm produce on the best markets at first band. By combination they should be able to handle produce much better thanindividuals could deal with it. Mr Rfilly gave some icstances of the profits "derivable from tbe buying of agga when cheap, and holding them for m dear market. He had himself bought 8000 doeen eggs last year at 7|d, a&d after-preserving them at a.coet of Ijd per dozen, he placed them on the Dunedin market at a profit of 100 percent, ▲ calculation had bsen mide showing fhat in Duoedin during the four winter "Sibhtha 5000 dozen "case" eggs aie consumed per week, and-16,000 dozen ~ Mr week during the summer months. By "~caß3 " eggs hi meant eggs specially eased and sent to the market; and , there would be farmers' loti in-addition Jbthßße. The same figures, he thought, lyould suit Christchurch and other _ceh®es, 80 that there is almost an unlimited demand. Mr Newton, Government grader, wbo was present, s id there need be no - difficulty in packing fggs eo that tbey - would not break. Eggs at Home brought 2s 61 and 33 per dozen in the j dear season, and Is 6d in the cheap season; to ship Home costs 3d per • dozen, so that thera was d good margin of profit for those farmers who would the trouble to ship. I thank the editor for the special anniversary number i f the N.Z. Poultry- ' keeper, published at Christchurch. This bright little peri dical, which has Dow celebrated its third birthday, is very popular amoDgst fanciers and general poultry raisers, and .lie number in question especially contains a fine lot of : information to practical poultrykeepers. The illustration?, too, are very fine, and the "get up" of the number altogether reflects great credit upon the proprietors. At the Feilding Poultry Show, held on Friday and Saturday (the Press reports), the manager of the Pitea Co-operative Poultry Co. "scooped the . ._ pool" in Houdnns, Orpingtons, Langsbans, and Pekin ducks. Following are the events: Houian*, three fi.-sts; O piogtons, two firsts, two specials, and one second; Lingshans, first, second, and two thirds; Pekin ducks, two fi'sts, a spscia), and third. Mr W. T. Qreen is worthy of congratulation on ■ his success at the Wellington and Feild- „ ing. Shows. At the Wellington Show the judges sud the birds shown by him were the beat colonial-bred birds they had ever seen. The su3ces3 of the Patea Company is important from the fac > thit it is the first co-operative concer a forme j in the colony, acd upon it muiy eyes are turned to see whe'her the co-operative system may be successfully applied to the poultry industry. So far indications are strongly in favour of the affirmative. The faci is generally recognised by farmers and poultrymen, that to successfully "meet business competition, the incubator--is -% -nweMwy—acquisition The question o f quantity is not tbe only " point of vantage over the hen's methoc of raising her broo3, but quality ib alsi

to be considered. The chick that owes I its existence to thq incubator and passes the early stages of its life in a brooder, inherits a stronger vitality and is lea 3 subject to the attacks of disease and'vermin that beset the life of the chick that breaks through the shell in the chicken house nest. Speaking at Tapanui (says the Courier) Mr Hyde said it would only be a matter of a few years when people would be chasing the poultry industry, and he pointed out the wonderfu' strides made in the dairy industrj during the last ten years, brought about greatly by the grading system beiog adopted. People had to produce better quality, and naturally they had a much better demand. The butter frequently met with years ago was on a par with the spring chicken served up now-a-days—siid chicken had been " springing " for years. Poultry should not be allowed oo roost in tree?, but be properly housed in buildings regulated in such a way that there was no draught; and at all times cleanliness was the first consideration. Buildings should be white-washed regularly, well lighted, and with raised earth floor. The house should be in such a position as to get the sun all day. Dry land was also very necessary, and the richer the better, because the fowls then required less food supply. TLey coulj also have the run of the orchard for a! least nine months of the year, and the 1 result would be an increased fruit yield, as fowls enriched tbe land beyond recognition. Roosts should not be nailed, but fitted into slots, -twelve inches above the ground for heavy breeds and eighteen incbei for lighter breeds. The roosts should not be arranged step ladder fashion. If properly attended to, there waa 5s per head profit on every fowl after three years' careful selection. They could run 100 to the acre. The way to g&t good fowls was to weed out all the old stock. By giving proper attention they cculd get the bulk of the eggs from the hen in two years, and after that get rid of the hens. The active birds, that were first off the roost in. the morning and last on at night, were the laying sort and the best to breed from. In the matter of. feeding, give the fowls meat of every description and crushed bone, the latter being the best egg-producing food procurable.