POULTRY FOR EVERYBODY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10208, 8 April 1911, Page 3

POULTRY FOR EVERYBODY.

(By "Cock-o'-the-North.' )

There are still many farmers, both in the Wairarapa and elsewhere, who stick to the old methods of doing things, and yon can usually pick out the holdings of such men by the appearance of the house and outbuildings. If, as you ride or drive along the road past a farmer who goes in principally for cropping, and you see a fine commodious looking house' and well put up outbuildings kept in proper repair, you may be pretty sure that, if you went in to that place, you would see a goodly array of labour saving farm implements in some of those same outbuildings, and if you see a dilapidated old house with outbuildings whose appearance gives you a mournful feeling when looking at them, you are' fairly safe to find no modern farming implements there. The same thing applies to the dairy farmer. How many of these good honest workers, but utterly devoid of system, slave through the milking season, and their families with them, and then the winter comes, and the factories are closed down, and the cows dry, they have to run an account at the store, and when the next spring's milk cheques begin to come in a. goodly slice of these has to go to pay off the debt contracted. i

Yet .this same farmer by the oxercise of a little common sense has in I his fowls a source of ready cash j which if intelligently handled would not only do away with the need of this, but if he cared to do so would give him enough to pay the most of his summer store bill as well, and the part of the cheques usually devoted to liquidating back scores could be banked, and a portion of such ) money could be- devoted each year to giving the overworked wife and j children a well earned and very much | needed change and holiday. Ido notmean to say that the farmer could do with the sorry looking specimens termed poultry one sees so .often in scores of the barnyards of the Wairarapa, but there are plenty of really { good heavy laying strains of fowls ! of various breeds in the hands of good pouitrymen in the Wairarapa from which the farmer could replenish (or at least improve) his present stock. These are sold at moderate prices and are within the reach of any ordinary person. When I say moderate prices perhaps the j farmer's definition of this and mine would vary slightly. Most farmers ' think that 5s a pair is a good price j to pay for birds to breed from, and no doubt it really is—for the class of bird they get for this price; speaking personally, if birds which are j sold at that price made their ap- j pearance in my yards I would shoot | the lot, and either eat them or feed | them to the other and better fowls. I consider that if any person can get I a vigorous male bird of a heavy laying strain for 21s, or a good hen of the same class in her second year at from'l2s 6d to 15s, he is getting splendid value for his money. I myself recently bought fifty hens and i five cockerels (before Christmas last), the mothers and nephews of the winners of the competition just closed at Christ-church. I did not know then that they would win, but was struck by the appearance of thei whole flock, i which was certainly the finest I have I ever seen in the Dominion. I simply asked the price and the descent of the birds, and closed the transaction at once, and I consider I never made a better bargain in my life. If some | of the Wairarapa farmers had such stock as this (or rather pullets from them) in their yards, and treated them properly, they would wonder what had happened when they saw the result. Just fancy 1464 eggs from six .birds in eleven months (244 each) why many farmers would think I they were not doing so bad if thej i got five or six dozen from each bird ] they have, yet here are birds which ! have laid over 20 dozen each in eleven months, and are still laying strong. Wake up, Wairarapa farmers, you have slept long enough, help yourself, and God Avill help you; if you don't know how and subscribe to the "Age," just pile in your questions ; I'll answer them free, and you can't get it done for less. * \ EANDOM POINTS. i Always keep a little granulated charcoal before' the birds as an aid to 1 digestion and a bowel corrective; it is unrivalled in the world for fowls.

The very best preventative for all diseases on a poultry plant, and a. simple cure for many of them, is a few grains of permigranate of potash in the drinking for all stock, young and old.

One often hears of a, successful poultry man or woman'. "Oh, he is one of.the lucky ones;„ nothing can go wrong witli him." Why? , His lupk consists of foreseeing the tilings which might happen, and taking care that they don't, not waiting till they do happen and then say, "Oh, just my luck."

Many farmers, when urged to keep better fowls, say: "Oh, I have no time to bother with fowls." Good farmer, the wise man finds time always to attend to the best paying branch of his business; if he does not lie' is a well, not wise.