POULTRY FOR EVERYBODY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10497, 7 December 1911, Page 3

POULTRY FOR EVERYBODY.

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

The "morning session on the third day of the Conference was opened by a further discus/sAon of -Via- J. M. Ferguaou'rK paper, and the result ox this discussion' was the appointment of a committee consisting of Messrs Fergusoai (Welliuigton), Gordon (Tarajiabi'), Vincent (Ashburton), Stretton (Feildisig), Hawke and Merrett (Ohri/stchurch), and Brittaiai-Bull (Auckland), to go .into the matter, and report to -the next conference. The balance isheet was again submitted after audit and adopted. The discussion on the utility standard was postponed till the'evening session-. »

An address ion lessons, from egglaying competition's was- then given by Mr Huwke, President of /tire New Zealand Utility Club, who was heartily thanked. The' i&essikni adjourned t 11 a.m., to enable the members to. visit the Government farm at Bm-nhuni.

In the afternoon the delegates and their friends, to the number of over 80, journeyed to Biurnham and spent a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, the Agricultural Department providing afternoon tea. After .several speeches by Mir Bruce, 01 the Agricultural! Department, and Dr. RuEselJ, toasts were given, to Their Majesties the King and Queen, the Agricultural Department, the Bnrnham Poultry Farm, Ma- and Mrs. Archer (Master and Matron of Bumham Industrial School) and the New Zealand Poultry Association, which were responded, to by Mesis.rs Hose, Brown, Bruce, Merrett, and Ma- Archer. The sdiool was then inspected, as> also was the Burnham pouiltry farm, and the delegates and tlieir friends, after being photographed, returned to town escorted to the station by the school pipers.

(8 p.m. to 10 p.m.) Auckland was agreed upon as. the next jpfl'acc of meeting for the Association, on the motio.il of Ma' Gordon, an amendment in faWDUr of Welington being lost, the tiime agreed upon being Easter week of 1913. Mir gave a practil- - demteMiSih'ation of fattenedl las against unfattened chickens, which should'do a great deal .to enlighten, those fortunate enough to witness, it, as to the true economy of a bird at a decent price instead of a bone-rake at a low price. He was accorded a hiea.rty vote of thanks, and deserved it.

'Some dLscai'Srson rtonk place on Ml* Hawke's paper. - Mr Brown read a -short (paper on Madera Methods »of Pioultry Culture, and was thanked. The dr&cussion on .the Utility standard was, I regret to say, cut short for want of time, hut was. very lively while it lasted. The Conference then came to a close wiiith vote* of thanks to the. chair, secretary, North Island delegates, and other's, and with thesingling of "Auld Lang Syne." On Friday, the' 10th, a meeting off the Executive tooK place, at which rules. .3 and 4 were amended, as indicated in the notice of motion by Mr Gordon. Some other minor trasamess. was transacted, and the memibeirs of tlie committee, went their .v&ribMß ways with irtutually expressed good wiisfcs for a meeting in Auckland :n 1913.

MY IMPRESSIONS. I The 1911 Conference of Poultry- J men will'* Rive long m ray memory for j various reasons. The fin-sit and chief j i& the remarkable paper by Mi- J. M. J Ferguson, of Wellington, on 00-oper-atiibn. Anyone treadling this- paper in cold print could not form (the least idea of the actual thing itself. The J paper took hold of me at once, and yet., though niuny of those present were evideaitly struck .the same way, j tliey pronounced at permiature. Thi's., 'wais' unfortunately true, but it wais j tlite fault of the poultry men and far- I mars, that this was so, and it is- to j 1)« luoped that what Ma- Ferguson, stated as to tOne possibility of an enterprising Company taking up the work wiiill' mot eventuate before New Zealand poultrymen wake up,, or they will .probably find theii; task more difficult than at , present, of putting Mr Ferguson's, scheme into active operation'. There were the. us*ual numiber of wild and tlitongilitleßS. statements made at this Conference which one 'usually meets at any gathering wf .poultry men, and I did ray best to kill these eis soon as made, and by whom-iso-ever made, and I Hatter myself not .wittout success. For iinstance, one gentleman was speaking who influences a great lvumber of people in this* Elomtkion in poultry Matters., and when lie was asked the question what should be •dionie with diseased! eggs, made the astoamding statement that at was\ impossible for ion/egg to be diseased. Of course, as is.,usulal with this class of statement, .it wa.s ' .simply- miade and left at that, no [reason, being given for it. That the statement is an obsurddty goes without saying. Oows and other diseased animals are destroyed not only to prevent tJiie danger to public health from the particular animal destroyed, but also to prevent the perpetuation of the diisea.se through their offspring. Nlow, this offspring i.s produced from am egg as is the chjicken, and itf it as po. iSiilbO'e for a cow to train smalt diseiase to its offspring per mediiium titf its ovaries, what natural law is in oxMence to prevent the same thing among fowls. If the statement is correct, then; we have good reason to congratulate ourselves iiis poultrymien, lot of it is .impossible for an egg to be diseased, then heredlrtaa-y disease among fowls, is an utter imposs&bility; but lis it? We wfll see next' week. (To bo continued.)