POULTRY NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10677, 4 July 1912, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

(By Utilitarian.)

j In about a month':' timo, -M.Ty to Juno, eggs dropped fully liiKpence per dozezm. Irregularity is 1:0 r.a::r,;for siich an. wiisystcmatic method c. : disposing of lion fruit, a.\;l it ibe observed that it takes f,bcut mine I months to rise from niniepeuce to two ( shillings again. It is enough to make , such one-time co-operators as lldbert Dale Owen, Morrison,, .Fourier, .a'nd ( others squirm in their graces, if they can but see how little the world has advanced in commercial organisation, ; "which includes the producer as well as the' übiquitous middleman, cince they agitated in their day fertile betterment of mankind. . Tlie Utility Egg Circle still cccitinues to make satisfactory progress. It is rumoured that it is not unlikely a meeting cf all the- in-cmbcrs wiM bo heikl again before 'long to disouttj a new echeme for obtaining cheaper feed. These nicietings ,a.:x> good incen ■ tives for the furtherance cf the Circle's work, as it gives members a straight out opportunity cf airing any possible grievances sad thereby getting them .redressed, and also, an opening is available for members, other than the committeemen, to bring up fresh suggestions. .Again, .members arc enabled to make one another's acquaintance first hand, and this, j apart from its social qualifications, sometimes leads to a certain amount J cf business being .transacted beJfcweeji the members, in. the way of selling and j buying Bettings and stock. Eveiy ' member, on receiving due notice?, of meetings, is strongly urged to make it his or her .special bu.sr.noss to attend, whether a full benefit member or honorary only. The latter have as much facility as the cthort" for voting and speaking, and certainly .should ! iroll up too. I An, effort is being made to hoi! a meeting of persons interested in poultry out towards the ccarat. Tt is the. back country saltier who frequently 'keeps n .nuimbor cf nondescript fowls which only show the : r j laying capabilities, in the sparrow or j spring season. It .is a. sign cf tin.- ' times that even our distant neigh- j hours from iow : n are- also waking to the possibilities of egg farming, as ,•• side line.

|' Household scraps arc invar: tidy recommended as capital food for rorsons keeping but a few liens. Tlr? feeing the ca:y?, and there, is no .recognised denial of tiro good results obtained, as far as I am aware, it has (occurred to th:> writer that much greaiter economy iii food might be effected even by larger producers, if they were to do likewise. Household s?r'ap« aro chiefly composed of pieces of meat, peelings *:f various yc-geia hies, portions of .bread, scrapings from the porridge pot, and pudding dishes, ajiid we see no reason'why, when the? ground is available, vegetables- •vucM as carrots and parsnips, and cabbages should not be 'freely added to- the mash, and meat too, when procurable at a cheap enough price. The/'writer hag lately adopted this plan, and find-, the eggs come as freely a.s usual, 3.11 d the birds show every sign' of good health'. Oif course, exactly what proportion of vcgetabelis and meat can .be substituted for pollard and bran without any loss in eggs, yet remains to bo seen, hut wo feel sure that even a slightly less number of egg.* would be more than compensated in the saving *>f pollard and bran. In these days o'f exorbitant prices for all poultry foods, it is well worth making trial attempts to reduce the feed ibills. Fowls will readily pick at raw vegetables, hut <m«y they are cooked there appears to 'be n. greater additional attraction to the birds, judging by tho usual ravenous manner !n which they attack th?m.. It would create a gre'ator interest i;n the laying competitions if experiments were more freely made with regard to feeding, and if ever another one was started '.in this Island it would give the poultry pithlie some kntomdedge that would b'e of immense value if they adopted such a procedure. Our knowledge of poultry is yet so limited that all pro gressive persons would readily welcome experim-rtats along this line.