POULTRY NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10715, 21 September 1912, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

(I3y "Utilitarian/') l>ir.!r;;'.'-:r.:>, according to the p'/css, aiv .va;,:;;; lnuo'.i controversy lately, concerning the origin of life. it is car..-.■•;va. ; iL- tin:, tho egg will, liltirr.M ''y. !:■ th>' r,\cr.:\v. of elucidating ii:i; orob-om:' Which came iirst, the egg or tho bird, is not, we believe, settled, but when we remember that birds are not the only creatures which lay eggs, it appears to lis are but another evolutionary stop, and if this i.i ,h:>, there must ho, in tho egg, a vast amount of patency, and if tno egg, itself, cannot explain the origin of life, we believe it will greatly asi.ist iu:;::'.!e<l biologists in tiieir endeavours. It is certainly n well known fact that an egg is, for its size .a wonderfully strengthening diet, and that like milk, it contains all that is -rio-cj.-.:-:u'y to sustain. "Surely," as the JK-ii said when ■-:!.'..• heard the chicko is pipping in the .-,i:ed., "there'.? something i;i it." Some while a:-\> we advocated fading laying pulhts th-oe times a day. Now. it i; K'.miy'JiY necessary the day,,

are longer r,nd wi'-un' and the birch ha'.■!.< more opportunity > f i.i'r-gii'g lor themselves. M',v ■•••■ erst!:,- ' cf the natural laying. season which.iff a. vastly dilferenc business to--winter lime.

We often hear it stated that White Leghorns are the best layers. There is no best breed. Doubtless, the. fallacy has arisen from the fact of White Lc'fhorn:; nearly always winning Iho h'yin" competitions, but wo say tho solution lies hi this fact, that there am more of this breed in the country

than any other, consoo.uontly there aro a larger number of good birds of that kind"but. not necessarily, a larger proportion. There are plenty of "White Leghorn hens not worth thenkeep Owning tho latter sort ma]j bo tenned "Poultry Keeping," but possessing profitable ones is "Poultry Farming." The art of culling the. pullets, when young, is worth studying deeply. if you want to reap top prices tor table'chickens get them on the market as quickly as possible. All the circles have been requested to endorse the resolution passed lastweek at Christchurch, to urge tlie Minister for Agriculture to send a

capable man Home with the experimental shipment of exported eggs. Some do not consider we need to trouble about exporting eggs, but many realise that eggs at Wd per doacn with a probable further decline call, for urgent measures. AVc cannot a' afford to preserve in large quantities, and ivc must fall into line with the butter producer— export. The Lower Hutt has formed an o?u supplv company on the same lines a: 'tho circles are run. It is always; pleasant to us to be able to record progress of this nature, as it gives fresh lease nf bono for tho ultimate and more final 'co-operation—amalgamation o! tho circles. There has also reached the organiser of tho Poultry Association, Mr T. 1-1 Rutherford, a request for Ins vices in the South Island, lo form a circle. So f.xr tho South Ishmd has been very backward' in comparison with the'Xorth in this respect. «)i»ly one. the Canterbury Egg Circle, be-

sides the Egg Fanners' a simi'a.' inttitutio'\ i". in evuleir/o a>. vet. In this Island there ifre fully ;;

dozan in operation. . A batch of day-old clucks has arm(vl :.i the district irorn Mr H. J.eg-" s •Village Ef& Farm, Leviu. ) Practically everyone says he or s.ie I believes in co-operation, but hesitate to act as by joining an \ egg circle. This class of procrastmator reminds one of the words of Pope, who, in a lit of aberration, wrote, "Be'notthc first by whom the new te tried,- • ( ( Xnr vet the last to lay the old aside.'" . It does not require much wisdom-.to see that if wo all adopted this advice tho world would cease to pvopvoss. wc , would stagnate. » Some wonder why it. is Mr Leger, a-hswhiner of the Blenheim Egg lay- j ing Competition a few year.? ago. W | not. kept in the front rank since. The reason wo have heard him state is that ho does not specialise to hatch just at the date to have pullets at a suitable age for competitions, but apparently prefers to have good all-round sound constitutional stock. That many have the utmost faith in his work is elearlv evident to judge by. the enormous number of orders he annually receiver. The meeting called for to-night at the Druids' Hall is one that should appeal to everv class of our community, producer, buyer, and consumer. Those who are concerned therein areanxious that the attendance will be as ) large as possible, so that, the reason of exporting eggs may be fully disposed. Furthermore, our member. Mr G E. Svkes, has been asked tr. ■attend and tfve an address on export trade. At the moment of writing these notes we are innble to s-iy c,uite. • definitely if his multifarious lar.n-"■-tnvvdiit-ies will alb v him time to '"e <o the. request, but there is •iece.de , u> w j|| 110 . tO . crerv i)rol>-.. , .' . __