POULTRY NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10718, 27 September 1912, Page 7

POULTRY NOTES

(By "Utilitarian.")

A rather amusing error lias lately been going tiio rounds of the ow Zealand p>u;try pros-;, i/i rcicreiKo to the average number of fowls by thi? i)ai>es. It ha;; been staled that f(U!r hundred and t.'iiirty-niiio head of poultry are ov. Ned por head of the .Dauisii population. .Aiuitiply this by four roughly the human population (if that country, ami we have ilio er.traordii:.ai - y (juantily of seventeen hundred and fifty-six million fowls, or, in other words, about one. I'.ur.d'i.-t and l'.)rty-:-ix times tho census returns of twelve millions, j Tho average number kept by the Dau- [ isli farmers runs from thirty to forty I birds each, and .Denmark is not a country whore they are often run in largo Hocks. A rot on e visitor supplied lis with certain information concerning impeded eggs. Ho stated that this class class of egg was only us<xl for ecrtain purposes in the bakery trade, and was not too satisfactory. It appears the eggs come over in barrels, principally from China, and generally one in every three is bad. In spite of tho fact that the Chinese hare boon handling eggs for thousand;-, of years, they evidently have something to learn in the art of exporting or preserving hen fruit. Tho visitor wont on to say in his trade it was ometimes found, necessary to fall hack on "dislocated eggs."' Evidently lie got a bit mixed and was thinking of "dessieated eggs." Nows from Napier is to the effect that the Gordon v. Now Zealand Times libel case was to he heard on Thursday, and much excitement reigns. On Tuesday last tho Hastings Egg Circle members took advantage of Mr Merrett, .secretary of tho NV.v Zealand Boultry Association, being in tho district, and persuaded him to j give'i one of his interesting poultry lectures. It is hoped this will be the j means of arousing tho Hawke's Bay . poultry-keepers to take, somo live ao- j tion in the circle movement. \

Wo were somewhat astonished lately to come across a. case where the ' owner had only supplied otto turf for his chickens to peck at which wore thon a fortnight old. No other green food hnd been given all. After tlio first three or four days green foiod should he supplied daily. Freshly dug sods of turf are excellent, and can bo made to last out a while longer by placing them outside the ! pen every night. [ We were hoping to have been able to announce Mr Merrett's arrival ir this district on his return, south frcm Napier, but wo bear now that it is quite impossible. Tf poultry men wore only alive to their own interests they would give more liberal financial support to their Poultry Association, and that body would bo able to keer a man continually on the road fothe benefit of the egg producers. As it is, men liko Mr Mcrrett are unal)Io to sparo murli tinio * fi*om their own luernt'ieo business, find ilifi industry suffers in consequence. Tji. the current number of the Agricultural Journal .is an .article' aim- , plifying the principles of Mendolism. Poultry-keepers should endeavour to master these principles for the laws governing heredity arc somewhat

complex, fliul it is as well to understand them <if it. is desired to attain competency in the mating of birds.

It has now been definitely arranged that the organiser of the Poultry Association wall give an address. on the "Aims and Objects of Egg Circles" at Picton next Wednesday, and also, perhaps, at Blenheim. Arrangements are well in hand, and it is expected that there will, be a first-class meeting.