KAIAPOI KORERO.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9315, 16 January 1896, Page 3

KAIAPOI KORERO.

» " Weekly Press and Referee." (By Faxcier.] Three years ago an old fancier friend drove mc up to Kaiapoi. The beginning of the present week saw another old fancier friend drive mc to the same place. The object of both visits was to hava a Korero with the Kaiapoi fanciers, and a look at their birds. My first visit was duly chronicled in this journal, and copied in more than one English paper, and now I have a word to say about my last visit. " The home of the Leghorn" was the designation I gave to Kaiapoi when first I wrote about the fanciers of that place. The designation was given because at that time more good Leghorns were bred at Kaiapoi than in any other town I knew of in the colony. But since first I wrote about the fancy at Kaiapoi a change has taken placeOther towns have supplied many Leghorn votaries, while Kaiapoi has lost some and added none. Consequently that town can no longer be rightly termed the home of the Leghorn in New Zealand. Messrs J. Simpson and J. Capatick are two Kaiapoi breeders that have given the Leghorn fancy best. Their places wiU be jfcard to filL Aix Simpson is out of the

fancy entirely, but Mr Capstick still keeps pigeons. Perhaps when Mr Simpson's love for volunteering wanes a bit and his burly sons cause him to take less interest in football, he will once more turn to his old love. Fanciers will say " sac be it I"

But though the Leghorn has lost two prominent breeders at Kaiapoi I found more varieties of that fowl bred there than ever. On my first visit I only saw brown and white single combed birds. Now. however, there arc Rose combed birds of these colours as well. Mr Geo. Rollinson I found with fewer Pile Leghorns and fewer whits single combs of that breed ; but I notice he has been working up some white rose combs, while Mr J. Taylor hr.s added to his flock of pile, white and brown single combed Leghorns, a few white and brown rose combed, and one Cuckoo single combed. Both Messrs Rollinson and Taylor are deserving of their efforts in trying to add to our varieties of pure bred poultry and I will tfcist they will have as much success in producing the rose combs and cuckoos as they had with the piles.

Kaiapoi at one time could hold its own with Hamburgs as well as Leghorns. I regret to say that my visit disclosed a different state of things. Mr Rollinson has still some good blacks; but I however, to see any specimens of the golden or silver varieties. The goldens are gone and so has Mr H. Butt and his fine flock of Silver Spangles. Mr Butt, I was informed, has gone to Cheviot and taken up farming. May his crops and herds be as good as his Hamburgs.

In the past many of the prizes in the Bantam and Aylsbury duck classes went to Kaiapoi birds. From what I saw and heard few birds of the kinds mentioned are likely to represent Kaiapoi at this year's exhibitions. Mr Rollinson is the only breeder of the miniature fowls up there and he has gone nearly out of them. At present a few black rose combs and about a pair of Game bantams is all he can muster. As regards the Aylesbury ducks, I was informed that Mr Ellen still keeps a few of the kind that made one's mouth water, but weightier matters prevent him having the time to bother about exhibiting.

Now for a word about the pigeon fancy at Kaiapoi. If the fancy for fowls seems to have declined that for pigeons has gone ahead during the past three years. Whereas one could number all the well bred birds on one's fingers, there are now hundreds. Mr Taylor has a nice little "kit" of Dragons, comprising blues and silvers, also a few Homers and Tumblers, and a pair of Pouters. Mr Rollinson has added to his Magpies, a large flock of Homers and a few pairs of Jacobins, reds and blacks, being kept. Mr Capstick's Dragms, which have won most of the prizes at recent shows held here, have been improved by some fresh blood imported. Mr Capstick has now a flock of nearly a hundred blues and Blue Chequers. And I doubt if a larger or better lot of Dragons can be found in any town in the colony than he has.