THE USEFUL HEN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 49, 21 November 1907, Page 2

THE USEFUL HEN.

ON ITER ACHIEVEMENT. Over five times as many eggs have passed through the Government depot at Auckland for grading during tho last soven months as were received during the sanio period of last .year. That is tho ossonco of a roturn ••ecoivod by Mr. D. D. Hyde, Chief l'oultrj Export. Tho detailed figures are as follow, those for 1906 being given in brackets:— April, 51,432 (4400); May, GO, 352 (5520); June, 67,881 (0000); July, 124,448 (18,102);

August, 267,483 (40,15' i); September, 334,244 (45.8G4); October, 463,970 (140,6S8); total, 1,369,310 (263,856), an increase of 1,105,454. When the depots. were first established, Mr. Hyde informed a Dominion representative yesterday, about half tho eggs forwarded were rejected as stale. Now only a very few of those sent in are rejected. ,Out of 1069 dozen eggs sent in on one day 10,040 dozen and 10 wore passed "first grade," 9 dozen and 10 wero passed second grade, and 18 dozen and 4 were rejected. Of 670 dozen received 011 another date 608 dozen and 6 were passed first grade, 10 dozen v;ere passed second grade, and 11 dozen and 6 were rejected. Tho eggs that go through tho Government dopot in Auckland will all pass into New Zealand consumption. A good many are forwarded to Wellington, and the great bulk aro kept in cool stores till the scarce season, tho effect of this being that, whereas formerly there were times in tho year when it was almost impossible to get fresh eggs at any price, they can be bought now all tho year round at a comparatively cheap rate. To all intents and purposes these eggs are beautifully fresh; Mr. Hyde asserts that none could tell by their taste that they have been in tho cool stores, and eggs that have been kept over two years by this method have been taken quite good from the stores. Though Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin all have grading depots, there is none yot in Wellington, where the available supply of eggs is in such quick demand as to allow no time for grading. But a local depot, Mr. Hyde believes, must como in the near future. Poultryrkeeping 011 business lines is becoming much more popular as a means of livelihood, and with the increase of the egg supply tho

need of a dopot will be felt. "We have had tho best hatching season at our poultry stations that we have ever had," said the Chief Poultry Expert. "We have hatched some splendid stock, all our birds being hatched from proved good-laying strains." A neat device for ascertaining,without fear of mibtiike, what birds lay th'o best was shown to the reporter. It was a wooden "trap-nest," ingeniously contrived so that when the hen enters to lay she lots down a ! sort of portcullis door, which confines her in the nest 1 ill she is released by ah attendant. Each lien has u leg ring and a number. Tho attendant, when lie releases tho bird, credits tho egg t she has just laid to her particular number in his record book. 111 this way ho can keep a perfectly accurate account of the laying achievements of each lien 011 the station. The attendants take the keenest interest in the record of their favourite bens. "See t,hat v birdl She's a great lad," an attendant will say with admiration, as he expatiates 011 tho record of a champion layer. He has 110 time for fancy birds that do not lay—".vouldn't be bothered feeding thetn," he declares contemptuously. His heart is for tho steady layer. Local poultry farmers, according to Mr. Hyde, are beginning _to develop tho same and are finding much more profit in the business as a conscquonce. Many of them have done away ivith handsome fowls that had their whole affections till the owners found that it is homelier birds that lay the golden eggs. Trap-nests are being used 011 private poultry runs, and every bird stands now on the record of its own achievements; aristocracy is at a discount, and fino feathers no longor make fine birds.