EGG-LAYING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 157, 27 March 1908, Page 2

EGG-LAYING.

< THE UTILITY-HEN CONTESTS. RESULTS SUMMARISED: ' Tho following are some of the mostinteresting points connected'with the Lincoln Qpl-' lego egg-laying contest, 'which..'..ended-oh March IS, covering a period of ten months:— Winners.—White Leghorns' of Mr. Allan. Petrid, of Milton; performance, '3>220 eggs".in. the ton months, by the. pen of sir birjs. Best Winter Performance.—Blabk Orping> tons of , Mr.' \V. , Knight; Hutt, which were twelfth on tho list, with, 1008 eggs for the ten months. .- ■. . Tho total egg .yield, of. all the 2SB birds competing' was 43,306, au average of a fraction over 150 per bird for ten months. Thoy' were all sold at Is. 1 id. per dozen. The, average', weekly yield, was over 1000 egjgspor week from the 253 birds.

Although the competition will inevitably, stimulate the interest of farmers in henß that lay, it is a singular..fact that hot one of the five prize takers .depends on' poultry for ft' living. •; : ■ . The results seeni to confirm -the claim .of fanciers:that some at least have not spoilt' the laying qualities of their birds. The winning pen;, bred by a son of tlie manager of the Na- . tional Bank of New Zealand, at Milton, was from a trap-nested hc-n of. the famous Legcr, strain •/(of Levin), and a ' Brooks'' cockerel;' Mister Petrie has kept poujtry.as a hobby for three uyoars. past,, and has .'carefully ;traj£ nested them. His victory .in'-.the contest ;ia •a.-'.triumph for tho trap-nest. .The second-' prizo winners, owned :by Sir. Tqrifeir (Christ-,' church), were bred by Mr,;W, A. Nixon, , who' has repurchased them. TII6 fourth-prizo pen, owned hv the Rev. F. G. Brittari; wero also bred from birds of the Leger : . strain. The.' result, of tho contest' will be a . great advertisement, for the Leifiri breeder. ''. Tho progeny of Australian Silver Wvandottes were lower in , the list than birds of the same breed locally'bred.., !