POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3142, 21 July 1917, Page 13

POULTRY NOTES

• (By Chanticleer.) ' i Relumed Soldiers' Settlement. 2tav South .Wales has set, an excellent example in establishinj; returned eoldiers in.-, poultry-keeping. At French Forrest there are twenty-eight roturned Eoldiers who havo bcon siven a start in poultrykecping and are making oscclleiit progress. In New Zealand ive havo not yet done anything practicably for lie returned men in this ivay. Now South Wales was fortunate in having among their applicants several men who had previous experience, and under the guidance- of a practical instructor they aro making a success of the venture. An experiment should tic put in hand in New Zealand, 'l'ho Wairarnpa, tho Hutt Valley, or Oanterbury, would bo suitable to crtablish. a settlement. Preference should bq civon to men who have had fiomo experience. A EUitablo property with, say, a dozen allotmonts, ivould Ui> suffloient for a triaj. A practical man should bo appointed to superintend the construction of tho plants and be with tho men until the settlement is pcrmnntely established. Production Needed, / Should offect be given to thcuromiso of tho Minister of Agriculture to stop. the importation of liquid yolks into Now Zealand it will ijivo a romarkahlo impetus to poultry-raising. For soveral years the industry has been under a cloud, duo to the increasine value of eggs that arrive from Asiatic ports. Men in a fairly largo way have found it risky 1o enlarge their plants, while many who have desired to take- up poultry-keeping, have been discouraged from doing eo. Onco the threatened danger has been removed production should increase. Tho publio should have cheaper eggs in winter, as tho whole industry can bo organised. Tho discouragement given through the imported eggs has lessened our production, but this would Soon ho remedied under the new conditions. Tho Coming Season. The hatching season, will be in full swing during August and September. Every producer should lay himself out to hatch (is many chickens as possible. The hens should now bo mated. All the best layers should bo set aside. Wo can only increase production by breeding from the best. If every poultryman and farmer in New Zealand can increase the laying of his hens by one dozen eggs each it would ad dover £10,000 to tho wealth, of the country. Suroly this is worth achieving and aiming for! The male bird should bo vigorous and of a sound constitution. He should be tho descendant of a hen that has laid largo egga and plenty of them. Should he be the progeny of a hen that has laid small eggs, a similar result will bo produced from his offspring. Feed- ample green foods, oncpurago exercise by placing of grain food in the scratching material. From ten days after mating the eggs will be fcrtUo. and may be saved for the broody hon, or .placed in tho incubator. We ingo every producer and lover of poultry to aim high the coming season, end produce as many layers ns possible.