OBITUARY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 15, 18 January 1940, Page 11

OBITUARY

; MR. F. C. BROWN

With the death of Mr. Frederick Charles Brown, the poultry industry of the Dominion, has lost brie of its outstanding figures. Mr. Brown was well known as chief poultry instructor of the' Department of Agriculture, a position from which he retired in 1935. Mr. Brown was in charge of the poultry section at the Seacliff Mental Hospitafin the eighties under the late Sir Truby King, under whom he received a good training in practical poultry-keeping. He considered that Sir Truby was one of the greatest poultry pioneers in New Zealand. Mr-Brown joined the Department of Agriculture in 1902, and his first position was the temporary management of the Department's poultry station at "Milton, Otago. He was then loaned to the Mental Hospitals Department and spent some time at the Porirua Mental Hospital. His duties 'took him to the Moumahaki, Burnham, and Ruakura poultry stations. 1 After being placed in charge; of the Milton' poultry station again, he was appointed as assistant poultry expert ■ under Mr. D. D. Hyde, who was _then chief poultry expert and is still living in Wellington. In 1904 Mr. Brown was:loaned by the Department to an association at Blenheim, who controlled the first egg-laying competition in the Dominion^ This consisted of 100 pens of six birds each. Allsthis was pioneer work. In the same year a competition was established in Christchurch of about 30 pens. This formed the basis of the present noted New Zealand Utility Poultry Club, which extensive competitions at Papariui, Christchurch. In 1906 Mr. Brown took charge of an extensive poultry exhibit at the - Christchurch Exhibition. Two years later he visited Australia and brought back over 100 utility fowls of various breeos and varieties for the Department. Later he revisited Australia and brought back to New Zealand a large consignment of birds, the ;progeny .of which were distributed throughout the Dominion. When Mr. Hyde retired, Mr Brown was made poultry instructor. In 1915, as the work had increased beyond his capacity to deal with it, Mr. Cussen was appointed his assistant, and Mr. Brown was appointed | chief poultry instructor. He leaves a widow and two sons. .