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Evening Star, Issue 12871, 21 July 1906, Page 10

[By Mihokcl.3 Being desirous to encourage and stimulate Ow poultry industry, we have arranged with a member of the local Poultry Club to edit vr c r mmi ’ b® glad to receive and pubUsh any items of news or notes wliich will bo of service to readers. and questions for answering should be addressed to “Minorca,” Poultry Star Office, and received not later than Tuesday ot each week. "Minorca” this column aDSWer conirnim * ca rions through ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Beginner.”—Of course, everyone has ms own fancy, but for my part I think th© black Orpington tire best all-round bird toffyau to keep, for the followim? reasons: —They are easy to rear and feather quickly. Uockorels at five months are fit for Jdllinv good flesh, and are big for their ars.’ Pullets lay when five or six months old, axe good sitters, and lay weQ in winter when eggs axe dear. When breeding yOT I get all the birds black and even; if not of the highest standard, they look an even lot. The next best, I think, are silver Wyandottes, but you get an uneven crowd, and they show dirt quicker in a small yard.’ In other respects they are about equal to the black Orpington. “GnaurcooL’’—(l) You can obtain this from . • Kei(l - George street, or Skene and Fleming Stuart street. It is best to o©t it with the grit in pieces about the size of peas. (2) Peas are a very narrow ration, «nd would do well mixed with maize, which is a wide ration. CRYSTAL PALACE EXHIBITION. This show is th© largest in England, and to win at it is the desire of all fanciers. Some idea of the size of the last show will gathered from the number of exhibits. Here were 8,435, including poultry, pigeons, and rabbits, and at the some time the Alexandra Palace show was held on the other side of Ixmdon, at which there were 6 222 exhibits. At the Crystal Palace show there were fifty-two judges. Throe hundred and eighty-four special prizes were given, ranging from cue guinea to eighty guineas. The remarks made by the “R.P.J.” correspondent on the Orpington will be of interest to breeders;—

I -Popularity of the Orpington.— the memory of the late William i indomitable enterprise the popularity i Orpington is a growing monument—where credit is due. The ideal chosen « Orpington has proven to be, on- the dde, full breast, ehort legs, a body sapooity to contain productive organs, to withstand climatic changes, these cognised qualities for economic breeds, see any danger now in sight for tiie gfcon it is that deceptive popularity of mt sire acquired by ©xce-jsive fluff, nber that this undue amount of fluff ensive to produce and keep, whether dy or foot famishing, and the most nio and productive strains will not md supporting it. Genuine developand productive qualities axe more and in demand as well as cup winning points. firet winning black Orpington tempted of more money than is commonly or one bird, bat the owner told me s bound to keep and breed him with eady splendid strain. We have since hia grand cockerel win first honors at Mew York and Boston. He was not "gest, but a model of rounded Orpin gaalities well approaching ideals tyt iad other varieties of Orpingtons a chase fox some years to come. CEDING AND HOUSING OF POULTRY, following article, by an American Leghorn breeder, gives a good idea erican methods;— he person who reads poultry journals ly, the subject of a practical method ding and caring for breeding stock ■coder chicks may seem to have been ed overtime ” already; but still it is which we are oil interested, and we aally read when we see the headlines i an article. til to give my method, hoping that be beneficial to someone who has not accessful in getting winter eggs and : brooder chicks. are all agreed that the number of ay hen or any flock of hens will lay rned, m a large degree, by tbe feedl honsmg they receive. The method mg and caring for layers which I give the single-comb white Leghorns. I raise exclusively, but I believe it ippty equally as well to other breeds;, he breeding stock I feed grain twice morning and evening, and always it in deep litter. This grain food e up of equal parts of wheat, oats, eked com, with some buckwheat and added. A mash is fed at noon com(rf tie following: bran, corn meal, wheat middlings, oats, and beef scraps. Several times’ I feed some cooked potatoes or tar. the mash. ?reen food, I use in winter cabbage, <uid steamed clover hay or ; in summer clover, beets, lettuce, e. Of course I keep constantly beJ hens a supply of oyster shells, grit ucoal in boxes specially arranged, al ley will not scratch and waste it rater is kept before them at all times’ winter it is slightly wanned, lea careful feeding, much care and » should be exercised in keeping jarteis dean. The dropping boards houses are cleaned daily in summer winter every other day. ’ houses axe all new, just boxed up >mmon one-inch rough boards, anti ire walls and roof covered with an t roofing paper, which makes a com- > house m winter, and they have sliding windows in the south for use. The floors are made of earth, I ome sjx or eight indies. During the miner or early fall I remove about, sbes of this earth and supply fresh. | ler or straw is removed and spread a farm land for manure about every sks, and fresh straw provided. This •' a splendidl scratching shed for the ■ring bad winter days, when they are toors. following tins naptbod far several' have been quite successful in getting eggs and having healthy, vigorous tig and Caring for Brooder Chicks.— | an enthusiastic believer in the dry- ' method for young chicks. My

1 brooder chicks axe all fed a good, dry j ! grain, chick food right from the Beginning, ! and it gives excellent results. I clean and air tn£ brooders every day, and at the same tune remove tire beddingj and put in fresh, fine-cut millet and wheat straw. This insures healthy chicks from the start. I the chicks in the brooder from, six to I eight weeks, according to tho condition of the weather, and never put over seventyfive chicks in a brooder. Fifty would be i better, I believe. After the chicks are taken from the brooders they are removed to the colony coops, and placed out near a corn field or l cane patch. This affords shade and protection from the hawks. They remain there until fall, when they are removed to their winter quarters about the time the pullets are ready to begin laying. The cockerels, of course, are removed to different quarters, j What I have written are my every-day es- | perienoes, learned from actual practice on my plant, and not theoretically learned from books and poultry journals.

Most people think that a show bird is i»t a good layer, but the winning Black Orpington pullet which was so much adthe show last week comes from a noted laying pen. She was bred from a hen which was one of six which laid an 18 T; 4 .. e . gga for 1116 y«w a* the Hawkesbury College contest by a show cockerel ; her mother or her grandmother never clucked. Mr James Stewart, of In-vercarg-ill, who bred the bird, bought the .mack Orpington competition pen at Hawkesbury in 1904 and 1905. Mr Carotin bought the Silver Wyandotte cockerel which took second prize at the show last week, and Mr Pullen, of Clyde street, claimed the Orpington h.c, pullet. Mr James Stewart (of Invercargill), Mr A 1 Wone (from Orepuki), Mr Wilde (from Waitahuna), Mr Shaw (of Christchurch) were among the visitors to the Dunedin s liow last week.

The show which was held last week snows tnat utility birds are now wbat is wanted. The Minorca days are over, judg- ? g -1 , the . birds which were exlubited. White Leghorns are still a strong class, and the judge did well to keep to true Leghorn type. Hie Browns seem to , declining fast. Anoonas do not seem to catch on, and the Plymouth Rocks and Ham burgs will soon be birds of the past. Orpingtons and Wyandottes are the birds now in favor. The Orpingtons were a very hur lot In the Blacks looseness of feather, coarse heads, and coarse bone were rather prevalent. The Silver Wyandottos were a lair Jot, the winning birds being good: but there wore a lot very far behind. The VVhite Wyandottes were very good in typo and some were a good stay white. The judging ail round gave good satisfaction except in a few cases. Mr Reilly had some stiff fights to uphold his decisions, ‘"titer tlirashing it out be came out on