INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 220, 17 August 1939, Page 15

INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.

EGGS FROAI HOAIE. Experimental shipments of eggs for hatching purposes have recently been sent from England to a loeal poultry fancier, Air D. AYnlkcr, of Longburn Road, and the authorities at Massey College. Mr AValkcr adopted this experiment as a means of combating restrictions imposed by the Now Zealand Government which prevented him from importing to this country some birds which lie had acquired from Lord Greenaway, the well-known British breeder of Rhode Island Red poultry, in Kent. Altogether four sittings were brought to the Dominion by an official from AVellington, and were landed in Palmerston North after more than live weeks on tho journey. The fertility of all the eggs was tested, and most were found to be negative. From tho 60 eggs which wore delivereel here only one chicken was reared, and this is still alive at Massey College. In Air AValker’s sitting, one egg germinated and the chick lived up to the 18th day.

Despite the non-success of this initial venture, as far as Palmerston North is concerned, it is understood it is intended to persevere with the scheme, and, as a result of experiments in Australia, by which a sitting of eggs from England which had been brought out- by air mail produced 10 chicks, the subsequent sittings might be obtained by this method when the Tasman air service is inaugurated. Although considerable expense is incurred both in the purchase and delivery, it is an experiment which is worthy of success. The eggs are the Rhode Island variety. An official connected with the experiment informed an “Evening Stan-, ard” reporter to-day that he believed the Department of Agriculture had previously tried. this scheme, without success.