ORCHARDS AND POULTRY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 22 May 1928, Page 7

ORCHARDS AND POULTRY

MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL

A CANAJDUAtt EXGVEJUEN'Cfc

I have often wondered why fruitgrowers, especially fruitgrowers with young orchards, do not make more use of poultry as a sideline, or even as a mainstay until Hie lives come into profitable bearing (writes "Sundowner' in ihy Auckland "Star"). I here is so much to- recommend them in a young orchard. They have ihe range where the young birds can growstrong ami vigorous and make healthy, heavy producers : they cannot lie equalled as eradicaturs of insect pests: i hey give t| H . |;i Hi I the finest manure that fruit trees cjni want lo produce growth and fruit, while in a young orchard most of the grain and green lucerne required by the poultry can he grown cheaply and without damage to the trees.

CANADIAN ADOPTS CoMIMNA TION

Now, in a Canadian paper just to hand I find the storv of an orehardisi who has done just this, and has been so successful that in a lengthy article embodying photographs of the plant, and balance-sheets duly audited, he '.-

held up as an example for llritish Co lumbian nrchardisis to follow.

Mr Stoffel. the fruitgrower-poultry farmer in question, was formerly a sea captain, who. on retirement, invested the whole of his savings, some £SOOO. in

a 15 acre orchard, which was ~>o years old and contained 46 different varieties of apples, for which there Was lit lie demand on Ihe market. h'or five years he struggled on. gaining experience and losing money, im, al the end of thai lime realised lhal someOiing drastic uiiisl he done if he were to survive as an orehardisi. With ihe courage and decision so generally found in men of his previous calling, this Mr Stoffel decided to grub out the whole of his orchard, and in place of these noii-des-cript or forgotten varieties to plant oiilv two of ihe most popular ami marketable apples.

'I his \\a-, done, two or three acres being removed and replanted each year as funds permitted, but btich drastic action was naturally costly in loss of revenue, lime and nursery stock. Tin' old varieties had not been worth much, hut I hey had produced some income, and means had to be devised to balance the deficiency in the budget. While the ex -mariner went on the road ill the winier months as a salesman of orchardspraying equipment, his wife established a small Hock of good White Leghorn pullets. Those chickens iwere so profitable I hat the flock was soon increased Lo 600 birds, which laid an average of 207 eggs each. The cost of producing each dozen eggs was 6 ; '.d, and the average selling price was Js sd. 'the cost price includes all feed, depreciation, interest, proportion of taxes, cost of chicks and raising them to maturity. His annual profit from 600 laying hens was no less than C 450, and meantime the young trees in his orchard were growing as no trees in the neighbourhood had been known lot drive previously.

STOCK AND ORCHARD MANAGI MKNT

A. very important factor is the milliner in which he raises his stock. The entire orchard is cropped. Lucerne is grown and disced into the ground in spring and autumn. The young pullets are reared in. the growing lucerne, anil when about to commence laying are put into the. permanent laying house. As young stock the little pullets are placed in small colony houses with a tree run of the. orchard, living in a poultry paradise with green feed, bugs and worms, plenty of fresh running 'water in the irrigation ditches being Constantly availble. With such treatment- they acquire stamina for their mature life. They are kept in the laying house through the pullet year, over one. motillingperiod aixl Ihe succeeding yearling year, and are then marketed before they can go into another moult. The ration given lo Ihe laying hens is very similar to thai- recommended in this country, but the growing pullets are given little beyond what they can. pick up of lucerne and insects, supplemented with abundance of buttermilk and curds procured from a nearby butter factory.

What was originally this man's sideline has become the mainstay of the farm. Meanwhile the orchard has not been neglected and the young trees are about to swell the annual revenue. Lucerne cropping has enriched the laud in nitrogen and humus, insect pests arc unknown, the highly-manured trees have made exceptional growth and promise to bear heavy crops of probably wellcoloured fruit (owing lo the effect of ihe nitrogenous fowl manure), and during the growing period of the trees the income has been infinitely better than when the old orchard was in. bearing.

POSSIPdLITIKSIN DOMINION No doubt, many of our New Zealand orcnardists, struggling through those anxious years when tin? trees are growing, could adopt Mr Stoffel's scheme with profit to themselves, the land and the growing trees. Even when fruiting commenced, the plan could be continued, excepting during the season when the fruit was ripening, or if at- this stage the orchard was found to provide

sufficient work and income for Ihe owner, the poultry branch could then be gradually dropped. l'"or the ultimate good of the orchard, apart altogether from the profits earned from poultry, they appeal to ihe writer as a. much better sideline, than Ihe locally popular one of intermedial e cropping.

Those who object io chickens and Ihe expenses of housing, high netting IVnc in'j. ami continuous attention which they require, would probably find that they would eel equally good results both in profits "and effect on the growing fruit trees from Indian Runner ducks.