THE FANCIER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1248, 30 January 1896, Page 29

THE FANCIER.

POULTRY.

Edited by Eed Cap. POULTRY IN FRANCE. From " Poultry Keeping as an Industry for Farmers and oottagers," by Edward Brown, F.L.S., London, we reprint the following : —" The Ministry of Agriculture lends its powerful assistance and support to whatever will develop the industry, and annual shows held under its auspices embrace poultry, both living and dead, as an important and prominent feature. . . . Home time ago a calculation was made as to the value of poultry and poultry product in France, by the journal Le Ponssin. From this we learn that there were head of poultry, which, valued at 3 f. (2s 6d) each, gave a total of £5,482,872 10s. A fifth of this number is sold off every year for the table, value £1,114,210, leaving altogether about 2,400,000 capons, and a total of 32,982,024 head of poultry for breeding, which annually produce 101,000,000 chickens. Out of this number about 79,000,000 are sold for Is 6d each, amounting to £3,920,000 ; or taking into account the value of poultry sold for what may be termed fancy prices to breeders. Le Poussin made the total value to be £7,176,210. Calculating the average number of eggs laid by each hen per annum at 100, the total, exclusive of those which are used for setting, would be 3,187,702,800, and their value £8,925,568, eo that altogether the value of poultrv and eggs produced in France is rather over £l6,oCo,OOo,—probably treble, and certainly more than double the annual product of the United Kingdom. France not only supplies her own needs, which are great, but is enabled to export vast quantities both of eggs and poultry. ' Personal observations in several parts of France have impresbed one fact, namely, that poultry are made a portion of the regular work of all cultivation, even where to our English ideas they would be least looked for, upon the vineyards, which occupy so much of French land. The vine is subject to many enemies, and at one season of the year vineyards are invested by hordes of slugs and worms, which, if not kept down, destroy the growth. It is customary at this season (June) to employ labour to pick off those slugs, but the efforts of fowls are also largely depended upon for the same result, and at other seasons they are found to be most valuable helpers to successful working of the vineyard, Fowls are to be seen on every side and in every field. For them houses are provided, scattered here and there near to or among the vines. Some are permanent, but the majority are movable, and narrow enough to stand between the rows, generally provided with handles at each end to facilitate carrying. At all seasons the poultry are permitted to wander at will, save when the fruit is just ripening, and we have seen a flock of 30 or 40 birds eagerly following the plough, rejoicing in all the good things turned up by it. The quality of their flesh and the richness of their eggs is very great, and it is a remarkable fact that the best birds for table purposes are to be found where the finest wine is produced. For quality of meat, we have seldom found the equal of those produced in the Medoc, considering that the birds are not specially fattened, but simply picked up from the vineyards to be killed." USEFUL HINTS. Beach gravel is suitable for fowls, provided it is well broken up with a •' smasher." A good supply of sharp grit is a necessity at the present time, as it materially assists digestion, and thus prevents many complaints. . poultry should never be kept in, larger flocks than fifty in each honso. The proper roosting accommodation fov that number is a house 12ft long by 6ft wide, and 7ft or Bft to the eaves. Cement, properly laid, makes a good floor for a fowlhouse, but it is very cold in winter, and should be covered with 3in or 4in of dry One of the best floors possible can soon be made by a handy man Dig up the earth, sav Sin, and fill about halt up with broken bricks, cement, ballast, or similar material, and beat the whole firmly down, fciext mix ashes, gravel, lime, and water into a stiff -compost, and spread over until the necessary height is obtained. The above floor will soon harden and dry, and will last lor years if properly laid. Before starting m a large way in the poul trv line, you should not only study practical works, but experiment with a few birds to 8t A'tntrough knowledge of poultry-keeping | 8 riot }earnt in 4 year, as many people often who look upon poultry as mere egg laving mSnes, and have no natural ove for birds, will never succeed as poultry fa Seve r ral correspondents ask what is meant bv "green bones » These are bones from nw meat, or gucU that have not been cooked,,

It does not pay to keep mongrels, unless they are from a good laying strain. All soft food should be given in a crumbly, not in a sloppy state. Brewers' grains are frequently offered for sale as a cheap food for when fresh and good, suitable for a morning feed in winter, but should on no account be given to fowls in summer. Do not overlook the importance of providing ample shade and a plentiful supply of clean drinking water dnring the present warm weather. A telegram from Dunedin dated Jan. 2S says : Mr John Roberts, when in London, arranged for the shipment of 20 pair of ducks —eight pair golden-headed widgeon and 12 pair English mallards—and i2 pair partridges. These were put on board the Mamari on the 3rd December. On the arrival of the boat last Sunday, the Otago Society received 20 ducks and 20 partridges, 11 of the ducks and four of the partridges having died. The birds alive were in excellent condition. The ducks, half of which are for the Southland Society, will have to be confined until after the next moulting season. The 10 pair of partridges have been liberated on the Taieri.