POULTRY FOR EXPORT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1523, 28 February 1901, Page 43

POULTRY FOR EXPORT.

THE WELLINGTON DEPOT. INCEPTION OF A PROMISING INDUSTRY. When a poultry expert was first appointed to the Department of Agriculture, the innovation was regarded in many quarters as one entailing useless expenditure, and hardly likely to mar terially affect the wealth of the colony. With the inauguration of the export of frozen chickens and ducklings—on the lines of the very successful trade which has been established between Australia, and London —confidence in the work of fostering the poultry industry has been established. Mr D. D. Hyde, the Government Expert, has shown untiring energy in his efforts to start the preparation, grading and packing of the birds on the correct

lines, and from what a “Times” representative saw the other day at the Wellington poultry export depot, there is very little room for improvement in the work controlled by the Government. If the producers will give the same thought and attention to breeding and maturing the poultry, the highest prices on the London market will be at their command. A fortunate circumstance in connection with the inauguration of the trade is the fact that several London dairy produce houses, which are represented in the colony, are prepared to advance at the same liberal rate as is characteristic of their treatment of shippers of butter and cheese, making an advance against the bills of lading up to 85 per cent, of the market value of the birds. Poultry depots for killing, dressing, grading and packing have now been established at* Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch, and a thoroughly competent poulterer and grader has been appointed to each centre. Immediately the birds are dressed they are packed and sent to the freezing w'orks. The package adopted resembles a. dressed fruit-case, but with this difference, that the case is packed from. - the side. The case is lined with butter cloth, has openings both at the end and sides, and has a batten running across either end of the case on the bottom, so as to allow a free circulation, of the cold air of the freezing chamber. The killing of the birds is done cn the American system —cutting into the brain from the inside of the mouth, so a. s not to show any disfigurement of the head. This is important, for the head; has to be left on the bird/the plucking only being done to about half-way up the neck. After the bird is plucked—' the fine feathers of the wing being also left on—the head is washed and a piece of cotton Yvool is put inside the mouth in order to absorb any moisture. Before being cased, the. head is wrapped in a piece of 401 b parchment paper and the wings and legs are neatly tucked in. Blotting-paper is placed between the two layers of birds in each case- —- five in each layer—to absorb any' niojs-. tare consequent on freezing. . Altogether, the packing of the birds is carried cut on the most approved priu-. ciples, and is identical with the system practised in America and Australia.

On the top of the case is branded, in large letters, the words “ New Zealand Produce,” the initials of the producer, the net weight of the case, and the stamp of the department—“ Department of Agriculture, New Zealand. Graded by Government Inspector.” On the front side the number of the ease is stencilled. It was noticed on an examination of the ducklings which were being prepared for shipment at the depot the other day that some showed the yellow flesh of the Pekin strain, while others had the white flesh of the Aylesbury. It is a. point to be remembered by pro*--ducers that the London poulterer wants a white-fleshed bird, with white lags, and it is only for such birds, whether they be chickens or ducklings, that he will give the highest market price. It is partly for this reason that the Dorking is such a popular table bird at Home. Its flesh, however, is greatly improved in flavour by crossing with .t the Indian game, which breed, by reason of its very hardy nature, also counteracts the delicate constitution of the pure Dorking. For the same reason the Pekin duck, which is of a hardy nature and matures very rapidly,’ has a corresponding effect on the more delicate Aylesbury. Mr Hyde, the Poultry Expert, is of opinion that it is not advisable, therefore, to entirely neglect the Pekin, even though the colour of its flesh is against birds of the breed securing fancy prices. A peculiarity of the Pekin duck is that after being killed its flesh becomes much darker, Avhile the Aylesbury maintains, its fine table colour. In selecting birds for the export trade, it is to be remembered that we have to cater solely for the London market, and the requirements of that market must be considered if the business is to be brought to a successful issue. The Americans, for instance, will have nothing but a yellowfleshed bird, and consequently there is a. great- demand from them for. Pekin ducks and the yellow-fleshed fowls. The English epicure, on the other hand, demands a white-fleshed bird, and must have it. , Mr Hyde is of opinion that a breed of fowls which will gome into, great prominence in the export , trade is the buff Orpington, as it is a white-fleshed bird, with light legs, Tt'. is slsoa. .very hardy bird* matures “ and the hern are very fair layers. The Wellington Poultry Depot is

situated on Government land near the Black Swan Butter Factory, and at present consists/ of two unpretentious lean-to sheds, oho , deyqted to three rooms for killing/phpking .and storing, and. the other/to'pens capable of accommodating 800^-birds. The expert in charge of the store, can kill, pluck, dress, grade and pack 100 pairs of birds a. day. ' v'- ; . . Those persons who are desirous or shipping birds this season—from February to May—or of embarking in the business next; year, can gain all the information they, want by; means of an excellent pamphlet issued ,i>y the Agricultural Department-,, and . edited by the department’s'expert, Mr Hyde,