THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7020, 7 January 1910, Page 3

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

By "Cackler."

EGG PRODUCTION AN ADVANCING INDUSTRY. QUALITY OF EGGS INCREASING CONSUMPTION. At one time a great many people would not oat a boiled egg unless it came, from their own fowlhouse. The boiled egg, in the hotel or boairdinghouse menu, was a delicacy which few people, would risk. To-day it is one of the most popular foods for the breakfast table. This ichange has been brought about by. the improved, standard of production by_ the work of commercial poultry beepers, who ireoognise that if the greatest profit is to be gained from the business the, fresh-

iiess. of eggs must bo undoubted; in totker words, every egg must be guaranteed. The work of the few progressive •poultrymen in this connection has en-.coua-aged egg-producers in general to be more careful as. to the eggs they send to market. Even in the salerooms there is not the same amount of doubtful eggs . (coming forward/ Formerly suspicious leggs were so common that the retailer ihod to make an allowance for them in ■buying his supplies. Now, when a poultryman brings in a supply of stamp-' «d eggs the retailer is prepared to give full value far them because he can rely on all of them giving satisfaction. The greater confidence on the part of consumers has undoubtedly led to a greatly increased use of eggs, apart altogether from use owing to the .condition being more reliable. Just as the manufacture of butter on the factory system greatly increased the use of butter, so the, stamping of eggs as a guarantee of freshness has led to their use being much more popular. This has given an. impetus to egg-production which •is not generally recognised, and is a guarantee that the, business should always provide a satisfactory return to the man who can produce fresh eggs at the •right season of the year. POULTRY FARMING THE "WEEKLY PRESS" CRITIC. "Fancier," of the "Weekly Press," has ■always refused to believe that there is any money in commercial egg-produc-tion. Recently he used the case of a man near Christ-church who failed- to ■succeed on little experience and lees capital to point his old argument, head*ng his article "The Great Poultry Delusion." Mr D. Inman-Tod, of the "Upper Hutt, has replied to "Fancier" with the following letter, which appeared in the last issue of the "Weekly Press":— Sir,—l have read your article in last issue, fTho Great Poultry Delusion." I should like to ask you a question. If a ■ draper's assistant, with practically no capital, started in a very largo way to make boots, would you warn the public against going into the boot trade? . I know from articles in your pap*r for the last year or two, which I rend from time to time, that you would be ■hard to convince that there is money in utility fowls. While there will always 'be a large, number who will fail in making money in poultry, there are others who will make, money, and don't you forget it. If anyone is keen on , fowls, ,taas a bit of capital, takes advice from the Government Poultry Instructor, and ■goes slowly, starting with good stock, he must make money. "Pestina lente" (get in wriggle on slowlj-). That is the motto for anyone going into poultry. In addition to that, of course, he, wants average intelligence. He could not succeed in any business without that. But please disabus? yourself of the idea that "utility poultry farming" is not a money-making game. There are no fortunes sticking out, but an excellent return for capital and labour sunk in the industry.—Yours, "etc., D. INMAN-TOD. P.S.—I keep a few fowls, and they give me good return. Mr Tod's humorous foot-note nas led "Fancier" into a trap. In a long footnote to the letter, in which "Fancier" quite misrepresents the case (as the man in question did not by any means fulfil Mr Tod's demands), h.» concludes:— "We venture to warn our correspondent not to let his profitable few lead him into a similar morass." As a matter of fact, Mr Tod's few fowls include over 800 pullets just coming on to lay. and the plant of the Upper Hutt breeder is remarkable for some of the most up-to-date and best built poultry-houses in the Dominion. It is a pity "Fancier's" limited experience of poultry keeping has only brought him into touch with the failures in the business. He should pay a visit to this island and visit gome of the

men who are proving his contention to be. utterly wrong. NEW ZEALAND COMPETITIONS The nine leading pens in the Lincoli competition art White Leghorns, the fh-si pen, 1". 11. Cameron's (Nanier) having laid 1131 for the thirty-nine- weeks, the pen of Mr James Mills (Dimedin) having laid 1082. The nearest-pen to the White Leghorns is a r>en of Silver Wvandcttes which have laid 032 eggs. Marfell's Black Orpingtons . continue to head the Cambridge test with 918 for the 3oth week, Padman being seconc with 90G, White Leghorn pens third and fourth with SBO each: W. Knight, Lower Hutt, is still leading in the "Poultry Journal's" test, hi> pen of Indian Runners having laid 701 m the nine months. In one month Knight's pen laid' 177 out of a 'possible 186. The next best pen laid 700 in the nine months. WANTED INFORMATION It is to be hoped that the reports oi the egg-layiug competitions this yeai will be more informative than they have been in the past. The lessons tc be taken from such events must be oi incalculable value. The feed questioi should be thoroughly analysed, the pro portion of eggs laid by the birds oi the different breeds at the several sea sons shown in a comparative form, nnt the question of cost dealt with, m addi tion to the statement of any ideas arising out of the tests Which niav suggesi themselves to the attendant. These re ports should .form the most interesting topics of discussion in the poultry year and should greatly odd to the value o] the tests. ~ . ~ It is greatly to be regretted that the competitions are not held at the Go vernment poultry stations, as is the pioneer and leading test, . that oi Hawkesbury Agricultural College, New South Wales, which was, however, promoted by a newspaper, the bydney Daily Telegraph." K the tests were conducted at the State institutions breed, ers would bave more confidence in them, and would attach more importance to the results. As it is there is a teeling in regard to ono of the tests that all tho breeds have, not received equal treatment. Whether this be true or not tho holding of the tests on a State plant would do away with any °f unfairness-. In addition totals a proper official report of the teste could be issued for the benefit of all concerned. EGG CIKCLES THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SCHEME. The interesting scheme of egg-collec-tion in South Australia, described in these columns recently, is established on an entirely co-operative basis. Some pa-rticulars of the principle onwhich.it is conducted should, therefore, prove instructive tocogg farmers m tluscounrEach member pays 5s for a share in the business. Pending successful organisation when the management will be placed 'in tho hands of the producers themselves, tho Government Produce Department is handling the eggs, and charging the circles a profitable rate for storage and labour. Beyond handling the eggs for a business charge the Produce Department has nothing to do with the -circles. The Government share in it is, firstly, in the placing of a Government officer in charge of the organisation work. Secondly, for the hrst year the Government will advance money to the circles free of interest for the payment of eggs. ' An Adelaide paper commenting on the progress of the movement points out that 23 circles have) been formed in the 6pace of three months, and the immediate interest displayed by the producers seems to indicate. that they were looking for something of the- kind. . Probably one reason is that the long-sight-ed men see in front of them a good prospect of being paid more for big eggs on the ground. To-day tho circle secretaries pay out tho same price as the collectors, traders, and storekeepers, no nioro and no-less. Tho.members make no more money on the ground, but they come up smiling, and also wash and stamp their eggs, and in a large number of instances use the small and dirty eggs in their own houses, or pass them on to the traders. Why do they take all this | trouble, when .they can gather their eggs anyhow, arid sell them all, big and little, stale and fresh, dirty and clean, to some collector or storekeeper for the same money ? Because, with the newsystem, there is the'practical certainty that in due course tho men with the biggest, eggs will make:the most money, and so be able, to keep two hens lor every ono they keep now. There is something, uplifting in the scheme of selling by grades and quality. There was only stagnation under the old system of giving one all-round price for eggs, and so reducing all men —good and bad —to one common level. There was no incentive to the good man to produce good stuff; there is now. , It is easy to silence objectors to the circles. Ask the ono question—" You grade everything else, from a man to a slab of leather; why' not grade eggs?" A reasonable man can only givo one reply, viz., that eggs should be sold in grades. VERMIN AN INTERESTING NOTE. . The fowl tick, a bug-like insect, makes its presence felt at this season of the year. It differs in this respectV from other parasites, that it only visits the body of its victim at night, leaving it after sucking the bloexL Mr W. Froggatt, P.L.S., the Government Entomologist of New South Wales, thus describes it:—"The fowl tick in its adult form is a dark reddish brown creature of an oval- form, with tho back flattened and slightly roughened; , the head is hidden under The Itody, and the tips of the four pairs of legs extend beyond the rim of the body when moving about. They have very similar habits to the bed-bug,..for during tho day they hide in cracks or crevices between the boards or perches in the fowlhouse. Creeping out at night, they attach themselves to the fowl and suck their fill of blood, afterwards crawling back to their hiding places, so that the large ticks aro never seen on the poultry in the daytime. The painting of all buildings used for fowls with coal tar is recommended as the most effective way of dealing with them; but where the ticks now prevail it is better to pull down the fowlhouses and start with a new one, treating all the timber with tar and painting it similarly when it is built. Poultry-keepers should keep a sharp look-out for this pest." .