POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 42

POULTRY NOTES.

! * . ' A Dunedin fancier reports as follows respecting some poultry yards in Miltou :—: — MR D. PATON. Mr P&ton's runs are situated in a nicelysheltered position, and aro a treat to see. There are three houses Bffc by 10ft with brick and cement floors, shelter house, with dust baths I and nests attached. Mr Paton keeps to tha one faney — brown leghorns. He has » separate run for cockerels, of which ho has 14, several showing great promise. Most of them are by one of Mr Millar'a champion roosters. The pullets are comiag on vary fast and looking very well ; several have started to lay, being 5£ months old. The morning meal cmsists ot ' whoat -(warm in winter), a few oats at noon, and wheat again at night. i ME M'GILL. i My next visit was to Mr M'Gill. He keeps j j Minorcas and Andalusianp, and fiuds them both j very good layers. His young stock are late. \ The mprning meal consists of hot food, mea^i j and scraps at noon, and wheat at night. i MR CLARK j My next visit was to Mr Clirk, who keeps a variety ot fowls, bat most of them from pure stock. They are all in one run. He finds most ' of tihacQ start to lay when about six months old. I In 1896 he had 8551 eggs from 60 hens, and in 1897 8171 eggs from the same number of fowls. The morning meal consists of warm food, with wheat at night. After leaving Mr Clark I called en ME WILSON, a Minorca fancier in a rmall way. He fluda them very good layers, and sp3&ks very highly of the eize of the eggs. The moruing food ia given warm, and oats at nighb. In tae afternoon I called on MB PAUL, ! the chief prize-taker in Milton and a strong j oppoueut to the Danedin t'ancisrs. His runs j are nicely sheltered by fruit trees and hedges. J i He has white Leghorna, brown Leghorn', and j silver Wyandottes. Mr Panl prefers the Wjandottes for winter laying, but thinks the ! brown Leghorns the best, takiug them for the • > whole year. There are three t'owluouses 12fc ! . by Bft, with a run 25 3'ards square attached to j j each. In one pen there are some very promis- I ; ing Leghorn and Wyandotte pallats ; in the i next are several hens which have scored in the ' leading shows in different places, bu!; now of ; course iv fche moult. Mr Paul is a great advo1 cate of judgiog by card — nob to so judge every j bird, but; to pick the best. j ME ANDERSON I has a large open run situated near the river. j He has some very nice Minorcas, amongst them, , a lot of young ones, but not sufficiently advanced ito apeak as to (heir merits. lam satisfied, j liowever, that he has some excellent layers. j MB J. TAYLOit I i has Minorcas and Wyindottts. He has kept j fowls for the last ■20 years, both at Home ' I and here. He thinks Mioorcaa are among J j the best fosvls he knows of. One of his | i birds of this breed bag laid 30 consecutive ■ days. It then stopped oae day and started a?re3h. He has a nice flit section, divided into three runs with two breeding houses attached, huh practically devoid of shelter. I caw thres cockerels in one pen, all- looking very well, and among them Mr Taylor hopes to have a very good exhibit for the Dunedin show. One o£ i them has splendid ear lobe and comb, and ) bjdy developing fast. Some pullets wereof f uU- • siz=d for their age, bufc combs not sufficiently ativancsd to judge of, being ouly fiva months. < This breeder has only jaii started with | Wyamlotfees of Mr Paul's breeding, and he i thinks very highly of them. One of the > ' cockerels look 3 particularly well, being a very ! fair siza. | POULTRY JUDGING. j TO THE EDITOR. ; Sir, — Replying to " Amateur's " iebfcer in last J week's Witness I need enly say he is like Irs ; " card-trick " system of judging — absurd. He i must be. absolutely au amateur, otherwise he j would .allow others to occupy as much space as jhe ha-s himself without complaining. I would ' i tujgest to him in future, when -quofcrag extracts ' i by American txpßrts, to say which «re his own I ■ opinion, aud no', sign himself as the author of j I such ideas and exoerienca as he did on t.h? first i occasion he wrote you, aud, moreover, if he | requires any. further information fxom me, he I j will have saeae in shape of answer only to ques- i ! tions ho may nslc, or should he-atte.repi to show ! ! fche advantage in examples, as" l have done, or \ \ explain why the card syststa should be in use — . otherwise 1 sjiair riot take any further notice of • , him .... i ! I am pleased,.- though surprised, to read ;-Mr Myers's letter. I know thoroughly well Mr ! Myera "has always courted argument* upon aoy j subject he may have brought forward. 1 must j alao say that Mr Myera has always acted as a thorough faij.citr. I firmly believe he had the good of thei'ancy at h atd when prapotiog this system. i I can assure Iklr Myers it is not prejudice that makes the true fanciers and experts aud breeders in England object to this pernicious system. It is simply bacanse in opens such a wide field ; lor fraud. This system was tried in England as far back as 20 to 30 years ago at such places as Birmingham, Maochester, &c., and rejected. Mr Myers would not, I am sure, do such an inJ justice to the fanciers and clubs in the old country as accuse them of being too con- . i strvative and prejudiced. * Sarely there are a j few who know a good bird or dog when .they see one without using the card when England is the headquarters ou all dog, poultry, pigeon, aud canary matterß ? Even the great American exj peros and societits bow to their decision. ■ Whatever the American societies are doing re j «arri-jadgiug, it is quite clear to us it is not the leading clubs, otherwise these club 3 would not import English judges to officiate at their shows on the old country system, This system is no new reform, bus simply an old one revived. I am not surprised at anything, particularly regardiug Mr Williams. I'll ask Mr Myers in answer to this part of his letter whether he would bi surprised to learn that Mr Williams I neier judged or picked his birJa by the card ; when exhibiting them. Would Mr Myers also i be suroriaed to learn thai) Mr Williams first heard of this car j system when Mr Myers adi vertiseJ it at the late general meeting of the J Fanciers' Club, when he was taken by surj prise and said " Capital; this ia the best: system I have ever h*ard of." Who has authorised a N«w Zealand standard, ; and what section of the fancy h^s & local ■ standard ? I, like Mr Myers, would bn pleased i to hear what arguments Jie nan bring forward ; ( so tar neither fee not ♦'Amateur" hiirebrgugliti

a single argument forward, bub have written on general matters only, not arguments. 1 th'nk, should the Dunedin .Fancierb' Club appoint, say, aomo *ix judges to judge by the card, or point judging, in ona or two clashes separately, and no comparing of cards, it would be of ! extra interest to w&'teh tbeir awards — more so ! should they be asked to judge tbe same birds j again with fresh cards, say two or three hours j after, and publish the results. I will hold over some other matters I have to write about till I can Uy my hands upon the evidence I require. — I am, &c, j Breeder.