THE KENNEL. TRAINING SHOW COLLIES POULTRY NOTES, POULTRY BREEDING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2379, 5 October 1899, Page 39

THE KENNEL.

TRAINING SHOW COLLIES

POULTRY NOTES,

POULTRY BREEDING.

KOTES BY TEUROB.

[Fanciers and breeder-, of dogi arc coniially invUed to con tilbufe items io Uit= cotiitmi. " Terrur ' will emltaxour to mai his douartmrnt as interesting and uy-to-date as pomible, but ie order to do this lie must lisive the co-operation or Iriirrcalheuce he trust* thU invitation will lie cheerfully reipondcrt t»

— Shetland Lass, the young collie bitch purchased from Messrs Roger* and Andrews by Mrs Richardson (Sydney), has, I learn, vouched her new home safely, and has been much admired there. The firm have also sold the pupny dog Shetland Ross (second prize at the Royal, Melbourne) to Mr J. J. Bain, of Launceaton, and a number of other puppies have since the show been disposed of to~various breeders throughout the colonies. —Mr Rogen has despatched two puppies, Bvansdale Jock and Evansdale Lase, by the Mokoia to Australia to take up the running for his firm's kennels on Hie show bench in place of the young collies mentioned a3 sold in. the preceding paragraph, and he informs me that he has every confidence that they will upholS the reputation of the Shetland kennels equally as well ab the dogs just parted with. Jock and Laps (Evanpdale), I may mention, are brother and sister to Shetland Lass. — "Sir Bedevere," in the Sydney Town and Country Journal, writes: — The collie dog, Shetland Wallace, which can well lay claim to being the most successful dog of the season, lias changed hands, being purchased by Mrs Ely, of Maryborough (Vie). Wallace won first and special novice, first and special puppies, first and special Australian-bred, equal first limit class, trophy for best colonial-bred dog or bitch, and trophy for best collie puppy dog or bitch at the Kennel Club of N.S.W. show. He also won first open class, first colonial-bred, and first puppies at the Melbourne show. Wallace is by First Shot ex Shetland Dorothy ; First Shot by Newmarket Ruff ex Newmarket Faith. She was bred by her late owners, Messrs Rogen and Andrews. — One of Mr Ward's St. Bernard pups, Captain Hawke, by Highfield Lord Hawke ex Juno, purchased by Mr Osborne, is of phenomenal size for his age. He weighs 7st

71b at five months. If he goes on at -this rate he promises to be one of the biggest dogs in Australasia. The previous record, also by a son of Highfield Lord Hawke, is lOst at seven months. —At the Wellington show the first prize in St. Bernard pups went to a son of Highfield Lord Hawke and Lady Onslow. This was the first puppy by Highfield Lord Hawke ever shown.

• — Mr Dunlop, of Invercargill, has lodged a protest with the New Zealand Kennel Club against the disqualification of his cocker spaniel Waihopai Dailcer, on account of distemper, at the Canterbury Kennel Club's show — so says a Canterbury contemporary.

— Leo, a famous dog belonging to the Women and Children's Hospital at Cork, is dead. With his Alpine barrel slung round his neck he "begged"' for contributions and collected over £1000. He was the winner of a cup offered by ths Prince of Wales to the dog that collected the most money for a hospital.

— A rather curious story comes from Como. A large dog, evidently of good breed and "station, " was seen lo go lo the edge of the lake, and after looking at the water fixedly for a moment, deliberately to jump in, keeping his head under water. A man who had been admiring him pulled him out and drove him off, but 10 ininutes later he again approached and again threw himself in, this .time without hesitation. The man, becoming interested, again pulled out the dog, notwithstanding his struggles, and drove- him for sometime inland, returning to the same spot to watch developments. Not long afterwards lie' heard a tremendous splash somewhat farther down the lake, and saw a dark object moving into the- open. He hurriedly jumped into a* boat, but arrived too late, the poor beast being quite dead, having persistently held its head under water. An examination was made, and it was found that the dog had not the- least illness, there being no explanation for what can only be called pure suicide. Who can say what tragedy that act covers — what? lacerated feelings from an ungrateful mistress or cruel master? — The following list of- " dent's " from an American journal- should piove useful to those having to do with a dog: — Don't expect your doo;, when training, to know what you are thinking about. Don't undertake lo use, or handle, a dog until you first gain his. confidence and love. Don't prove conclusively to all onlookers, when trying to train cr teach a ycung dog, that you are incapable by losing control of yourself. Don't ure a whip, spike collar, or harsh words in training a timid or a- uervou 1 * dog. Don't lie to your dog. uv he will \-ery soon lose confidence in you, and pay very little attention to your talk, actions, or commands. Don't buy a trained dog and expect him the very next flay, with different surroundings, different master, who usas different commands, to do as good work as he did when you first saw him under his old master, or as ho will for you as poon as he learns your ways, and" becomes accustomed to the- change. Don't forget, if you own any of the working breeds of dogs, and you demand work of them, that they are not a piece- of steel machinery, but that there-is a limit to the amount of. work they can do, and that they require food and rest the same as you do. See that they have good food, plenty of it, and a comfortable place to rest. . Don't forget lo praiae your dog, and give ' him a kindly pat when he does his work well, or any especially smart piece of work. He enjoys it as well as you do, and it helps to make a better dog of him. Don't forget, if you own a pet dog, that he should not be overfed, or fed irregularly— bits of cake and candy, simply because he begs for them—as nearly all the iHs of pet dogs- can be traced to these sources, together with lack of execDon' t sit idly or indifferently and see your dog or dogs scratch themselves sore, but investigate, and ascertain if the cause be fleas,, lice, 'or some -ikin disease, and apply ov administer tho necessary remedies. Don t forget, if you own a breeding kennel, that your dogs require more attention and care accordingly than does the one dog owned on a tarra or country placs that can come or go at will, see to it that they have large, roomy yards, where they can romp and play ; that they have warm beds in winter, shade and grass in summer. That they are fed regularly, and of good, clean, wholesome food at all times, and have plenty o[ good water. Don't give them water in an open> dish, pxpeed io the summer sun, but sea lo it that th* water vessel has a place where the sun cannot shine on it at any time of the day. Don't keep a boy or a man a. day who is not kind to the dogs, or one they are sucpicious or afraid of.

Dear Terror,-- -With frequent recurrence you are proclaiming the- advisability of breeders of the fancy collies having their pets trained. This ib easier said than done. Who would engage in such a task when the benefit to be derived from doing so i 3 so small, if we are to judge by vast experience? Can a siaale instance be mentioned of a really satisfactory result accruing from the labour of training a fancy-bred collie as a sheep dog? I am, aware that several instances have been queted. but I know that in more than one case the results have not been verified. Ido not think that any practical man would take in hand — it would be ridiculous to say train — ono of these show-bench beauties under at least a. remuneration of £5 for a season's work. This is not an over-estimate of what every young dog — a true sheep dog — should stand its trainer in at the end of a season. For my own part I would not undertake the job even for that amount, leaving out the fact that probably the trainer would have three times the trouble of pitting one against the other, and when the inevitable failure resulted the unfortunate man would have to undergo the banter of those who knowno better, in tho form of "Didn't I tell you?" etc. No, it is useless to talk of getting "some practical shepherd to break in" the doormat biscuit-eaters. If the "fancy" would take ths advice of one who, as long: on he can recollect, has had to do with collies who possessed sterling working dtc;\in?, T think they would favourably consider the following suggestion: — Let the "fanciers" offer a prize worth competing for — say a 20-guinea cvp — to the dog trial club who fir»t produces a purebred fancy collie that wins a first prize in any of the three usual classes of the value of, say, not less than £7 ; or let them give a donation of £10 to the club at whose competition a bona fide halfbred or fancy-bred dog wins a prize. If this does not prove a sufficient incentive to the practical man to try and make something out of "blue blood,"

His cold not cured, his head on fire, With drinking whiskies neat, He swore and cursed to vent his ire, And raved just quite a treat ; But now he's sworn off drink for good, He knows a thing now sure, For coughs and colds it's understood, Woods's Great Peppermint Cure.

then offer the prize to the individual himself. I think a long period would! elapse before they would ha>vo to pay out. — I am, etc., MOSGIEL. September 29.

—By an unfortunate printer's error I was made to say last week in speaking oi Mr Loasby's Langshan cockerel that he was '"about" the average weight. The word I used was "above," not "about."

— Mr Rogen's record for Langshans shown at the recent; Melbourne show was first, second, and third for cocks; first aud second for hens ; tirsfc and second cockerels ; and first and special pullets. — Speaking of this enterprising fancier, I may mention that in addition to the attractions which existed last summer to induce townspeople and picnic parties to pay Evansdale a visit, in the shape of swingß, etc., not to mention dogs, diioks, and fowls, he is now erecting a picnic pavilion with a firstclass dancing floor, the idea being not only to provide an opportunity to young people to enjoy a " hop," but- to afford shelter from parsing showers, etc. — The Princess of Wales i 3 (according to tho Stockkeeper) relinquishing the game ?jreeds of bantams, in consequence of ths failure of the anti-dubbing movement, a fact that must cause much sorrow, though little surprise, when tho success she lias achieved . and the promise of her stock are considered. Som6 of the Princess's game varieties, and especially the piles, made a remarkably good impression at last year's dairy show, where royal fanciers she-wed for the- first time. _ Fortunately one may look for consolation, in the fact that the relinquishing- o-f those birds requiring to be dubbed means that greatei? attention is to be paid to other varieties of bantams and it is probable that the Dairy, Crystal Palace, and other large British exhibitions, will be graced by birds from the Sandringham yards. "By the way (says the journal referred to) "it has Been remarked that from photographs of some of her Royal Highnesses game bantams, it was to be surmised that the Princess was ar. advocate of dubbing. But it must be remembered that her Royal Highness has not been long in the fancy, and the birds depicted in the photographs, were not bred in her yards, but received the order of dubbing at their native place. Birds that ar,a now bred at Sandringham, however, are not dubbed, and the statement made above may effectually banish all doubts on the point." I learn that Mr Reilly. of Studholme, has during the past month sold over 500 young cockerels and pulleta at from 4s 3d to 4s 9d per pair. As against, this the Government expert, Mr Hyde, reported in the course of a lecture up north that at the Seacliff Asylum poultry rearing was being carried on largely, and a ready- market was found in Dunedin at 2s 6d and 3s per head. — Speaking of Mr Reilly reminds me that I have a letter o£ his, in which he says that there is a deal of truth in the remark mado by Mi? Strong, of Port Chalmers, re breeding from pullets' eggs, in the course of the interview I had with her gome three weeks back. Says Mr. Reilly r "There is sense in Mrs Strong's argument provided her pullets are August and September birds, and are not mated till the following June or July. If they were mated before this the chicks would bo far weedier and more subject to disease than those from fully-matured birds. Again, they would not have the constitution to continue laying for a; long period. But supposing her pullets are 10 oi 11 months old when mated, she would get a better laying strain of pullets from these than from hens in their second year. This is not theory, but up-to-dato practice. Without a doubt pullets are better layers than hens in their second year. I have proven this time after time; and if I were wanting good winter layers I should mate August and September M'iiiorcas with a good Langshan or Orpimjton cockerel, a 12 months' bird,, from June till the latter end of Seofeniber."

—Mr Reilly has dhown me several acknowledgments from fanciers and farmers as to the efficacy of the roup pills supplied by him in accordance with his promise in the Witness some months back.

—In a report made to the Committee of Agriculture and Colonisation of the Canadian Parliament, Mr Gilbert, the manager of the poultry branch at the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, said, amongst other things, that the feeding r>f fowls in order to obtain eggs from them in the winter is a scientific process. What would make the active Mediterranean breeds lay would make the heavy, phlegmatic Asiatic class so fat that they would not lay at all. Moreover, past experience at the farm ha<> proved. that hen? and pullets require different treatment, bince the rations which caused the pullets lo lay well would make the hens too fat to lay, or cause them to lay eggs with thin or malformed sholls. It has also been found by experiments that tho feeding of three rations per day appeared to be too fattening, and these were consequently reduced to two, one in the morning aud the other in the afternoon. This practice has furnished satisfactory results. The early morning ration was CQnat&^c& as

follows : Three mornings, raw or green bones ground,, and on the other mornings a warnk mash, composed of shorts, ground oats, ground barley, ground rye, wheat bran,, steamed lawn clippings or steamed clover hay, the latter cut iv snort, lengths. No midday, ration was given, but vegetables or roots were also kepb before the fowls. The afternoon, meal was 201b of wheat oi buckwheat, sometimes oats, mixed for 240 fowls. The object of this method of feeding 1 was- to iacite the* laying hens to greater activity, and to secura as much variety as- possible in the rations in order to prevent the development ot vicious propensities, such as egg eating or feather picking, and to avoid the production.- oi eggs with thin shells or without shells. As- a. result of the adoption of these modified rations the health of the fowls ia said to> haveimproved, and the production of eggs, too, has increased ; a reduction of the quantity of food by one-third was followed by an output of nearly one-third more eggs. In theyear when three rations daily were given 218hens yielded 11,452 eggs, and in the- following year, when the modified rations' were provided 204- hens produced 14,357 eggs. In the first Months of 1897 the egjj3 produced by the 20* hens receiving two rations daily were — January, 1540 ; February, 1351 ; and March, 1668. —It is our fashion to speak of our eggproducer as the "humble hen," and, however high-bred or blue-blooded she may be, she is generally jusb as ready to produce the daily egg as the greatest mongrel. But the ownec of an arialrocatic hen is not always so sensible, ami bhe following is a case in point i — "A, young woman of Sheffield came into % fortune, and she promptly hunted up a country house, where- she played the role of chatelaine* to the manner born, according to. her own, ideas of the port. One day come. of her oldtime friends paid her a visit, and! sue' cam descended' to show them, all over the- place* ' What beautiful chickens !' exclaimed then visitors* when they came to the poultry yard.. ' Yes ; all puiae oirds/ haughtily exclairnedr the hostess. 'Do they lay every day?' *Oh, they could, of course, but": — grandiloquently — ' in our position it is not necessary for then* to do so.' "

The beginner, having determined the variety which he will breed and havingsettled in his own mind tho relative merits, of young and old fowls, is brought face to face with one of the most difficult problems with which he has to deal, the selection of the particular fowls for breeding purposes, It is impossible, in a. general article, to- deal with the nice points thai here arise, because each variety must be selected! with reference to its own characteristics, and! only general' principles, can be' here indicatedBut some of these general principles nia-y prove of value — they cannot be ignored if &uo i ceas is to be obtained. And first of all,, constitutional vigour should be secured. No matter, how fine> the shape or how beautiful the colouration* iF constitutional vigour is lacking,, the bird ■ should be unceremoniously rejected. No breeder wishes to perpetuate a race of weaklingi?. There is nothing more discouraging than to hatoh out one or two hundred, chickens and find them, dropping off one at a. time, .mtil a few scnubby, runty,, feeble- little, fellow? are left. And there is no profit, in. such an experience unless it be a. warning, never again to breed from fowls lacking in. vigour. Size should be the next, consideration. By this- we do not mean that the biggest birda should be selected, but that birds of medium, siz? for the breed should have the preferenceSuch birds, as a rule, are more profitable, than either those which are too large or too small. Yet this caution ia to be remembered,. If! a bird be- undersized, and is bred from parents- of the right size, but through late hatching, or some other cause, has failed tomake- the requisite growth, the bird may bea good breeder, and produce chickens of proper size. Such a bird, if otherwise desireable, need not be summarily rejected. Small males are often very valuable breeding birds, for size, T believe, depends more upon they female than upon the male. A small male» mated io l.irore females will, as a rule, give betier results than a large male mated to small, females. Prolificacy. P3pecia!ly in the great laying breeds, should be a strong r>oin.tr in determining the selection of the breeders. And jnst here is an additional reason why hens should be preferred to pullets. The hens have been tested. The breeder has learned which are the best layers, and lie can therefore- select 'with reference to this point. Bufc. if he is using pullets, he has no means of ■detettni iinsr whether they are prolific layersor not. I have been for years satisfied thatr, •prolificacy cai be increased by intelligent, breeding, and have more than once urged tho wisdom of consideration of this, point. Easiness of keep, that is, the selection o£ fowls which can be kept in good condition. on a *m*ll ration, is Smother point to be considered in- the selection of breeders. In perfecting "table fowls it is aapoinfc worthy of thai highest consideration, for in such breeds, the ait-a is to produce the fowl which wilj make the most grounds of meat for the smallest con,amuptfen of food. By keeping this point in view, t^Wo fowls can be greatly fmnroved. Qne doe», .vat care so much for it in the. great*.

laying breeds, for in them it is not the fowl •which will consume the least food, but the fowl which will produce the most eggs from the food consumed.

In all standard varieties there are serious departures from form or colour which_ are denominated disqualifications. Disqualifications for form include abnormal shapes and growths, and birds possessing these, except ■where the abnormality is due to an accident, should be rejected when the breeder is making his selection of fowls. But when the deformity is due to an accident, but for which the "bird would have been a fine specimen, it can be overlooked and the bird used in the breeding yard. I don't like to see such birds around, but I have before now used them to advantage. I remember years ago having a silver Duckwing Game Bantam cock that met with an accident that gave him a crooked back and veered his tail around so that it stood almost at right angles to his body. The bird had been a most promising chicken, and I determined to breed from him. He begot for me a goodly number of chickens, not one of which showed any deformity or weakness. Whether birds with colour disqualifications should be used will largely depend upon what those disqualifications are. If they are due to too great a strength of colour, as black in the back of light Brahma females, they are often more valuable for breeding than their more correctly coloured sisters. In other varieties a serious departure from the desired colour or shade is often very advantageous in producing the correct shade. And so the breeder, when he comes to select for colour, will have to determine whether the disqualification is one which will prove advantageous or injurious to the progeny. Such are some of the considerations which determine the breeder in the selection of the itock which he will use for reproduction. If his selection has been wisely made his chances for improvements are excellent. — MR BABDOCK, in. the Fanciers' Magazine.