POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 43

POULTRY NOTES.

Dear Terror, — In your report on my imported fowls you state that Mr Harwood is of the Fanciers' Gaz€tte, and that the fowls came from Yorkshire. As a matter of fact, Mr Harwood is lion, setretary of the MinorcaClub, and resides in Tiverton, Devon. It was at the Minorca Club's show, held at Yorks on November 28, and adjudicated on by Mr A. G. Pitts, that my cockerel got his i "V.H.C. card. Ido not know if it was in- | tentional or otherwise that you forgot to ; mention that it was the lowness of the coop that brought over the comb of the cockerel, and forced his head down on his back, and not the. enormity of his comb, as mentioned by you. This can be proved by the appearance of the bird now compared with what he was wheu he came out of the coop. I consider Mr A. G. Pitts to- -be a better judge of a Minorca than any man in New Zealand, and from what I know of him I do not think .that he would be likely to give '-a V.H.C. ca-rd to a bird that was short in the back, high in the tail, and light in the eye, as you say my cockerel is. I have not yet received the judge's report of the M.C. show from England, but when it comes I shall give your readers the benefit of the report on this particular bird. I may say, however, that he has been inspected by several competent judges, who hold that he is the best all-round bird they have ever seen in New Zealand. — I am, etc., L. Irvine, Bradshaw street, South Dunedin. February 27. — I have to thank Mr Irvine for setting me right in the matter of Mr Harwood's address and office. With regard to my expressed opinion as to the qualifications of his birds, I have only to say that I reported — on Mr Irvine's invitation — upon what I saw. In the interests of my readers, I have, of course, to describe the imported birds, and not the exported ones. If Mr Irvine will kindly grant me the opportunity, I will be mo'^t happy to judge the birds again when Mr Pius's testimonial arrives. It will doubtless prove instructive to compare the fully-deve-loped ten-months-old, travel-worn bird' with its. description as a six-month cockerel in show condition.

— Farmers or fancier desirous of obtaining purebred bronze turkeys will be interested in Mr Buckland's advertisement at the head of this column. I saw the birds, now offered for sale, on the occasion of my trip northwards in January last, 'tnd must say that they are an exceptionally fine lot. llv Bucklond's reason for wishing to dispose of his turkeys is that he intends to give more room to his Minorcas and J-iangsha'ns. I will speak of his birds more fully next week.