POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES.

By Teeror.

Epg-collecting circles are now being ( formed in Sou-th Australia b> the Govern- ( j jnei>fc Agricultural Department with a view ■ to the expansion of the industry upon lines , which have already proved beneficial in ( other countries. It is recognised that the indu-try is one in which the poorest citi- . zens can take part, and that organisation is I all that is required to make it a ' matter worthy of general attention.

Th» egg-collecting centres aTe th> chief essentials of a scheme- of co-operation on the part of producers, whereby they will receive cash on. the spot for all , tiielr egg 3 ** ■current market ratee, and a. periodical dividend The- aim, of course, is to secure a.n export tradt hi eggs, An ambition which cannot be achieved satisfactorily under the present systematic methods for marketing, for the reason, that the one who exports (although ho gets a payable price) wiU not "do so well as the one who holds back and takes the benefit of a bare market consequent or the surplus being withdrawal foi foreign consumption. The South Australian effort will be closely watched by the neighbouring States, and, though no doubt it will be fought by, 1 middlemen, whose profits under the present' methods of marketing are involved, the in-i augura-tion if in competent hands will bea>r" down tall opposition. Hie rules of the circle which follow convey & pretty good' idea of the aims of the organisers : — — The following -ules^ for *he government of the circles have been drawn up:— Each, circle must consist of not less than 20 members. A committee of four, including s* secretary: shall be elected by tha members end to hold office for oiw year, all of whon^ shall be eligible for re-election. An auditoj shall be elected by the- members, to hold} office for one year. Tfie committee shall) ekoc a secretary from ameng the membera of the circle, and the secretory ©hall have a deliberate vots in the affairs of the committee. The secretary shall also act aa treasur-er. The chairman ehall have a cast- • ing vote, as well as a, deliberate vote- The secretary shall receive the eggs from the membei-s, a.nd test, pack, and forward to the Government Produce Depot, Port Adelaide; or City Depot, as may be arranged. Accounts for freight to be forwarded to organising secretary for payment. The .secretary shall be paid far his services at the rate of id per dozen cm all eggs passed by the Government tester. Suitable cases, to be branded with jthe name of the circle, will be lent by the Government free of any cost for the fire* year. Each member shall deliver eggs to the' secretary not less than once per week during winter months and twice per week in the summer. Members must deliver to the secretary all eggs produced, with the exception of fehose required for household and breeding purposes. Each member shall deposit the .mm of 5s with the secretary as a. guarantee of bona fide*. Any- member may resign membership upon giving a reason whicth is satisfactory m the committee. In these cases the deposit of 5s will be refunded. As it is vitally important thati the circle should- not be broken, any member leaving through indifference or lack of interest shall forfeit the deposit of be., Upon delivery of eggs the secretary shall pay 75 per cent, of the Adelaide marker, value. Once a week price to be paid willbe advised each. »rcle by tbe orga-riisingj secretary- The "balance .from proceeds of sales, less working expenses, will be remitted) to the circle every three months. In order to allow for payment to members on delivery of eggs during- period. of organisation, the Government will make arrangements ~ to provide funds £i>ee of interest for eao.» circle, the committee to jointly andt, severally responsible for moneys advanced) by the Government, and shall furnish a fidelity bond. Cheques shall be drawn upon the Produce Department, and signed by. the chairman and secretary. Onoe a week, or of tener when necessary, on days to ha named by the organising secretary, tiT<* secretary of each circle shall forward eggs to the Produce Depot, Port Adelaide: op City Depot, as may be arranged. Immediately the organisation is self-supporting, advances free of and^ the free lean of egg eases shall cease- Each member will be supplied with a rubber stamp by the committee, 6uch stamp to bear that number »f member and- number of circle. Tbe cost of stamp to be deducted from ths member from th< first delivery of eggs. Dirty or stale eggs will not be *ieceived by the secretary. Any member who delivers dirty or stale eggs shall be warned 1 on the firs»t offence, for the second offence will be fined Is, for the third 4s, and oa a repetition of the offenco will be expelled ;, fine-s to be deducted from deposit.'. In these matters the circle commifctee't decis.on shall be final. Once in every year the circle committee shall call a meeting of member*. At this meeting a report and balance -sheet must be produced, new committee electee, and a>ny other business t.ransacted. Members may have « special meeting called ate any time b> requisition to the committee^ signed by 12 members. The" circle com* mittee ehall'meet aa' often as may be'neces« sary, but not less than, qnce a month. Each circle shall be registered on the book< of the Produce Depart/mend:, and in 'u< dealings -the organising secretary shall coni< municaite with the secretary of the circle* A list of members shall be supplied by, the circle secretary to the organising secre^ tary, ami further alterations on account of deaths, resignations, or fresh member^ shall be promptly adviwed by the circle secretary Ths secretary of each circlw shall keep the necessary books tc clearly/ show the dealings with each member, the business with the depof, and the deliberations of tlie committee. Carriage" on broken, eggs shall be distributed pro rata. among, the members. With the specially con-. structed cases the percentage should b» small. The organising eeoretary shall advise the secretary of all bad, cracked, or broken eggs, giving the number stamped! thereon. Whenever necessary at a epeeial further rules for the government of the oircle, such amendments to b« confirmed) general meeting the members may maka by the organising secretary before bein£ put into operation. —Mr D. Harris Hastings, of St. Kilda.. has two very nice pens of black Orpingtons',, in both of which, though, they are kept' solely with a view to egg production, there" are birds quite up to fancy requirementr.The cockerel m No. 1 pen •*» an extreme^ handsome bird from the yards of Mi> Stewart, of Invercargill. From about 30 birds, all tol^, Mr Harris is now averaging 23 eggs per "diiern, and ie perfectly satisfied that he is in possession of \ genuine I*y«' ing strain. The accommodation, provided by this fancier is all tha* birds can possibly require bj way of encouragement to" do their best. The are really hand* somely built, providing both roosting and scratching accommodation; and, the yard* are nicely sanded and commodious enough? for the number of birds kept. The appearance oi the birds just now is exactly whafc one expects to see when told that they are in full lay. —Mr L. Irvine, who is advertising eggs for sale, ha«s three very nice pens. No. 1. contains seven Minorca puUets an 4 a

cockerel, and the pullets in this were de- ' ECribed to me as of "Douglas" strain, and j .the cockerel a " Douglas Irvine.*' These, though not large birds, are in every other . respect typical Minoicas, active and shapely as one could wish tc_see. No. 2 pen consists of four pallets and a cockerel, all of the now celebrated Padman strain, and ?je reported to be doing marvellous work in the way of egg procßictioxt — the possible being the rule.. No. 3 pen is a mixed lot of silver Wyandottes and rose-combed Minorcas, about 14 ir all, but though with Mr Irvine's skilful management they are bound to lay, they *re in comparison with the other pens, No. 3 pen in every sense of the term. —Mr fiobson, to whose advertisement I have also to direct attention, 6till another practical illustration of the truth of what I have been preaching the lastfew weeks — i.e., that there is mot only pleasure but profit also in keeping a few head of poultry. Like the fanciers already referred to above, amd like the hundred and one other fanciers in the suburbs of Dunedim, be does not give verj muoh space v. ins fowls, yet, by keeping them well house* and feeding i on methods most generally approved^ j he Sods .his hobby eminently satisfactory j to himself Be has white Leghorns*] and Wjaadottes of the finest layingstrains (as his advertisement shows), and 1 1 am pleased- to report that a finer and mow useful looking lot of birds it would be hard to find. —Mr Brown, of Morrison street, Oarereham, has four peas on a piece of elevated j ground, nicely placed to secure nil the sun. > light available, and the * best possible drainage. The nouses are divided into roosts on the Canadian dirop-board prin- ■ ciple, with commoddous scratching sheds; j and the ruiis are of ample size for the , number of birds kept Care has been taken ! to partly board up the runs from the 1 ground upward* in order to provide shelter , from tba winds, and the occupants conse- | qußDtly appeared on the occasion of my ! visit— « windy tiay — comfortable as could | be wished. Kose-combed Minoicas appear to be Mr Brown's present, fancy, for though ' one pen is of . single-combed pullets, the sire even there is a rose-combed bird. Mi I Brown was able to show me (it was a 6i»- j prise visit) almost the possible in eggs in each pen and'consequently it can. be readily ' believed he is well contented with >his bobby. * ' j — Mis il'Lay, I Dunback, will (see ad- | vensamewt) have settings of bronze turkey ' eggs Teady by October. Her birds have ' for years bean knows as a grand, vigorous ' tot, and there is evidently no intention to ' allow them to deteriorate, for again this i season Mrs M'Lay has imported pure mam- ! moth bronze gobblers. . — Dear Terror,— l, too, have noted from time to timo your able writings on poultry and appreciate them hig&ly. I can endorse '. the statement of your correspondent, "Main South Road," regarding tihe amount of waste fcod which might profitably be fed to poultry. Shortly after taking up my residence here my next dooi neighbour asked if the scraps from their house were of any use to me ' for , mj fowls. I said they would he very acceptable, and as they had a large family, and consequently plenty of ocraps, I- told rhe lady that she was welcome to half a dozen eggs every week. A Jittle later I was informed that the "breadwinner next dooT was employed by the City Corporation collecting refuse from dwellings, and that if I required ;t; t he would 6ave me a bag of bread every few days. I stipulated for nothing but clean, dry bread and the remains of joints of meat— l would have nothing mouldy or moiet — and in-cr-aased the gratuity to one dozen eggs a week In a verj little while I had" more bread, etc., than I could use. I was tempted to increase my floci, but recollected that 1 had made tha* mistake years ago, and paid the penalty. However, I induced my neighbour to get some fowls, and now he marvels why he didn't get them Tears ago Of couree, we both feed a little grain, etc., but the bulk of the fooc* is bread, meat, and scraps. I have no records, but the fowls lay well, cost practically nothing, and I am never without eggs.— Yours, etc., Satisfied. — When you wish to catch one of your flock how do you go about it? Do you run them down or corner them, thus frightening- the whole lot? Try bending a 15in piece of telephone wire and fasten it to a •tick 2£ft long When yor wish to catch a fowl reach out among the flock, slipping the wire crook around the leg and draw uit bird to you. Be sure to make the crook narrow enough so that the foot cannot slip through, and you will find that you will be able to pick out the fowl you want without frightening the flock. — The breeding of fancy poultry for profit is precisely like any other businessi, co far as making a financial success of it is concerned. There are details of the business which must have proper attention, md slipshod methods will not bring success. Honest dealing with your customers is a prime requisite. It is eaeiei to unintentionally do ■wrong in selling fancy poultry and egga for hatching than in any other business we know of. —Do not lay claim u> having a strain of your owr> until you have bred the birds long enough to develop certair characteristics peculiar to your birde ; as, for in- • stance, a peculiarity of comb oi shape of any section or sections. When your flock is practically uniform in these features of shape or colour you can then say you have a strain. This requires several seasons of intelligent breeding. — The appearance of the several parts of r fowl being dissected for post mortem examination should be as follows: — Liver: Bilobular — i.e., two-lobed, the right lobe (being the largest; firm, of natural size, and of a uniform chocolate-red colour. Gizzard: A hard, flattened, oval, musculartendinous body ; . externally oi t deepish red, shaded off, int< bluish-green and, finally, white tendinous structure, internally containing a horny corrugated pouch covered with epithelium, and of * yellow or green colour Intestines t Greyish-white. Egg-produoing organs, when- neir laying, resemble a bunch of fruit of v*rioue sizes, the smaller .being round, the - larger oval. Oviduct: Creamy white. - Kidneys: Red-dish-brown and lobulated, extending along the spine. Spleen: A dark, purplish body under the gizzard. Testicles: Bluish-white oi fletfj colour, about the size and shape of a horse bean or kidney bean when inactive; otherwise considerably larger. Lungs: Salmon-like or pink hue, occasionally mottled. Heart: Deepi&h red, without fat marbling, often tipped with fat at the apex Heart sao, or pericordium: Wtute, transparent, and containing a little

clear fluid. Throat: Of a pale pink colour, and free from deposit. Crop: A membraneous sac formed by enlargement or dilation of the lower portior of the oesophagus or gullet, externally corresponding in colour to the surrounding skin, internally smooth, glistening moist, and free from patches, congestion; or discoluraun. Brain : Two white lobes .(free from clot or effusion), termed the cerebral hemispheres, divided by a longitudinal fissure, behind which is situated the cerebellum (little brain), * single lobe of a greyish colour marked by transverse furrows. — .The Southland Fanciers' Club has had its period of adversity and, financially, its affairs have been anything but bright. Hence it is pleasing to be able to record that a decided improvement in the position has resulted from the past year's operations, which yielded a profit of £40. — Victorian buyer, operating at a purebred poultry sale in Sydney last week, paid £20 for a quartet of prize Aylesbury ducks (one drake and three ducks). EGG-TESTING. The operation of testing eggs may be relative either to their ag-e and fitness *or baman consumption or to fertiEty and the continoMWioe of embryonic life during incubation, but in either case the method is practically the came. In the first instance the test, or "candling," is a commercial necessity where l&rjps numbers of tijaap. are collected from famous sources— that is, if any sort of reputation is to attach to such an industry — And it is largely owing to attention ts this and similar detail?, with the consequent, almost' entire- elimination of chance, that th? Danish -egg trade has assumed its present .dimensions and financial success. A sfcro-ig light of any avai'ab'e description used in a darkened room by placing it behind a screen in nhiah there is a hole rathar smaller than an ordinary hen's egg is the simple arrangement necessary for teeting. There are various lamps of special construction that may be purchased from the a^pliaxirip- makers, but wiia.^.CTr.er- contrivance is used the principle consist in foei33*in«r the 'ijrht sufficiently for the purpose of showing the character of the contents of ths egg. The air collects in a apace formed at th? bread end of the egg b* the separation of the two layers of the shell membrane, and the size of the 6pace is relative to the a#e of the *<%%. The process of the loss of bulk in tha contents by evaporation and condensation and the corresponding increase in the siz9 of the- air 6pace conmnstnoas with the cooling of {.he eg>£ when it is laid, and although the space occupied by air ie at first very email it continues to ipcr-eas?, until in a very stale egg it approximate: to half the whole contents. The air space of a fre'shiv-la.id egg should be scarcely as large as s sixpence, and the otkcx cowleafs should b? translucent. A cloudy, irregular appearance throughout the contents, with more* or Js«s dark spots, te indicative of an addl-od condition. A -fertile egg in which the development bas bser normal will ar»U2ar evenly dark throughout ths greatftr ~ portion of the entente, and bsfcre a sufficiently strong light a sligiht red colour may be detected, whilst in sonr? instances the rad streaks of the larger blcod-vEt-ssls may bs seenw . "BONELESS DUCK." The New York ccrrespondent of the Daily Telegraph writes: "America'? amazing geni<us for invention has resulted in the growing of piplsra oranges, stoncless plums, roomless cactus, and, as I know from per^ sonal invertigation, other jqoallv extraordinary success** are still beime scored by Mr I.v&Y&r Bnrbank, the horticultural wizard of California. To-day, however, the boneles^ duck clainu chief attention. It is not quite boneless, of course, but from samples exhibited here to-day I can vouch for tha fact that the bird seems to be absolutely breast-bonelie<s. Bridgeport, Connecticut, has the honoiT of reaiiing the first batch of breasf-bonsle^-s ducks, much to tb3 delight of American ohef3 and housekeepers, becaus.3, as ■everybody who has ever trjerl to carve a duck knows, it has from time immemorial baen the breastbone of the dude that presented most dim cu|tie« to tho dissector. "Chares Winter, o* BrHffeport, is the inventor of the breast-bonelesis breed, and his portrait appears in the leading newspapers. ' It. bas been a qu-etion of careful culture and selection, nothing else,' says Mj- Winter modestly. 'Years ago I succeeded in reducing the breast-bone to a mere rudament, and now there is hardly a suggestion of breas-t-bone. Experience shows that breast-bone* . for domestic fowl are hardly more necessary tha- appendices for civilised humans.' "The cage at tht Doiu*ry show in which the new breed of ducks was exhibited was surrounded by lovers of duck. wwoh o eo.w in tJhe new product a solution of their troubles The br?ast-bonelcss duck ie not Mr Winl ter's first claim to international recognition. He has succeeded in raisin? redcomb brown Leghorns whioh lav 200 eg#s a 3'ear, Hud that, he contends, is the limit for one hen, either here oi ir Europe." BREVITIES. Don't pamper your breeding stock, but pamper the table birds when bein«- fattened for the table Ifc is very important that the sitting hen should be properly provided with a nc=t, awd ako carefully tended while the process of incubation is being: carried forward. Fowlb will not relish a feed of soft feed, however good it is. it it i 6i 6 fed to th-m in dirrty troughs. It is essential that the dnuikins vessels b© kept perfectly clean . raebastopol geese ar-e very quaint-look-ing- creatures. The long twisted or curled feathers on the back, wings, tail, and neck have earned them ihe name of the ribbon geese. It ia wise to give a little tmd often, rather than to allow chickens' food uneaten to become eour, and, as in giviai< milk, no more should be given than can be consumed at one meal. Wiien the eggs are due to Ibateh the hems will probably refuse to come off the nest for food ; they ehould " not be expected to do so, but should be given food and water wihile on. the nest. Thotfe poultry-keepers who do not use ifnoufoaitors and who wkh to get eggs in autumn and winter must see that they -have the necessary number of hens sitting before the month is over Although it is advisable not to allow young chickens on damp soil, it is found that an early acquaintance with Mother Earth ia beneficiaJ, and the more often they are changed to fresh soil the better. A piece of camphor about the size of a larg* walnut should be placed in each drinking vessel if there is any disease about

" the place. One piece answers for a fortnight if it is replaced in the vessel each time the water is renewed. Sitting hens must be let off every day without fail in order that they may get exercise, grit, water, arid a dustbath, if desired, and thus keep in good condition. They should be let off as nearly as possible at the came time eaoh day POULTRY-KEEPING AND FRUITGROWING AS ALLIED INDUSTRIES. I (By Jas. M. Irvtxte, in Agricultural i Advertising.) One of the largest of. the incubator catalogues for this season contains many illustrations showing poultry plants in different parts of the country. These illustrations , are shown primarily to advertise the partii cular incubator made by the company sending out the catalogue — and an excellent plan, by the way — but after having examined the catalogue and noticed all • these illustrations, one cannot fail to be impressed with the great number of poultry plants in which the runs and yards for the fowls are planted to fruit trees. This fact only serves to show the intimate connection between these two branches of agriculture, and to show how well poultry-keeping and fruit-growing fit in together. We believe it may safely be said that no two branches of agriculture are better suited to each other than the two hene named. One helps the other, and, except at certain seasons, neither interfering with each oflier. It is -true that poultry running at large in a strawberry bed at ripening time wil not increase the value of the fruit crop, but the strawberry bed can be fenced off from the poultry yard, and this done it can be helped by the presence of the poultry. If the droppings from the poultry are cared for as they should be they will be worth much as a fertiliser to the strawberry bed or the garden, and in this way the poultry will pay for their keep, even if there were no other product. The same is true with all other berries, grapes, etc., for poultry manure is one of "the best fertilisers, and all of these crops — as well as the kitchen garden — will be helped greatly. But there are other reasons why poultrykeeping and fruit -grow ing should be carried on together — reasons why they are connected on many of the best farms in the country. Within the last few years there has been a great increase, seemingly, at lest, in the great number of insects which prey upon our fruits. Much of this increase is believed to be due to the destruction of the birds of the forest, and this is doubtless very true. This loss of the birds can in part be overcome by keeping poultry in great numbers in the orchard. A favourable plan on large poultry plants at the present time is tJhe colony plan, in which colonies of about 50 fowls are kept together, with one house for the colony. Not more than this number are kept together, and if more fowls are kept then there are other colony houses. Now, the best place in the world for these houses is in the orchard. The fowls need the shade which the trees afford, the soil is made richer because of the droppings from the fowls, and the fruit is made more perfect because of the destruction by the fowls of the insects in the fallen fruit. i In a splendid article in the January number of the Western Fruit Grower on the subject of " Fighting the Codlin Moth," the insect which makes the wormy apples, Professor Stedman recommends the keeping of poultry in large numbers in the apple orchard. The first brood of the codlin moth enters the young apples, which soon fall to the ground, with the worm, or lava, inside. If fowls are present in large numbers this insect will be destroyed, and thus the second brood will be lessened, and it is this second brood which causes the wormy apples at packing time. There are insects which can be fought by spraying, and some which cannot. Among the latter are the curculio of the plum, peach, and cherry. Spraying again9t this insect is unsatisfactory. But if trees are jarred early in the morning, when the air is cool, the curculio will fall to the ground, and if poultry are present it will be devoured. For this reason, it may be stated as a fact that the most profitable ' plum trees, at least, in the country, are those in the poultry yards. All the foregoing applies only to the economy of keeping poultry and growing fruit together. It is evident, in addition, j to everyone that when it comes to marketing the produce there are many advantages 1 in this practice. The poultry products can be sold to exactly the same persons who buy the fruits and vegetables of the orchard and garden. There is no lost time, for the same family which needs four boxes of strawberries will also need two dozen fresh eggs and a nice dressed fowl. It is here the industries are most closely connected. We feel justified, therefore, in saying again that fruit-growing 'and poultry-keep-i ing should go together, and they are being more generally kept on our farms every 1 year. Now. what has all this to do with the advertising public? Simply this: It is desirable that advertisers of any class study j the needs of those who buy their goods. j If it can be demonstrated that the two j industries named are closely connected and i are profitably combined, it will mean the j enlargement of the advertising field in a j number of lines.