POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3671, 22 July 1924, Page 29

POULTRY NOTES.

By Terror —At the Nelson Poulttry Show tho following New Zealand championships were awarded: —Anconas, Mr G. W. Best; Minorcas, fancy and utility, Mr G. Miller; Pekin bantams. Mr S. C. Rawson. —The second World’s Poultry Congress, held at Barcelona, Spain, is now a thing of the past, and, judging from Home papers, it was not the great success that was the first Congress, held in Holland three years ago. The staging of the birds was evidently very effective, and their quality and variety all that could be desired, but owing to the lack—or shortage—of interpreters the educational side was not up to expectations. By and by no doubt translations will be available, and poultry people the world over will be able to benefit by the wisdom displayed by the eminent scientists and practical men who addressed the meetings held. The fact that there were not sufficient interpreters present, of course, rendered discussion—the most interesting part of most meetings—difficult, and sometimes impossible. Mr J. B. Merritt, New Zealand’s representative at the Congress, read addresses by Mr C. H. Scott and J. O. M‘Lean, the former on Indian Runner ducks and the latter on the history of egg-production in New Zealand. —On their return to England from Spain the American and Canadian delegates were entertained by the Minister of Agriculture at a dinner at Lancaster House, when some 70 to 80 prominent poultry breeders were invited to attend. From the Poultry World of .June T take the followin'l- - made on the occasion, as they are of general interest. The Minister of Agriculture (the Right Hon. N. E. Buxton), after the toasts "The King” and “The President of the United States” had been duly honoured, proposed the toast

“Our Guests,” and spoke of the honour he felt in welcoming them as the guests of -the Government. Internationalism, he said, had rendered great service to the world, and the meeting together of delegates at the World’s Poultry Congress assisted internationalism. He expressed the gratitude of the Ministry to America and Canada for the manner in which they had received and honoured Mr P. A. Francis when he went to those countries, as the representative of the Ministry, to learn what he could from their advanced methods. We received much poultry and eggs from other countries, and it was to lessen that importation and increase home production that Mr Francis went across the Atlantic. It was tho desire of the Ministry to assist the poultry industry all it could, as it realised how important a factor it was in the welfare ofJ.he country, especially to agriculture. Speaking of the good work done by the World's Poultry Congress, they were proud to feel that it was initiated by an ..... .simian, Mr E. Brown. He congratulated America and Canada on tho advance they had made in the regions of science and research, and was pleased to know that our oldest Dominion w r as to have the honour of entertaining tho next Congress, in 1927. That Congress would do much to strengthen the bonds between the great English-speaking nations on both sides of the Atlantic.— Professor Thomson, in responding for the United States, thanked the Government for its welcome. Pie said that they came from America hoping to assist in the , many problems which lay before poultry-keepers in all parts of the world. They came also because they wished to see England and learn at first-hand what was being done in poultry-keeping in this country. They were happy to be in England and to enjoy the hospitality arid welcome given to them. England meant much to American poultrybreeders. They in America owed much to Mr E. Brown. They had learnt much from him. They appreciated all he had done for them and the rest of the world. He had long held the position of leader in poultry circles the world over. He was the pioneer, the leader of poultry-keepers ©verywliere. To liim whs du& much, that had been done in America as well as in this country. He was a great enthusiast, as was Mr Francis, whom they were pleased to meet last year, and whom they quickly learned not only to appreciate as a man of vision and sound judgment, but also to love In the past the Governments of the world had not recognised the value of poultry. They were now doing so America and Canada had led the way and placed poultry-keeping on a very high plane. They were trying through their colleges to increase the output of the hen, and were succeeding. Professor Elford, representing Oanada, said the Cana-dians looked upon Mr Edward Drown, and regarded him with esteem and affection. They had received great assistance and instruction from him, and were looking forward with pleasure to seeing him as president of the Congress in Ottawa in 1927. He felt more than words could express of the action and work of the English representatives at Barcelona. Mr Francis wanted the congress to be in England, and had he stuck to it 1927 would have seen it in London instead of Ottawa, but it would have meant a straining of x-elations. Realising this, Mr Francis, with his gentlemanly instinct, got over the difficulty by withdrawing England’s application, so that the mother’s eldest child should have the honour Speaking of Mr Francis’s visit to ■Canada, he said ha got right under their skin, into their hearts. They looked upon him as a brother, and congratulated England upon having such a man at the head of the Poultry Department of this country. They in Canada had arrived at the conclusion that they could get more out of a dollar spent on poultry than from any other form of live slock. They realised that if they could only increase their production by one egg per hen each year it meant over l,<X)0,000dol more for the CountryBetter methods meant greater production, and increased production meant increased revenue. He went on to refer to the work that was being done in Canada, and said it had put through more poultry legislation than any other country, and instanced its system of grades for eggs, so that every woman when she bought an egg knew what she was buying. He spoke of the Government’s tests, its R.O.P and registration of cockerels. It had made the way easy for honest men, and clone away with fraudulent advertising of strains. He congratulated England upon the magnificent exhibit at Barcelona, and complimented Mr Watson upon his work in connection with it. He concluded by saying he was going to take back great impressions of England,' in fact, he felt that he would like to stay. Lord Dewar, in one of his witty and racy speeches, proposed “The Poultry Industry of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain,” and said that after what had fallen from the lips of Professors Thompson and Elford, he felt that the surest policy for him was to say nothing and say it well. He felt like a counterfeit amongst a grand lot of fellows, like the half-crown which the Jew borrowed from a Scot, and which caused the death of the Jew from leadpoisoning. America and Canada had done great things for the poultry industry. It had colleges, presided over by men of great knowledge and ability, and it had shown some marvellous results. Speaking as a fancier, he felt the fancy was followed by men who had no ambition to die rich, but believed in the Scriptural injunction, “Cast thy bread upon the waters and think yourself pretty lucky if you see it again.” As he watched his bees the other day lie thought that if Professor Elford and his friends could cross queen bees that laid 5000 eggs and white Leghorns, what a wonderful increase of production they would have. Referring to the £6OOO raised for the Poultry Institute, he said the poultry industry wuis the first to start the capital levy. The Americans loved Francis, so did we in England. Mr S. Street-Porter replying, passed in review the history of the poultry industry in England, spoke of recent developments and the assistance given by the Government, which had brought about great chances and advanced the work of those who had struggled for years. That gathering was an instance of the change. Had any man a few years since suggested that the. Ministry of Agriculture would entertain the American and Canadian delegates he would have been laughed to scorn. America was the first country to recognise the commercial value of poultry to agriculture. They learnt more from the Americans and Canadians than from all the men they met at Barcelona, Pie believed the next Congress at Ottawa would be the best ever seen, for the Canadians, he was sure, would make it such. He hoped to see the day when Eng-

land produced all the poultry and eggs she required, and urged upon the Ministry of Agriculture the importance of its adopting a scheme like unto the Canadian Record of Production.

■lt is reported in a Melbourne paper that a nine-year-old boy, the son of Mr \V. Christie, cf Nannulia, who was given four Indian runner ducks to make what he could of them, got the following results:—For the month of April they laid 92 eggs, which were sold at 2s lOd a dozen, giving a return of £1 Is Bd. The feed cost 2s lOd, so that there was a gross profit of 18s lOd. For May they laid 120 eggs, which, at 2s Bd, brought in £1 6s £<l; deducting the cost of the feed, 3s, there was left £1 3s 8d; hence the gross profit for the two months was £2 2s 6d. My J. Roy, the State liver and water supply commissioner’s supervisor in the Rochester district, who tells this story, says that in order to create gi eater interest in this side line, he is advising parents of the children, who have boys of seven to 10 years old, to set aside six liens, and let them feed and look after tnem in a soparate pen of their own and collect the proceeds for their own’ use. By doing tills they will learn how to manage and get an interest in the work on the farm, and have a greater desire to ieinaiii on the land. Mr Roy makes the foregoing remarks in the course of a letter to the chairman of the commission in i eterence to poultry on irrigation areas; but f see no reason why they should not appeal to parents of elsewhere. With regard to the particular question his letter deals with he says: “Over 40 irrigation farmers are now running poultry as a side line and they have from 100 to over 1000 birds each. I have interviewed most of these people during the last few weeks, and when asked how they were doing most of them stated that the poultry were paying well and generally they expressed regret that they chd not start years ago. In 1015 two farmers were running poultry with a lo.al of suO bjrds. This number has increased to over 40, with a total of 16,000 Wllt probably advance to about next season.”

Abortion.—The extrusion of imperfectly formed eggs, or broken ones, previous to shell formation is spoken of as abortion.” It may be induced by fright, as when dogs or other creatures hunt laying fowls, or they fly from perches placed too far from the ground. Treatment consists in quietude and seclusion, and the provision of more shell-forming material. Soft food should be given, in which about 5 per cent, of baked and powdered oyster shells has been intimately mixed, or. in their absence, some prepared chalk, plus a drop or two of tr chloroformi et morphine. “We may,” says Veterinary Practice, “ remark here that fowls take enormous doses of opiates with safety. Their astringent effect is observed, but not their narcotic influence. The story has been told in the Chemist and Druggist, and will bear repetition in this connection, of a medical man who inherited, among other goods, a number of venerable hens, and, wishing to dispose of them in a humane manner, gave a meal in which each bird partook of Bgr O’* more of morphine, went to roost, and — appeared next morning in search of breakfast when they ought all to have been dead.”

.... Reilly’s Central Produce- Mart reports: A fair yarding, with a good demand for table birds, at our sale on Wednesday, when we sold: Hens at 6s 6d, 6s. 5s 6d, 5s 4cl 4s lOd, 4s 6d, 4s 4d, 4s, 3s lOd. 3s Bd, 3s 6d, 3s. Pullets at 10s 9s 6d. Cockerels at 11s iOs, 9s 6d, 8s 6d. Bs, 7s Bd. 7s. 6s 6d, 4s Bd, 4s 4d, 4s. Ducks at 10s. 6s 6d (all at per pair). Turkeys at Is 3d and Is 2id per lb. Eggs: The market remains firm, and consignments are wanted. Prices are Is lOd to Is lid per dozen for stamped. Is 9d per dozen for cased, and Is 6d fo preserved.

PAPANUI EGC-LAYING CONTEST. ("Week ended July 5, 91 days.) LEADING PENS— FLOCK. TEAMS CONTEST. (Six birds.) Week’s Weight. Total 880 377 377 "White Leghorns— eggs. C. V. M'Beath .. 2o J. Lipins .. •• 32 oz. drs. 49.2 63 CO .6 ,T. D. M'Kechnie .. 25 50. ll SINGLE HEN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. (For light and heavy breeds.) Week’s Total. "White Leghorns— eggs. oz. dre. Mrs P. Gonnski .. » W. Spence .. .. 14.7 10.1 71 69 66 J O. Musgnave .. 5 G. H. Bradford .. ° S. Loader .. •• 6 H. W. Beck .... 4 11.8 8.5 64 Black Orpingtons— J. P. Drewitt .. 6 11.15 75 G. Grainger .. .. i 70 68 E. E. Graham •• 6 9.4 L A. Wadham .. 0 Green Bros d 0.0 LIGHT BREED SINGLE HEN CONTEST (Three birds-, same owner.) White Leghorns— Eggs. T Daigle i ah, No. 3 1 74 W. E. Ward, No. 1 G. B. Moody, No. 1 /3 J Liggins, No. 2 W. A. Gee, No. 3 .. . 71 Black Orpingtons— 78 G. A. Grainger, No. 3 . F. Hendron, No. 2 7o J. P. Drewitt, No. 2 70 G. A. Grainger, No. 2 . 67 White Wyandottes— C. Bennett, No. 1 SINGLE DUCK CONTEST. (Three birds, same owner). Indian Runner — Eggs. II. P. Slater, No. 2 W. Nimmo, No. $ 88 85 J. W. Thomson, No. 3 79 H. A. Dawb»r, No. 2 79 J. W. Thomson, No. 1 . 78 A. H. Wheeler, No I . 78 R. W. Hawke, No. 2 78