FANCIERS’ COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 56

FANCIERS’ COLUMN.

Th« Otago Witness has been appointed the official organ for tho publication of announcement! of the Dunedin Fanciers' Club. THE KENNEL. BY TIREOR. Fanciers and breeders of dogs are cordially Invited to contribute to this column. "Terror” will endeavour to make this department as interesting and np-to.date as possible, but in order to do thia he must have the co-operation of hit reader*, hence he trusts this invitation will be cheerfully; responded to. BHOW DATEB. SOUTH ISLAND. South Canterbury E. and P.C.—July 16 and 17. Invercargill—July 13 and 14. Lyttelton—July 16 and 17. Temuka—July 23 and 24. Grey mouth—July 23 and 24. The dam of Mr W. Henderson’s fine smooth fox terrier Ringwood is advertised for sale. Properly mated, this bitch should breed another flier. As Mr Stewart is leaving Dunedin, and has not got accommodation for Gipsy Dell where he is going, he has decided to sell. She is by Mr Fred Bogen's old favourite St. Clair ex Lettie. Dr Vaughan, of Kemuora, has received from the Stane Kennels a promising Irish terrier dog pup by ch. Gilford Best Boy ex Stane Colleen Bawn.

Mrs C. S. Kitchingham, of Greymouth, has a nice litter from Canterbury Pale Ale by the smooth dog Octave Boy, a dog im{>orted some years ago by Mr W. Fulseth, of Oxford, Canterbury.

Dr A. C. M’Killoch, of Sunnyside, has imported another aristocrat of the cocker fancy in Homespun of Ware from the leading kennel in England—viz., Mr H. 8. Lloyd, the famous Middlesex breeder, whose “of Ware” spaniels are known throughout the world. Homespun has had a most successful career before coming to New Zealand. He has won a host of firsts, besides a challenge at Maidstone and reserve at Bath Olympia and the Royal. He is by ch. Invader of Ware ex ch. Exquisite of Ware. To the thoughtful breeder this dog must appeal, as he is a member of a first-class family. It having been reported that a ewe with two lambs had been seen by motorists recently in the Mackenzie Country district, and in view of the fact that it was an unusual time of the yea> for lambs to be seen, the report led to a good deal of discussion, and wagers were made. Inquiries led to the explanation that two Se&lyham terriers may have been taken for lambs by people in a fast-moving car. and that even sheep follow them about, thinking evidently that they are lambs. Distemper.—From what I hear in my rounds, there are several cases of distemper in and around Dunedin just now, and there are inquiries for a cure, and also for information re preventive measures. To deal with the last query first, I should explain that the disease is due to contagion and not, as used to be thought, due to damp kennels or dirty surroundings. Insanitary conditions do not cause distemPe r » but they do cause a low constitutional condition and provide a suitable ground for the entrance of the distemper bacterium or microbe. When distemper appears in a district dogs kept under the best possible conditions may become infected with the disease, and it has been noticed that it is generally most prevalent after the holding of a dog show. Year after year—but not i s u ye f~ ! bave ref ©i*red to the fact that, although the show executive appoint honorary veterinarians, their services are not secured. Every dog entering a show should be inspected by someone qualified to detect symptoms of distemper, and to refuse admittance to the show of any dog regarding which there is any doubt. This is in the interest of dog fanciers generally, and also of the club organising the show, for * am aware of cases in which owners of valuable dogs have given up showing because of losses incurred. As regards curingvictims, there are scores of reputed cures. All doors are not affected alike. There is abdominal distemper; chest distemper; head distemper; simple distemper (mild), in which hygienic measures, good nursing and careful dieting are often all sufficient to see the patient through; and in some cases there is pustular eruption in distemOtherwise described, distemper is: (1) Catarrhal, or simply with symptoms very like that of an ordinary cold; (2) nervous or brain, developing into (a) fits or chorea or (b) paralysis; (3) bronchial or lung, m u d ,J y fever and intermittent cough; (4) gastric or intestinal, affecting the bowels or digestion. Daiziel’s prescription for distemper is: Take chlorate of potash ,r» mendererus spirit loz, sweet spirit of nitre 2dr, tincture of henbane 2dr, water jJ' , Dlsso ] ve the potash in the water and add the other ingredients. The dose for a puppy of six months old is a tanleS fj°P- U ’ , and ** be given in some additional water. In cases of fits, when the head seems affected and there is partial bl )ndness_ or tyvitchings of the limbs, etc., add the following to the distemper mixture and do not alter the dose:—Tincture of aconite 18 drops, solution of strichnia (British Pharmacopoeia) 18 drops, and gradually increase the dose of these two drugs in the mixture until in a week, three times the above dose is given. Remember, however, that good nursing—i.e., good, clean, warm, dry quarters—and fresh, clean water are half the battle. A correspondent m a contemporary says the disease is easily cured if taken in time. He describes the symptoms as follows:—“There is languor, i? 33 a PP®tite,. and redness of eyes, nose hot and dry, discharges from nose offensive, disinclination to move. If skin is affected there will be pustules inside the thighs, arms, and along belly. If in brain there is great heat, and a desire to raise head against the hand when stroking. Fits usually follow.” The treatment, he adcfe, is. simple. “At the outset of the disease give a teaspoonful of the following mixture Tincture of aconite l£dr. spirits of nitre 2oz. muriate of ammonia l£dr; chlorate of potash 3dr, syrup of orange water to make 4oz. Give as above every two hours until six doses have been given, then three times a day until fever subsides, following half a teaspoonful daily of a saltpetre, sulphur, and powdered gentian mixed in equal parts. Allow the dog plenty of fresh water. Every third day give one teaspoonful of syrup of buckthorn. Chorea, paralysis, fits, lung troubles, etc. which distemper sometimes leaves, can be cured if taken in time ” Since writing the foregoing I have been told by an official of the Agricultural Department that he has cured many cases of distemper by simply giving an emetic of salt water, and then seeing that the dog is kept warm, even to the extent of supplying hot water bottles when thought He also said that to reduce the fever aspros, *jven occasionally, just as would be prescribed for a human being, were very effective. I may add that in England healthy dogs are being inoculated with a virus made from the distemper bacterium, with the intention of inducing a mild form of distemper, the idea being that dogs are seldom attacked twice. This leads me to say that if a laboratory investigation were made of one °j i ?* an i v do F s which bav e met with sudden death owing to supposed distemper it might be discovered that the distemper germ was not in evidence. In some localities where many sudden deaths have occurred, poison has been suggested, but in view of the fact that the epidemic is widespread this notion is not warranted. Sudden death is not the usual result of distemper proper. In reply to a correspondent, Our Dogs m a recent issue says: “Probably has distemper. . Give cod liver oil emulsion, and an occasional dose of medicinal paraffin to open . bowels—afid see what develops.” ‘Medious” (Our Dogs), in reply to a correspondent who says that milk is a cure for distemper, says: “Well, in a case of serious illness, where there is a high degree of fever, no solid food at all should Be given. Even milk, undiluted, may be dangerous, as it curdles tn the stomach, [forming a solid lump, and becomes almost as hand to digest as if it had been solid \

originally. It should be diluted to about half its normal strength with water; then it may be the principal or the only food given whilst the temperature is high. As soon as the fever abates the dog should be put on a more varied diet, including eggs, beef juice, etc., until he can be gradually got on to more solid food. And let me say here that one of the best things a dog can have, in sickness or in health, is an occasional teaspoonful of orange juice, given alone if not too sour or sweetened with sugar. It contains vitamin, and it is surprising how fond dogs become of it. Stockholm Tar as a Distemper Cure.— Another correspondent who has seen Stockholm tar recommended for this disease writes and is answered as follows: —“With reference to your even more than usually interesting * Notes for Novices ’ in last week’s paper, I don’t quite know what liquid tar is, but I have often wondered that neither you nor your correspondents have ever mentioned what is regarded in the part of Lancashire from which I come as a specific in distemper of the more catarrhal form, and in colds—the old-fashioned Stockholm tar, such as is or used to be used for horses' hoofs. I do not remember how many pups, from a highly-bred Pekingese to the commonest of mongrels, I have seen cured by it when they have seemed practically * done for.’ The usual method I have used, aud seen ue?d, is to smear it over the dog’s nose, if he is not too exhausted to lick it off, - as, of course, he will be if it fills his nostrils. He begins to cough and sneeze, and the mucus comes away, and does not seem to form again. I have known an old French hawker administer it to a practically lifeless spaniel in the form of a pill, by mixing about half a teaspoonful witn sufficient flour to make it solid, with the most extraordinary results. I have always supposed the principle to be the same as that which makes inhaling coal-tar gas so frequently effective in bronchial troubles, and, with regard to your warning that the carbolia acid content might prove dangerous, surely—l suggest it in all humility—there is nothing entirely out of the ordinary in the fact of a substance, in itself a poison, acting as a beneficial agent when properly used as a specific? I have not used it lately myself, for three reasons: First, that the real old-fashioned, unadulterated Stockholm tar is not very easy to get nowadays; second, that it is messy to use and the dogs very much dislike it; third, that, thanks to inoculating all my young stock and to having been fortunate in striking a particularly hardy strain of spaniel, I have not had a really bad case of distemper for some time now. But while I do not suppose it would effect any improvement in certain sorts of distemper, I do know it, from personal and second-hand experience, to be exceedingly usefnF both as a cure and a preventive of the form in which the head and nose seem blocked with mucus, the *eyes are continually streaming mucus, and the appetite disappears completely/ ' “I agree. The value of Stockholm tar lies in its antiseptic properties, and a very easy way to use it for sponging the nostrils is to get it in the form of liquor carbonis detergens diluted with water. Internally, salol has the same effect. I agree also as to using it carefully. That was merely a necessary warning, as carbolic acid and its derivatives act powerfully on dogs.”

POULTRY NOTES.

By Tebbob.

Pay-reasonable prices for your stock; it pays to do*so in the long run. What is a reasonable price? Some people I have met with think they should pay no more for a bird from which they expect to get eggs in satisfactory quantity than the auctioneer expects to be bid for a table bird. Breeders cannot afford to sell birds that they have reared to laying age for half a crown each, or for jyyhat it has actually cost to feed them. They want profit on the feed cost, on their capital outlay, on their plant, and a fair return for their years of efforts in selection. This argument applies when you buy eggs for hatching, day-old chicks, or grown birds. An egg, chick, or adult bird from a good laying strain may ..be classed with a picture by a celebrated" artist. It is not a case of buying so much canvas and paint in the one case, nor of so much flesh, bone, and feather in the other. Expert knowledge and skill is veil worth paying for. The selection of breeding stock of inferior vigour is a fruitful cause of weakness in poultry flocks. None but the most vigorous fowls should be kept for any reason. Never mind how good the strain may be or how many eggs the mother hen laid in her pullet year: if the chicken is not vigorous don’t try to rear it. Vigour is as easily recognised as colour or size. The first step is to eliminate the conspicuously weak birds, young or old, at any time from hatching to maturity—the earlier the better, because weak chickens cannot be profitably made strong, if they can be at all. A chick may seem to overcome its weakness, but practically it never does. Therefore it should be removed from the breeding flock. The actions of the fowl indicate its physical condition. Weak birds are dopey, do not scratch or forage actively, squat rather than stand, are later in leaving the perches in the morning, and are earlier in taking the roosts at night. They (the roosters) seldom crow, or the hens cackle or sing, especially when in the company of strong fowls of the same sex. Lusty fowls crow viror usly and loudly or sing and cackle musically—for their kind. Masculine gallantry towards the females is a sure indication of strength in the male. The shape of the body is another good indication of constitution. Deep, thick, compact bodies, with large fluff, indicates greater vigour than slender, long-jointed, more angular bodies. Good appetite also indicates vigour. Any single evidence of physical weakness alone may not necessarily be conclusive, but a combination of several weak characteristics is reliable.

Hereditary Sterility.—When eggs are infertile almost everyone blames the male bird off hand, without giving so much as a thought to the possibility of the other sex being to blame, or maybe both sexes equally at fault owing to improper treatment. Assuming, however, that the latter is not the case, and that the hens or pullets have been properly reared and treated and are of a fit and proper age for breeding purposes, it is sometimes

known to be the case that the eggs of a particular hen will be sterile right through the season. An Old Country writer gives the following particulars instancing a case of this kind. He says: “A few years back a case came under my notice which strongly supported the theory of hereditary sterility. Three pullets hatched out of a sitting of prizebred hen’s eggs were mated to an unrelated cockerel of the same breed, the owner having purchased the eggs for fresh blood and mated the three best pullets reared to a cockerel of his own strain. Both sexes were March-hatched birds, and so should have been dependable breeders when put up for that purpose the following February. They laid well, and though every egg was tried, either by hens or an incubator, not a single one showed any trace of fertilisation. This continued up till April, when the cockerel was condemned and a fresh one substituted, with no better results down to the end of May. Then an old cock that not only proved himself the previous year, but was also the undoubted father of a number of chickens that same season, was tried, and ran till July. Still every egg produced was clear, and eventually the pen was broken up. Subsequently it was ascertained that one hen in the pen from which the eggs were obtained had laid a large number of sterile eggs, and was sister to the others that had produced the eggs purchased, her sterility having been traced by trap-nesting. The following year another trial was made, when, as adults, the same three did little better —four sittings of 52 eggs only producing five live chicks and one weakly one that failed to chip the shell —a fresh sire being used. The second season proved that the hens were in a very limited degree capable of reproducing their species, but apparently only when fully matured, and then only so little as to be practically worthless as breeders. And the evidence obtained went far to prove that the fault was hereditary. There are doubtless many other causes accountable for sterile eggs, but when such pronounced cases are evidenced, and there is reason to think it is in the strain, breeding from them should certainly be avoided.” When to Hatch.—Mr James Hadlington (State Expert, New South Wales) says: “The ideal periods over which to spread the hatching of a given number of chickens on an even-running farm would be 30 per cent, during the six weeks from the middle of June and 70 per cent, during the following six weeks.” A Good Definition.—A northern poultry jjcnbe asks what is a fancier, and answers as follows:—“The real fancier is one who is never satisfied with liis birds and is alwavs trying to produce better.” Those of my readers to whom this applies may set themselves down as being the real thing. Repairing Broken Eggs for Hatching.— A poultry breeder, writing to the Poultry World, says: “How many people are disappointed when, on receipt of a package of valuable eggs for hatching, they find one or two that are cracked. Generally such eggs are regarded as useless for hatching, whereas they might easily be put together again in the following fashion: Take a cheap egg, a trifle larger than the damaged one, and with a rough-edged penknife dipped in warm vingar saw' off a portion of the shell corresponding to the crack, and while the inside of the shell is still wet apply it so that it completely covers the damaged part of the valuable egg. Now sprinkle a little flour around the raw edge of the upper shell, and the repair is complete. I have frequently patched eggs in this manner, and alwa3 r s with successful results. The chick has no difficulty in breaking through the double shell, since the real undershell is already ‘ chipped.’ Should there be any difficulty, however, the * patch ’ can be removed with a little hot water, and, of course, it would not interfere with hatching unless it happens to be just at the place around the blunt end of the egg wmere the chick chips out its way to freedom.” This is by no means a novel idea. It has often been done here in New Zealand quite successfully. French Tax on Eggs.—The cry of protest raised Ly the French consumer against buyer who sent up the price of his eggs and poultry has at last been heard. The French Minister of Agriculture has decided to increase the ad valorem tax on eggs which are exported from France from 10 to 30 per cent., and that on poultry from 10 to 20 per cent, the Daily Express). Champion Utility Leghorns at Lord Dewar’s Farm at Hamestall, England.— Mr C. A. House, in “writing up” this farm, says: “When Lord Dewar set up the utility side of the Homestall stud the foundation was laid on the finest birds that England and New Zealand could produce. Those who read the articles which I wrote whilst in New Zealand, three years since, will remember how highly I spoke of the birds of Messrs Liggins and Green Bros., of Christchurch. These two studs, with a combination of Mr Frank Snowden’s have produced birds which have given the most satisfactory results at Homestall.” Humidity of Air in Incubation.—ln the course of an article on the subject “Importance of Moisture in Incubation” by experts at the Dominion Experimental Station, Alberta, Canada, it is explained that the capacity of air for water vapour nearly doubles for every rise in temperature of lOdeg Cent, or 18deg Fahr. For example, if air at 32dcg Fahr. were saturated with moisture, or had a relative humidity of 100 per cent., this same air containing the same amount of moisture would be only about one-half saturated if the temperature were raised to 50deg Fahr., or would have a relative humidity of about 50 per cent.; and if the temperature were raised to 68deg Fahr. the relative humidity would be approximately 25 per cent. This same air, then, at 32deg Fahr. would seem damp, but at 68deg Fahr., would feel quite dry. Such air at incubator temperature of 103 deg Fahr. would have a relative humidity near 6 per cent;, and feel drier than the air of the Sahara desert. As the difference in the temperature of the air outside and inside the incubator is obviously greater in cold weather than in warm, it follows that, other things being equal, the incubator air would be much drier in cold than in warm weather—a fact that undoubtedly explains much of the difficulty experienced in winter hatching. In fact, if no additional moisture be evaporated in the incubator, it is evident that incu-

bators operated when the outside temperature is low, always will be dry. The experts I am quoting also explain that in actual practice there is some addition to the atmospheric moisture, both in the incubator room and the incubator. Damp cellar walls, damp floors, or an open vessel boiling on a stove increase the humidity of the room, while the evaporation from the eggs, or from water artificially applied, adds to the moisturecontent of the air in theMncubator. It may be said in passing that incubator hygrometers are often condemned as worthless when the fault is that the humidity is too low for the hygrometer to register. . . A Fancier on Inbreeding.—A iancier contributor to a Home paper says: ‘As we breeders have all mated, or are mating up our breeding pens, may I say a few words on inbreeding, which, from the successful breeder’s point of view, is without a doubt a very necessary evil? Inbreeding is most certainly necessary in •line-breeding, and when once a good and reliable strain is established it is B ,y eT Y serious matter to introduce fresh blood. Nature will allow us to go so far m this direction, but we must be careful only to use the moss mature birds, and those m perfect health, and by mating a vigorous cockerel to two or three-year-old hens, and vice versa, and by allowing the breeding birds all the natural food possible. Unlimited range, if obtainable, would be an additional advantage, but there is a limit as to how far we can go, and when we reach that limit we must get fresh blood, and, in my opinion, the safest way to proceed is to buy a suitable hen or pullet (or, at least, what we think to be suitable, because when we do not know how a bird is bred it is quite imEossible to know what that bird will reed), mate her to your own strain, and should the result be satisfactory, then you have stock of both sexes for future matings; but unless each chicken is marked at hatching time it is impossible to keep a correct private stud book, so to speak. In these few short notes I have been writing of exhibition poultry. In my opinion fresh blood is of far greater importance in utility poultry, because when the cardinal point is eggs, and still more eggs, the strain on the system of the birda is excessive, and I say, without fear of contradiction, that the hen that lays 120 to 140 eggs will produce more fertile eggs and stronger and more healthy chicks than those wonderful hens that are supposed to lay 300 and odd eggs per year.” Trapping Hawks. —All sorts of contrivances are used to scare hawks —string, bits of tin, and eo forth, —some of which are less effective than others. But better than scaring is to trap them. A dead hawk is a good hawk. A good scheme is to set up two poles, 10ft or 12ft high, and place a small steel trap on top of each one. The hawk lights on the pole to take an observation, the trap gets him, you kill him, and there is one hawk the less. It is a simple and effective method of trapping, and could be used in the country districts, where these pests kill a lot of chickens. 22nd PAPANUI EGG LAYING COMPETITION. Leading Pens 12th Week ended June 26 (84 days). FLOCK TEAMS CONTEST (six birds). —Light and Heavy Breeds.—

Week's Weight White Leghorns— Eggs. oz. drs. 3otal W. E. Ward .. .. 32 63.7 374 M. C. Craig .. .. 26 54.0 358 F. Hawes .. .. 17 32.9 338 J. Liggins .. .. 30 60.10 338 H. C. West .. ..26 52.2 337 Calder Bros 24 48.13 327 H. Harrison .. ... 26 63.11 327 Heavy Breeds— P. Bailey, R.I.R. .. 34 66.8 347 C. Bennet, W.W. 17 33.5 256 SINGLE HEN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. (For Light and Heavy Breeds.) Week’s Weight White Leghorns— Eggs, i oz. drs. Total. Green Bros. .. .. 6 13.3 73 Miss M. White .. 5 10.15 71 N Harrison .. .. 5 11.1 68 A. G. A. Ross .. 5 10.1 64 Shelly & M’Elwain 5 11.9 63 F. Hawes .. .. 4 8.11 62 Black Orpingtons— J. Kingsland .. 7 13.8 71 WHITE LEGHORN SINGLE HEN CONTEST. (Owner enter! three birds. ) Week’s Egga. Total. W. J. Richards, No. 1 5 71 E. Crouch, No 3 6 60 E. Crouch, No. 2 5 67 Rogers & Thomson, No. 3 7 69 K W. Coombes, No. 1 .. 6 68 Green Bros., No. 1 .. .. 6 68 Miss M. White, No. 3'.. .. 5 67 R. W. Coombes, No. 2 .. 5 67 G. & F. E Biltcliff, No. 2 5 67 G. & F. E. Biltcliff, No. 3 0 67 J. W. Thomson, No. 1 .. 6 67 SINGLE HEN CONTEST. (Owner enters three birds.) Week's Black Orpingtons— Eggs. Total. G. Blair, No. 2 .. M .. 6 65 H. Harris, No. 2 5 63 J. W. Thomson, No. 3 .. 6 61 A. R. Leckie, No. 1 .. .. 5 60 G. A. Grainger, No. 3 ... 7 67 Any other variety, ii Heavy Breeds— i-; j Cuthbertson and Mitchell, W. R„ No. 2 6 74 Cuthbertson and Mitchell, No. 3 6 65 Cuthbertson and Mitchell, No. 1 6 63 Light Breeds — H. W. Beck, B.M., No. 2 .. 4 57 H. Williams, B.M., No. 2 5 65 SINGLE DUCK CONTEST. (Owner enters three birds). Week'a Indian Runners— Eggs. Total. J. W. Thomson, No. 9 7 84 R. W. Hawke, No. 1 .. .. 7 82 D. A. Dawber, No. 1 .. .. 7 79 J. W. Thomson, No. 2 7 78 R. W Hawke, No. 3 - 7 78 H. W. Beck, No. 2 .. .. 7 75