The Colonial Poultry Industry.

Southland Times, Issue 14788, 3 November 1900, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Colonial Poultry Industry.

-♦ i Mr W. Cook, an English expat t, reoently visiting the Australian colonies, said, in the oourise of an interview with the representative of a Sydney paper, that there never waa a time when more Interest was taken in poultry in almost every part of the world than at present. England particularly, during the past fifteen or eighteen years, had nude wonderful strides in all branches of the art of raising poultry, while America has been going ahead f-jr thirty years. He had heard, since arriving in Sydney, a good deal about the grrat influx of eggs from China, but it might be mentioned that the Chinese happen to be the greatest poultry ptople in the world; that is to say, they have h ached eggs artificially for generations past in large earth ovens, and have been wonderfully successful. Their breedß, aa understood in Australia and Great Britain, were nothing in partioular.bat in the course of time, when they find that imported stud will get them better money for" better birds and better eggs, there is not the least doubt they will fill the colonies and England too. Libour ia Australia is dear; in China it is extremely cheap; consequently it was manifestly impass.b'.e for Australian or B i i s h poultry fatmers to oompste with them as to price. At the same time there was a vast opening for poultry in New South Wales aod the other oolonits. The New South Wales climate was admirably adapted foi poultry farming, and the surrounding conditions are better than in the old country. In the first place, food is cheaper, and there is more room ; and then corn i-i cheaper also. Then, the question may ba asked, what other diffdreaca is there bebween England and Australia ia rearing poultry ? Well, in the first place, the climate of the olonies is more even. In some parts of Britain, though it is only a email island, the temparature va r ieß very much. Some people have an idea that fowls cannot be reared in cold weather, but this is wrong. Practically, they grow faster in cold weather than in hot weather. This is proved in the old country, as in the north of Scotland,where the air is always keen and sharp, and it is never hot, if the came stock birds are bred from, they are found to grow larger than in the south of England. In the south of England they get sharp frosts at night, and the sun very warm during the day ; whereas io the north, even if the sun comes out, the air ia keen Coll weather never hurts fowls or chicken?. It is tha wind and the wet that kills the chickens, and stops the bens from layiog. Therefore, in New South Wales everything is in favour of the poultry farmer. The winters are fairly even, and thongh the summer is ho < people know what to expect and how to make preparation for it. Where the colonies have the advantage ia that the seaeons are jut the opposite ro those of the Knglsh. 'Ihey can send their birds to market in England when poultry is scarce thero, and realise from 9d to Is 63 per head more than at any other time of the yesr. Hj h»d seen v cry little i f Na w South Wale?, but had, however, baheld sufficient to Bay that there waa a grind opening for the rearing of poultry and* the production of eggi. There was an immense quantity of timber, and where there is timber and ff liage there is always a g<eat amount of insect life. Large pi *cea could bs utilised in the country for rearing stock and keeping them in health. In the first place, where there is a grjat deal of timber it b.eaks the high winds from the f /wh. Sacondly, it ahields them from the sun in summer, and the hot bud kills ten times more chickens throughout the world than the cold does. Fowls must have air, and pK nty of it, and this can be got in the colonies. What mikes fowls go wrong so quickly is keeping them too warm at night. Even in England, where they have from 18 to 36 dfgrees of frost, they ntver thick of shutting their poultry Bhed I doors. Speaking of the birda shown at the ! recent poultry Bhow in Sydney, Mr Cook i said the Leghorns and Minorca? were better than any he had seen in the old country ; while the Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Langthari?, and Plymouth Bocks were very good. The specimens of English game were fine birds, and he thought English breeders would soon have to import Australian varieties.