POULTRY COLUMN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 144, 10 August 1911, Page 8

POULTRY COLUMN.

ABOUT SYSTEMS

The followi’.i”; remarks by !’.u English writer are rather topic*;i 1 at pre-

sent when wo hear so much of American systems of making money quick Iy:-U

There must Ire something in the eiimate of this country, or it may ho the temperament of the people, that stands in the way of enterprising departures in the poultry industry. We have got into a groove ami have become so accustomed to doing things on orthodox lines that when anyone sets out to he original and enterprising wo put our hands into our pockets and hold our money tight in our fists until ho has gone into the next street. J have been making a study of American methods of getting rich through poultry-keeping, and it is perfectly obvious that the

Americans arc a much broader-minded raco than wo are. They give enterprise a look in. Now, I have for some time been considering whether it wouldn’t pay me to advertise a now system of poultry keeping for profit. J shall call it the “Jingle” system, mad I have been lying awake the last few nights frying to flunk what the system will bo like. It mustn’t be too elaborate, or else people will feel they’ve earned their profits when they get thorn ; and it mustn’t ho too simple, or people may see through it. However, a detail of that kind can ho arranged later on. v* hat I' want to know for the present is whether I can do any substantial amount of business if J, embody the system in a little hand tract and col! it at a dollar a time. I know that if 1 lived in

America- I could annexe dollars by the thousand—-that is, of course, ' supposing my native modesty did not get in the way of my business acumen; I once hoard of an American gentleman who went in for tho system business, nnd wrote out an advertisement declaring, among other things, that by his method every lien on the place paid a profit of fitly dollars pgr annum. When the advertisement proof came along from tho printers he thok it to a friend who was interested in poultry and asked if he ever heard of a hen giving fifty dollars a year. As it happened, this friend had a friend who knew a man whoso brother iived next door to the father of a man whoso brother-in-law know someone else who had a hen that gave 100 dollars per annum in hard cash, so the system man crossed off tho fifty and substituted 200 dollars per annum. As ho declared, it he wan tod to do business ho must bo absolutely top dog of the whole profession. And i aat’s just where I fear I might fail. However, even supposing that I resolved upon a desperate deed and advertised my profits at £2OO per hen per annum instead of dollars, would the British public fall over one another to buy my system? If I could bo certain on that point I wouldn’t mind spending tho money on advertising; but remembering bow narrowminded some people arc in this country, it is doubtful it a sufficient number would view the matter in the right light. It would be annoying to be continually accused of lying, and have to tell people you were selling a system. In their insular ignorance and stupidity they would fail (.:> appreciate the point that business is- business, and that selling a sysvem is like selling eggs for hatching, only more so. Among the broaderminded people of America the system would Sell without any base insinuations. Indeed, the system trade is assuming quite healthy proportions over, there, and it is only hindered from becoming tho staple industry of the United States by the somewhat ridiculous and quite unnecessary modesty of its participants. One gent advertises that lie made eighteen thousand dollars a year, and another cuts him out by putting his figure at nineteen thousand dollars. But if this is the best they can do it won’t attract many people to tho poultry industry in the face of the fact that Andrew Carnegie made a hundred millions out of a common business like the steel trade. Anyone can have a system,■ but very few can sell them at a dollar a time. This ’ is whore enterprise comes in, coupled with a broad-minded, trustful public, without which one can’t, sell anything. I have inquired into some people’s systems, but haven’t adopted them, because it seemed to me that if one intended to put these particular methods into practice one would reed to emulate the industry of a honey bee, the patience and humbleness of a worm, tho tirelessness of a gas engine, and tho wakefulness of a cock, and at my age I am not prepared to change tho habits of a lifetime in order to gratify the hunger of a few bens. I would rather give up tiro hen business and soil systems, like tho other fellows. One of these has kindly sent me a copy of his hook, knowing well that .1 am not sufficiently broad-minded to pay a dollar for it, and I observe that his secret is to concentrate attention on one’s work. Uor instance, when you are attending to trap-nests, don’t lot your mind wander to the incubators, wondering whether you put tho drawers in and turned down the lamps. Let the incubators burn, so long as you concentrate attention on the trap-masts. I gather that if yon want to make a success of this system yon must not be as other men. You mu: t give up eating, (hinging, sleeping, and oilier frivolities, and just concentrate, day in, day out, Sundays, week-days, and Hank Holidays. You-need to cultivate ('very virtue under the sun, make , 1 . ourself a martyr, and diive your family to sui. ide. In fact, the reason, why the system is so exclusive and aby so few people master it is bet-arse the qualification'; are net all ( o be found ill ! he s un-' indii idiial. If Nature bad Intended us to praeiie-e

systems that demand the exercise of divine virtues she would have fitted us up with wings at the very least. INTRO.!)l T C!NC FHESH BLOOD. The poultry keeper who aims at building up or maintaining a heavylaying strain needs to be just as careful in introducing fresh blood, as does the fancier with his successful show strain. He has to he sure that the new birds will nick with Ids own. There is always the clanger, with haphazard introductions, that the. mixing of the bloods will produce uncertain results in the progeny, and not infrequently produce depreciation instead of improvement in the point in \ iow. This is the season when the question of new' stock begins to crop up, and the possible results have to be kept well in view. With the average run of liens, to bring in a cockerel of careful breeding, would in most cases breed better young stock. Still it might likely enough result in something inferior to cither parent. Once having reached a fairly satisfactory standard, it is worth being careful to avoid the risk of knocking down the structure that has been the work of, perhaps, several years. There is nothing more dangerous than the popular idea that the right course is to got a, fresh cockerel from a different brooder each year. The successful breeder sticks to the one line of blood once ho finds it satisfactory, and goes on improving by selection and mating year after year. If he wants fresh blood he goes back, if possible, to the same yard that ho patronised before. He rover discards a rooster that has thrown good stock while it is healthy and active. Judicious in-breeding is the greatest factor in raising the standard of any class of stock, and of ensuring consistency in the strain.

Tlio breeders, for instance, who drive been most consistent in our toying competitions arc those that have been working on the one strain for many years, somoo f the twelve, fifteen, or more. Others may have spasmodic success, but their stock is less reliable. The characteristics need “fixing” or breeding-in. Therefore, when a cockerel is required, it' is wise to make sure that lie is not the progeny of a too-recont mixture of blood, and that lie is from at least as good stock as your own. Of course most people aim at getting somethin”better than they own. The ultra-cautions breeder will bring female blood into his yard in preference to male. A cockerel mated with tiis liens may upset up Lie whole of the breeding for the year, while with the hen that is purchased to infuse fresh blood, the damage, if any, is confined to,her own progeny. Thus is a safe course. Other careful breeders will secure a fresh trio and study the results while keeping'them separate from their own strain. This same object is also attained by securing eggs from another yard and closely observing the results given by the birds raised therefrom. A WHITE LEO HORN BREEDER. We note with approval the addition of a new name to the ranks of the popular White Leghorn breed' • i • that of Mrs E. J. Hodgson, of Mountain Road, Elthani, who start jd a. few years back with stock and • ittings from Mr Loger’s “Bred to Lay ’ hen-, and by keeping only a few and (idling heavily has now a very classy little herd, two of her cockerels taxing first and second respectively at last Normanby Show in the American Utility Class. Siie has now headed her flock with a very nice little Pad-man-Brooks bird from Mr McLean, of Rotorua, which should raise the standard still higher, Mrs Hodgson being a believer in the motto that “nothing pays but the best.” WORTHY’S POULTRY FARM. Mr E. T. B. Worthy, of the Hawora Utility Poultry Farm, has a notice in this issue relating to settings of eggs from his utility White Leghorn and White Rocks. From the mating list which he issues, it can bo seen that customers get good value, it would be hard to pick a much better site for the rearing and keeping of poultry than that owned by Mr Worthy in Wilson street, Hawcra. All the houses are built towards the north-east. Towards the south and west there is good shelter. The. birds are thus aide to have their houses open to a greater or less extent the whole year round. This fresh-air system is a feature of which the most up-to-date breeders make a great point, and Mr Worthy has carried this to a great pitch of excellence, believing that what birds want principally, band in hand with good feeding and cleanliness, is dry quarters. The cold will not hurt them. Utility and economy arc the foundation of this poultry colony, and that this is practicable is amply demonstrated by results. White Leghorns are most in evidence, but there arc also several pens of White Rocks and one of Silver Wyamlottcs, two breeds for which the owner confesses a great partiality. A few figures which Mr Worthy supplied recently to a Press representative, demonstrated the good returns secured. While Leghorns—(if hens and 1.j7 pullets laid M.U.T2 eggs in the eight months since last January, the best month being TiSO in August. Twelve white Hock pullets hatched in October, laid 717 eggs from March Jo August. The best daily return for tiic farm was 1 17 eggs on (September I. To feed ibis flock of birds one sac!-; each of wheat and maise are required 'per week. Out of a iihag” of (id in e.n incubator, (!!) Whiie Rock chicks were hatched. Since l ist year the farm has been extended and various improvements In the lie-uses haw keen in! rod need . Tim latest 1-mi-e is model of eeiivenienee, eeoue::i\ end cleanliness. The birds which

are used I'or breeding purpose;; are all prize lord;-; from the hcst slock, secured in most cases from Burnham farm. Mr Worthy is seriously considerin',!; Heading for breeding stock direct to Padman, the Westralian breeder, whose birds are so well known. in all there are nine pens of Leghorns, winch include Padman, Brookes, liillcrert, Vandrcsscr and Kcmmis strains. N.Z. UTILITY POUiKRY GMT. competition. The following aic the totals for last wm Ids laying. PidE-S. Misses Bradley (32) . . 17-1 (<!. 11. Robinson (32) ... iGB T. Kennedy, B.W. (30) -31 Hcrotannga Poultry Go. (32) 396 Herotaunga Poultry Go. ,3)1 390 A. JR. Browne ,31 , , ps.-j E. HaU, 8.0. .26) . . ;G5 W. Xixon (28) ... ~ IB’ 1 A. E. Wilson, WAV. (22) . . 382 A. Tisell (28) ... . . 379 A. R. Browne (20) . . 379 N. Solomon (25) ... ... 352 T. Collins (25) ... ... 316 r Jh Frcthey (29) ... ... 3-16 VcnvJ.l Bros. R’o) ... 337 VV. Halpin (29) ... . . 333 G. Wilson (21) ... ... 330 Ranginru Eg" Ranch (29) 326 Ducks. Hero.fcaunga Poultry Co. (.19) tHS W. Knight (20) ... ... 159 A. R. Browne (30) ... -1!8 P. J. Keller (20) ... ;06 T. Dowthwaite (16) ... 311