The Sun FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1914. THE POULTRY SHOW.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 114, 19 June 1914, Page 6

The Sun FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1914. THE POULTRY SHOW.

' The poultry industry lias made great strides of recent years, and if anyone is in any doubt on the subject he should visit the big poultry show in the King Edward Barracks. One of the great advantages about the poultry raising business is that it is open to the man of small means. He can take it up with very little expense,' and by devoting his spare time to looking after a few fowls he can provide himself with a hobby that "is both profitable and interesting. In the majority of cases, it is undoubtedly better to make poultry keeping a hobby than to try and get a living out of it. To keep a dozen or so of nice, fowls for one's own use is generally worth while. A little care and attention will keep the run in order; the produce is a welcome addition to the larder, and. it. is surprising how a regular supply of fresh eggs contributes towards the solution of the cost of living problem. The modern fowl is a wonderful machine for converting food scraps, supplemented by a reasonable amount of grain and green stuff, into eggs and meat, and as every "back yarder" knows, no table bird tha,t is bought in a shop ever compares with the cockerel fattened at home. But when it comes to poultry farming for a living, considerable experience and judgment are required if the farmer is to get a return commensurate with the labour and expense involved. The competition of innumerable persons who keep fowls as a side line and are content to make a few pounds a year out of their surplus eggs and birds is exceedingly formidable, and as many discovered, after giving poultry farming a trial there are plenty of easier ways of making an honest living. Co-operation amongst poultrymen themselves would do much to put the industry on a more satisfactory footing, and it is bound to be practised on a more extensive; scale in future. In the meantime, the big show at the barracks can be visited with advantage by all who keep fowls or have any interest in the progress of the various breeds. It is not often such a splendid collection of birds is brought together. The lesson of the show is that no matter whether a man is a "backyarder," whose fowls are housed at the bottom of the garden, or a pro-, fessional fully equipped, with incubator outfits and an acre of land, it pays to keep well-bred birds. They don't' eat any more than the barn-door variety, and in addition to yielding more eggs they are pleasanter to the eye. The Government has done a good deal to assist the poultry industry in New Zealand, arid tj the Department of Agriculture is entitled, to great credit for the Very fine exhibit it; hast prepared as an additional attraction to the show.