POULTRY AND FANCIERS

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1929, Page 3

POULTRY AND FANCIERS

“PRESERVATION OF BREED TYPE.**

CULTIVATION OF LOCAL TRADE.

“Preservation of our breed type,” said Mr. L. Cocker, “should be a first consideration of the fancier of to-day, because without type where would our breeds drift to ?”

There was a good attendance of members of the New Plymouth Poultry Club at the lecture given by Mr. L. Cocker, the Government poultry instructor, on Saturday evening. Mr. H. T. Hall, president of the New Plymouth club, pre-, sided.

In the course of his address Mr. Cocker explained that type made the breed and without type, the beauty of the bird, as well as the incentive to breed, would be lost. Birds merely came down to black and white and red birds, go to speak, but without the type essential to different breeds, they would all appear much alike. It was the eye for type which held the interest in the hobby. In the battle to win through in the show ring, Mr. Cocker continued, the , preservation of breeds should be the main object of the fancier. Unfortunately, latterly there had been noticed a / general falling away of the standard previously attained and those who had viewed shows this season must have been struck with this fact. It might have been due in some measure to breeding by utility men for egg production without due regard to breed type. Again, the decline might have been due to the disregard by breeders of the necessary utility qualities in the breeding stock. Fanciers could not produce standard utility stock without due regard to both combinations.

He offered another solution in th® lack of constitutional vigour. This factor was recognised by all true breeders as the solid foundation of breeding. - The tendency of utility men was to cross the breeds for the momentary gain in , egg production and if the type were to be preserved, this tendency would have to be discouraged. There was a growing need for organisation amongst breeders and it could not be too strongly stressed to utilitymen that local trade was their best customer when properly catered for. In their own interests breeders would have to work to this end. p In the remainder of his lecture, Mr, Cocker discussed the salient points in the causes of the decline of the standard and offered useful suggestions for the remedying of this defect.

Hearty thanks were accorded Mr. Cocker.