Nov. 2, 1V)<)8.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 81)9 



cut "ireeii stuff mid-day and whfut at ni^lit. The food is vai'ied through- 

 out the year, cooked veyetal)les sucli as Ix'ct, cabbage, and other lil;e stuff 

 I occasioiiallv mix with the brai; aii<l polhii'd in winter, while maize ami 

 oats often take the place of wheat. Cut bones are sometimes given, while 

 cut barley, rve, oats, lucerne, or otlier green stuff, all grown on tlie fai'in, 

 is supplied daily all the year round."' 



Breeding for Layers. 



It has often I>een said that the show type and the laying ty])e of fowl 

 cannot be found in the same specimen. Mr. Staple.s's large flocks of 

 Orpingtons and Leghorns disprove this statement, for in lioth breeds 

 there are scores of birds that would secure a place in any show-pen ; many 

 of the Leghorn pullets, now from 10 to 12 months' old, weigh from 5i to 

 (jj lb. each ; and although 1 di'l not see any Orpingtons scaled, the bulk 

 of them were lieavyweights, and true to type. Questioned as to how this 



A breeding pen of Orpingtons. 



size was secured, Mr. Staples" reply was: "" To secure 1,000 or 1,.")00 

 layers re(|uires some Hatching, and 1,000 good lavers are always better 

 than 1,.")00 bad ones. They eat vei'v little more food and re([uire less 

 attention. If my stock only averaged 100 or 120 eggs for each hen, the 

 farm would never pay me. The average of the entire flock is about 185 to 

 195 per hen, although many of them lay consideralily over 200 eggs each. 

 My system is to put up several pens of pullets, and keeii them there for 

 twelve months. 1 keep a score card in the pen and record their eggs 

 each day. I soon find out those that lay best and lay the largest eggs, 

 and Ijreed from these oidy tlie following year. The great size of niv 

 Leghorns 1 attribute to this selection of the largest eggs, for large eggs 

 invariably hatch a large chicken, and a chicken which is large of its 

 breed when hatched generally grows into a large hen. After 2 years of 

 age, as layers, I dispose of tliem, as all profit is had from them hy that 

 time. 1 only kee)) Black (Orpingtons, White Leghorns, and a few Silver 



