902 Agricultural Gazette of N.SJJ 



[Xuc. 2, 1908. 



water, but nut iillowcd to ^ct into imv : Lirit ami ]ilcnl\- of ^tclmi food, 

 Avitli some int-at, coin])k't(_' tlicir ralioii until mai'kctinu' time. Incul)ators 

 and Muscovy ducks arc hot!: used in iiatcliin^-. 



IMarketing. 



Mr. Stai)lt\s is a shareholder and one of the Directors of the i'oultrv 

 Farmers" Co-o])erative Society, and, naturally, markets his stufl there. 



In breedinji', to get 1,500 pullets each year«entails double that nuuil)er 

 of chickens to I)e reared, as, ap|>roximately, tin' half of them will be 

 cockerels whicli have to be sold. Mi-. Staples says, he likes to sell them 

 at about four months' old, for if tiie market is at all pfood they pay best 

 at that age. Keeping chickens till they ai'e .1 or (i months of age is a 

 risky business, they may get disease in tlie meantime: it takes a lot to 

 feed them, and often ther fetch no more at (> months of a-ie than thev 

 would liave done at 2 months younger. 



Indian Runner ducks. 



The best price received the jiast year for cockerels was 8s. 'M. per pair : 

 the highest price received for hens was Gs. (id )>er pair. The highest price 

 ever received for eggs was in the drought or dear year of 1001, when he 

 got 2s, 9d. per dozen for hen eggs; the lowest price received was (Jd. per 

 dozen on 2nd September, l!)0-i. The lowest price received during tlie 

 present ^-ear was lOJd. per dozen; the highest, 2s. 5|d., in May last. 



Mr. Staples says that although ])rices for fowls and eggs are now very 

 high, at the same time he made more money when the price was 50 or (W) 

 per cent, less, from the sim])le fact that feed was then about half t! e 

 price it is now. 



Apart from the above ])rices, whicii certainly are good, the laying of 

 the fowls at his farm has become well known, and there is a good sale 

 for stock birds and settings of eggs at considerably more than the market 

 rates, and this without any advertising. 



