April, 1914 THFJ GARDEN AND FIELD. f,i9 



(f Poiiltry Notes <f 



THE MARCH SHOW. 



It cannot lie said that the poul- 

 try section at the March Show is 

 particularly interesting and pro- 

 gressive. If we exclude the Gene- 

 ral Purpose entries from the ex- 

 hibits last month the display was 

 rather weak, particularly in num- 

 bers. Writing from memory, w^e 

 believe there were about 400 birds 

 staged when the section was lirst 

 included some years ago. Th.at' 

 was no doubt a good beginning, 

 but later shows have not fulfdled 

 the promise of the first attempt. 

 As a result there is, we believe, a 

 feeling amongst members of the 

 Royal Committee and poultry 

 people generally, that the section 

 mav as well be dropped. This at- 

 titude is perhaps natural, for no 

 one can deny that it has had a 

 fair trial. At the same time any 

 such action would, we think, be a 

 mistake. Anything which encour- 

 ages the breeding and exhibition of 

 such birds as the leading pens of 

 the General Purpose section and in 

 the open classes is doing good 

 work. 



It is true that the time of hold- 

 ing the show is not that which 

 would be chosen were poultry only 

 to be considered. That objection, 

 of course, cannot be overcome, but 

 it should not be considered as 

 final. One reason for the reduced 

 numbers is undoubtedly the lessen- 

 ed general interest in what is usu- 

 allv spoken of as " show " poultry 

 and therefore considered as of lit- 

 tle practical value. This idea is 

 quite erroneous, but it certainly ex- 

 ists though to a less extent than 

 formerly. Another reason in the 



EqQs! Eaqs! 



Sittings from TIeavy Laying 



White Leghorns 

 Black Leghorns 

 Black Orpingtons 

 SilverWyandottes 



15 Eggs to each setting. Guaranteed 

 fertile or replaced. 10/6 per setting 



T. E. TELLAND, 

 S.A. Fanaen' Co-Op. Union. lAd. 



feeling which has grown up 

 annongst breeders that it is of no 

 use exhibiting unles.s their birds 

 are oractically matured, or, in 

 other words, young adult birds. 



The question is how to make 

 the best of conditions which can- 

 not be altered and how to alter 

 those which may be improved. In 

 the first place the time of the year 

 cannot be changed, neither can the 

 probability of hot weather during 

 show week be done away with, 

 but it may be greatly mitigated 

 by a well planned building. No 

 doubt this part af the question 

 will have the first consideration 

 when the architects get to work 

 on the new show grounds. 



Secondly, the^growing importance 

 of " utility " with a conspicuous 

 brand on it must be recognized. 

 The General Purpose people are 

 tackling this question in the right 

 way, but more can be done in the 

 same lines. There were, for instance, 

 ten thousand speciallly well bred, 

 well selected and well grown White 

 Leghorn pullets in the State during 

 Show week, and there were about 

 six in the show. Seems a bit out 

 of proportion somehow. We can- 

 not take the people to the puUets 

 but it ought to be possible to en- 

 courage the bringing of a tho- 

 roughlv representative collection of 

 the pullets to the people. It may 

 be said that such birds may be 

 seen by the hundred at Parafield, 

 which is of course cruel, but how 

 many people, country people that 

 is, take advantage of the fact. We 

 remember reading that 70 farmers 

 went up there on one occasion, but 

 on a moderate computation 7,000 

 go through the poultry exhibits at 

 show time. As an opportunity of 

 getting the pure bred utility bird 

 idea right home, Parafield as a 

 first line of attack is not in it with 

 the Exhibition Building. Parafield 

 figures can do good work in back- 

 ing up and filling in the mental 

 picture, but let us get the clean, 

 healthy, active, tight feathered, fine\ 

 boned ornamental bird idea fixed 

 in the producer's mind, at all 

 events, as an essential even if se- 

 condary point. 



The duplication of the main fea- 

 tures of the General Purpose idea 

 for the light breeds seems to offer 

 opportunity for the development of 

 a show-utiHty programme. In do- 

 ing this there would be no reason 

 or necessity to go back on the bed- 

 rock principle of agricultural 



shows, that is the encouragement 

 of standard variety in bird and 

 ])east. By all means let us have, 

 if it is at all possible, increa.scd in- 

 terest in and provision for the 

 "show bird" section, for after all 

 the " standard " of the fancier is 

 the foundation of " utility," whe- 

 ther for the poultry man, the wool 

 man, the dairyman, or the butcner. 



We want numbers, we want in- 

 terest, and we want enthusiasm in 

 ])oultrv shows. That being so is 

 it good policy to start by trying 

 to kill all three ? In other words, 

 is it wise to make the exhilnting 

 of reasonably good young birds in 

 early March more difficulty than it 

 naturally is ? There seerns to be 

 a tendency to think that birds 

 must not be this and must not be 

 that and that judges should be 

 instructed to do or not to do this 

 or the other, but if we insist on 

 this severe weeding, theoretically 

 excellent as it no doubt is, there is 

 rather more than a probability 

 that we shall weed the crop out of 

 existence. I/et us recognize that a 

 chicken is a young bird and not 

 an adult, and therefore eligible for 

 what is in fact, a Chicken Show. 

 If a three months' old chicken is 

 the best of his class why not give 

 it the ticket and its owner a bit 

 of perhaps needed encouragement. 

 It probably won't be wasted. 

 Don't let's worry about faults he 

 may not develop three months 

 hence. There is of course the re- 

 mote possibility of disappointment 

 for a buyer on show card recom- 

 mendation, but in the present state 

 of the " show bird " market, the 

 contineency is too remote to keep 

 the committee or anyone else from 

 eniovinn- their usual night's rest. 

 As a breeder said in discussing 

 this point at the show, " this ain't 

 no Tansro Tea, there's no rush for 

 the first prize proposition." 



Tommy Tuff seemed particiilarly 

 obtuse that morning, but " dear 

 teacher " was determined to make 

 him understand. " You say you 

 own a dog, Tommy," she said. 

 " Then you have a quadruped, 

 don't you see ? " " No'm,': re- 

 plied Tommy. " But I ejcplained 

 to you a moment ago that any 

 animal with four legs was a quad- 

 ruped." " Yes'm, but Buster lost 

 one o' his'n fightin' a tram car." 



dfloT^e I y'*'* writ* us 



XbC OiilXSl b ! something about 

 your methods of bPAoding. i>«apini;, 

 and managing Liivo Stock? Let 

 ns haYO it if it will only fill tho 

 bask of a Pm* cavd. 



