May 19U 



THE (^ARI)KN AND FIELD. 



ways some, sometimes many eggs. 

 That's a somewhat iiidelimte state- 

 meut we kuow, but in a geueial 

 way it is a fair thing to say that 

 they are very good lajxrs. Why .'' 

 As they are evidently not housed 

 right or fed right, it must be that 

 they are bred right. We have, of 

 course, no doubt, that with more 

 orthodox methods they woukl lay 

 more eg-gs, possibly many more 

 eggs. Wte certainly have no wish 

 to depreciate the value of housing 

 and feeding but we do want to 

 emphasize the importance of breed- 

 ing as a foundation. A well breJ 

 bird will stand a lot of knocking 

 about, A-et lay much better than 

 one which lives on the fat of the 

 land but does not possess the in- 

 herited capacity for egg produc- 

 tion. 



HAWKESBURY COMPETITION . 



Some specially interesting com- 

 parative tests are arranged in con- 

 nection with the Hawkesbury Com- 

 petition this year. In thirteenth 

 annual test we notice that Mr. 

 Padman's pen got off the mark 

 well, wdth 25, top score, for the 

 first week. Mr. Padm'an's birds 

 are in the single test section. In 

 the shed test Mr. D. Kenway leads 

 with 17. In the no-house test Mr. 

 P. C. McDonnell started promptly 

 with 31 for the first week. In the 

 housing experiment, the 100 pul- 

 lets (semi-intensive) house, open 

 run and mixed feeding, got a bit 

 of a start on the 100 pullets (in- 

 tensive) housed, without run on 

 drv feeding. Mr. S. Ellis has pro- 

 vided the birds for this experimient 

 by arrangement with the Daily 

 Telegraph and the Hawkesbury 

 people. 



The World's Latest 



THE ONLY THING OF ITS 

 KIND. 



Chapman's Automatic 

 Trapnest. 



A BOON TO POULTRY 

 BREEDERS. 



It never confines, equal to nine 

 single pens ; no attendant required. 



Saves time, money, and labour. 



For further particulars apply — 

 G. H. CHAPMAN, 

 Solomontown, Port Pirie ; or 

 P. C. MANUEL, 

 Koonoowarra, Enfield, South Aus- 

 tralia. 



'Phone 273. 



TRAP NESTS. 



The bedrock bottom of successful 

 breeding is pedigree. Without a 

 knowledge of pedigree plus per- 

 formance, both of which can only 

 be secured by testing, the poultry- 

 man is — like the boy who fell out 

 of the balloon — not in it. What- 

 ever opinions one may have of the 

 relative value of the male and fe. 

 male in breeding for egg produc- 

 tion, it must be quite evident that 

 the more knowledg-e we have of 

 each, the better we shall be fixed 

 for making the best of whatever 

 qualities both may possess. It does 

 not need an oracle to know that a 

 good hen is at the bottom of good 

 laying, the trouble is that she 

 often stops there. It may, how- 

 ever, take a wise man to recog- 

 nise that it takes a good male to 

 help her up. The record hen is 

 the essential foundation of a "re- 

 cord " strain, the good male is the 

 essential element of its continua- 

 tion. The only way to tell a 

 good hen is by trapping her, the 

 only way to tell a good male is by 

 trapping his pullets. The only 

 way to trap is just to trap — not 

 think about it- The simplest way 

 to trap is by the trap nest. The 

 best trap nest is the Chapman 

 trap nest. Nuf sed ! 



BEING FAIR TO ALL. 

 Though South Australia is per- 

 haps suffering a temporary eclipse 

 in the competition world, it will 

 not be the fault of her enthusiastic 

 backers if her great deeds of the 

 past and her more or less well 

 authenticated interest in present 

 day champions, are to be overlook- 

 ed even in the smallest degree. We 

 are getting a turn of the old stir- 

 ring tune, " South Australia on 

 top," but for present use, in view 

 of passing events, the title is 

 changed to " Being fair to all." 

 Mr. J. H. Gill appears to be one 

 of the most recent victims of the 

 ancient ditty. Poor Mr. Gill, what 

 between the toning up of the Vic- 

 torian climate, Mr. Hart's extra- 

 ordinary ability, birds purchased 

 on indisputable authority, element 

 of luck, etc., it appears from what 

 we have read, that about the only 

 thing he did quite off his own 

 bat, was to pay the entrance fee. 

 There is just one man qualified to 

 ladle out the " being fair " soup, 

 and that is Mr. Gill himself. 



In this connection it is pleasing 

 to remember how little claim, such 

 breeders as Messrs. Padman, 

 Brooks, Bertlesmeir, Kinnear, etc., 

 have made on their own account 

 to any credit, past, present, or 



future, which may have b'Cen due 

 to them for eggs and birds sup- 

 plied. Such reticence is honest, 

 courteous and to be commended. 

 It might with advantage be imi- 

 tated. There is one side of the 

 question overlooked by the pufi 

 brigade — naturally it is the other 

 fellows. We have sold much stock, 

 true, l)ut how much have we 

 bought i" It is simply and utterly 

 nobody's business. Surely it cuts 

 both ways, yet any aspirant for 

 the ladling out billet would need to 

 be fully posted on this side. The 

 best way, apparently, of tackling 

 the job, is to leave it alone or to 

 let Mr. Gill, who will, no doubt, 

 when he has got through his 

 " thanks for congratulations " cor- 

 respondence, find time to allot 

 their proper share of credit to The 

 Clerk of the Weather,, The Meteoro- 

 logist, Mr. Hart, Brother Breed- 

 ers, The attendants at Burnley, 

 Dame Fortune, etc. We feel sure 

 that nobody will grudge him any 

 that may be left. 



ON VELVET. 



The average householder of mod- 

 erate means who runs a good 

 sized vegetable patch, a covered 

 yard of well-bred layers and has a 

 fair bunch of cockerels on hand, 

 is, comparatively speaking, on vel- 

 vet. At all events he can regard 

 the providing of his daily bread 

 with greater equinimity than his 

 neighbour who is less pre- 

 pared to withstand the slings 

 and arrows of the outrageous 

 butcher as somebody once remark- 

 ed. The house poultry yard is a 

 very attractive proposition these 

 days. Look at it just from a 

 beginner's point of view. Twenty 

 well-bred puUets will cost from 

 £5 to £io. In two years they 

 should average 25 dozen eggs, £25. 

 With house scraps and a garden 

 they would not cost £io to feed. 

 In two years they would be worth 

 £4 for home use. A suitable house 

 to keep them always under cover 

 would cost anything from £2 to 

 £10. 



BIDDY. 



If you happen to have a broody 

 hen don't discourage her well- 

 meant if rather ill-timed intention, 

 because you think it is going to 

 rain or be cold during the next 

 three months. There will be plen- 

 ty of sun in between whiles to 

 grow the chicks finely. Give her a 

 clean, warm, dry, dark nest. If 

 you have no suitable birds mated 

 up, try one of the table crosses. 

 Just as well to get the right thing 

 whilst you are abc>ut it. You 



