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Correspondence



poultry but I am afraid it would stray. I wonder if any of the readers of

the Magazine have had any experience on letting these Hybrids between

Domestic Fowls and Pheasants run loose.


If your correspondent of Sydney, Australia, will write me, I will find him

some literature on Pheasant keeping.


It may be interesting to readers to know that there are more people

keeping fancy Pheasants now than ever before. No doubt all this is due to

the persistent efforts of Mr. P. Lambert. Thousands of people interested

in birds have never seen any of the rarer kinds of Pheasants, but if they saw

them and could only be convinced that they required very little attention

and were hardy, they would take them up at once.


G. Beever.



THE VALUE OF VITAMINS


Now that, owing to the difficulty of procuring fresh stock, the breeding

of aviary birds is becoming more important than it used to be, it is worth

while to follow up the latest scientific data about the foods at our command.


Investigation indicates that the vitamin contents of the various foods is

of greater importance to breeding stock than it was generally given credit for,

and that Vitamin E is especially necessary in this respect.


I am undertaking here a series of experiments with this ingredient in the

hope of being able to increase the fertility of cage animals and birds, but

results would be more conclusive if done on a wide scale, and I wish to suggest

that some of the members of the Avicultural Society, who are interested in

breeding birds, should also try out the effect of vitamins on their breeding

stock. Generally speaking I have found them infinitely superior to chemical

mixtures. The quickest and more effective way to stop a case of feather-picking

is to give the bird “ Radio Malt ”, manufactured by British Drug Houses, Ltd.

This contains Vitamins A, B, and D.


Vitamin E, which is so essentia] to fertility, is found in several green

substances such as bananas, pea-pods, carrots, lettuce, tea, but principally

in the germ of wheat. This latter is a by-product in the manufacture of flour.

It is probably, as far as health goes, the most important part of the grain,

but owing to the fad for white bread it is discarded and given to the fowls,

to the detriment of the Nation’s manhood. I am trying the effect of this on

animals and birds, and perhaps some of your members might do likewise.


A. S. Le Souef.



Sydney, N.S.W.



