§ Sir GEORGE TOULMINasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether poultry food is to be reduced by 95 per cent.; whether he is aware that the deprivation of this food at the commencement of the most remunerative laying season, after keeping fowls over the five months' unproductive period, will lose more food than it saves; whether this food promotes the consumption of other foods which alone would not produce eggs; and whether, seeing that the loss of the breeding season this year will adversely affect production for years, the poultry industry will receive greater consideration before it is destroyed?
§ Sir RICHARD WINFREYIn reply to this question, I should like to point out that the true position is that the Board2242W have been compelled by the fact of the increasing scarcity of feeding-stuffs to warn poultry keepers that only about one-twentieth of the amount of poultry food usually purchasable between now and harvest will be purchasable this year. They do not, however, on that account recommend that poultry keepers should kill off existing stocks, but rather that they should do their utmost to grow as much poultry food as they can for them, and use every means available of retaining them. They cannot clearly proceed with the rearing of as many young birds as usual; they can only rear those for which they can themselves provide the food.