Vol. XI. No. 2-53. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



U 



POULTRY NOTES. 



THE FATTENING OF POULTRY. 



Some of the following conclusions, reached in 

 Bulletin 140 of the Bureau of Animal Industry of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, entitled 

 Fattening Poultry, are of interest to poultry keepers 

 in the West Indies. It should be stated that in experi- 

 ment A, the stock was of better i]uality than in B, while 

 in the food of the latter, oat flour was used instead of 

 the low-grade wheat Hour in A, and a small amount of 

 tallow was added. Again, in e.\periment A, the birds 

 were fed more than once at each meal, the number of 

 meals per day being three; while in B, two meals were 

 given daily, with one feed, only, at each. Lastly, the 

 birds in experiment A were shipped by express, and 

 those in B, chiefly in live stock cars. 



(1) The Plymouth Rock and other varieties of general- 

 purpose fowls make more economical gains in fattening than 

 the Mediterranean class, .such as Leghorns. 



(2) Chickens of the same breed vary greatly in their 

 abilit}' to put on Hesh. This variation may lead to gross error 

 in drawing conclusions from experiments in feeding poultry 

 which deal with only a small number of birds. 



(3) Muslin or duck cloth can be used to good advan- 

 tage to replace the windows or part of the walls of feeding 

 stations. 



(4) If a feeding station is properly constructed, good 

 ventilation can be secured without having a large open space 

 in the top of the building, such as a monitor top. Such 

 buildings can be constructed more cheaply than those with 

 a large amount of air .space, per bird, by using muslin curtains 

 for the walls. 



(5) The use of portable feeding l)atteries is more easily 

 adapted to varying conditions, involves less labour, and turns 

 the birds out in better condition than the stationary 

 batteries. 



(6) Low-grade wheat flour is a more economical feed 

 than oat flour in fattening rations for chickens, at the present 

 prices of grain. 



(7) The average person will get better results in fatten- 

 ing by feeding three times rather than twice daily. 



(8) The amount of grain required to produce a pound of 

 flesh in fattening chickens varied in experiment A from L92 

 to 53.5 tt)., with an average of 3'26 lb.; while in experiment 

 B the amount varied from L29 to 8'45. Bo, with an average 

 of 3-26 ft>. 



The total cost of feed per pound of gain varied from 

 371c. to 10'37c., and averaged 64.5c. in experiment A, while 

 in experiment B, the cost varied from 3 15c. to 19'90c., and 

 averaged 7 7 4c 



The cost of labour for a pound of gain in flesh varied 

 from 088c. to 2 81c., and averaged r40c. in experiment A, 

 while in experiment B, the cost varied from l'14c. to 5'63c., 

 and averaged 2 •59c. 



The cost of both feed and labour to produce a pound of 

 gain in fattening varied from 461r. to 1314c., and averaged 

 7'85c. in experiment A; and it varied from4-35c. to 27'20c., 

 and averaged 10'33c. in experiment B. 



The average total cost of feed and labour per pound of 

 gain for all the V>irds in experiments A and B was 9 09c.; 

 the average cost of feed alone, 7'lOc. 



(9) The cheaper gains were made in the shorter feeding 

 periods (seven or eight days) and by the light chickens. 



(10) Hens make poorer gains than chickens in crate 

 fattening. Fattening hens by this metbod is profitable only 

 under certain conditions. 



WILD RUBBER IN THE CONGO. 



The last volume of the A'jricultural A^'eu'S, p. 341, 

 contained an account of rubber cultivation in the 

 Congo, taken from The Board of Trade Journal for 

 August 31, 1911. The following information concern- 

 ing wild rubber, in that State, is extracted from the 

 same source : — 



Among the numerous latex-yielding plants to be found 

 in the vast forest lands of the Congo, the most common are 

 those mentioned below : — 



Zaiidolp/tia oivariensi.% which is perhaps the best known 

 liana, is spread throughout the rubber areas of the country. 

 It is a vigorous vine, and the result of a test made by a bot- 

 anist shows that a liana of this species, having a circumfer- 

 ence of 18 inches at a height of 3 feet above the ground, pro- 

 duced 317 oz. of latex at the first tapping and 1'65 oz. at 

 the second, thus giving an annual yield of 33-35 oz. 



Lnndolphia Klainei and Clitandra Arnoldiana ( = 0. 

 orimtal)!^) are widely scattered throughout the Lower and 

 Middle C'ongo, the Kasai, Kwango and the Ubangi. The 

 former produces an excellent black rubber when the latex is 

 immersed in boiling water, and experiments with the latter 

 have yielded good results. 



Carpodinus gracilis, of which the rhizomes yield a good 

 quality of rubber. 



Landolphia drooi/mansiana, which attains a great height 

 and considerable thickness, is best known in the Mayumbe, 

 where it is worked. 



Lnndolpltia Thollonii is best known in the Kasai, It 

 grows in a sandy soil, and is remarkable for the extraordin- 

 ary development of the rhizomes, which measure i-inch in 

 diameter, and are interwoven in large, mesh-like clusters 

 below the surface. 



Carpodinus Gentilii is a liana that attains some 12 

 inches in circumference. It is best known in the Bangala, 

 Uele, and other districts to the north of the Equator. 



Wild rubber, in districts in which it has been 

 worked on an extensive scale, is now becoming scarce 

 in places. Many of the large rubber zones have been 

 worked out completely, and the industry is at a stand- 

 still until the forests shall have had time to recover. 

 Some of the plants, such as Landolphia Klainei and 

 Clitnndra Arnoldiana, are known to have attained 50 feet 

 in height and 4 to 5 inches in circumference in four 

 years, but expert opinion differs too widely to allow of any 

 estimation of the period of growth of wild rubber, which it 

 is supposed may be anything between twenty-five and fifty 

 years. There are, of course, still vast areas of virgin rubber 

 forest, but these are at remote distances from the present 

 lines of communication, and are consec|uently difficult of access 

 and unprofitable, owing to the lack of means of transport. In 

 some of the remaining accessible districts, where rubber is 

 still plentiful, labour difficulties have interfered with the pro- 

 gress of the industry. Rubber is now cultivated in other 

 countries by such improved methods as to threaten, in course 

 of time, to displace the inferior wild product on the market. 



