A Botanical and Economic Study. 



•*3 



with a tender, vitelline membrane, which turned black after 

 being kept several weeks, while the eggs of the carbonaceous- 

 fed hens were large, of fine flavor, natural smell, large, normal 

 albumen, an especially large, rich yellow yolk, with strong 

 vitelline membrane, which was perfectly preserved after being 

 kept for weeks in the same brine with the other eggs." The 

 following table is interesting in this connection. In the case 

 both of the larger and smaller breeds the number and weight 

 of the eggs were larger with the corn-meal ration than with 

 the more°nitrogenous mixture, the difference being greater 

 with the smaller fowls. The fowls having the corn-meal 

 ration continued to lay foi a longer period. 



Table XIX. 

 Average Number of Eggs and Weight with Nitrogenous and 



Carbonaceous Foods} 



Smaller Fowls, ^ More n i tr0 g en ous 



,« \ food 



Larger ; 



Smaller Fowls, ) 



Larger " ) 



Corn-meal ration 



No. Eggs. 



437 

 48.9 



6S.7 

 50.1 



Weight. 



91.4S 

 10S.24 

 136.29 

 1 12.16 



Food Per 

 Day. 



2-43 



3-3° 



2.57 



i--7 



For chickens, feed nitrogenous materials; for eggs, carbonaceous. 



Maize, with a nutrient ratio of 1:7.5, does not fill entirely 

 the requirements of a well-rounded dietary. Unless com- 

 bined with other more highly-charged nitrogenous foods, it 

 works detrimentally. American agricultural production is 

 one-sided. We are a generation of fat and sugar-eaters. 

 Corn, our great staple, is poor in protein, at the best, and 

 is poorly adopted for a staple food, unless combined with 

 other materials. American dietaries range from 1 :6 to 1:8, 

 while the European standard is 1 -.4. 5 to 1 : 5.5. The high con- 

 sumption of carbo-hydrate vegetal food is largely augmented 



' New York Stat. Bui., 29 N. S., April, 1S91 ; Exp. Stat. Rec. m. 36. 



