578 Report of the Department of Animal Husbandry. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



In these feeding trials all the fowls remained in good condition 

 throughout, the capons as well as the young chicks, and no differ- 

 ences were noticeable in the general vigor. The birds in the two 

 lots were fed from hatching up to weights of from 10 to 14 pounds 

 each at ten months of age, the one lot having had no whole grain 

 and the other lot no ground grain, without any difference being 

 apparent except in the amount of food eaten and rapidity of 

 growth. 



At the prices of foods assumed for the season 1896 (mentioned 

 on page 564) the ground grain ration gave the greater profit in 

 general. There was a somewhat more profitable gain made for 

 several months by the one lot of capons with the whole grain 

 ration, but the birds were enough longer in reaching marketable 

 maturity to make the profit greater with the contrasted lot. ' 



The rations which contained only the ordinary foods, showed 

 some of the usual differences in composition, but these differences 

 were much less than usually exist between rations of whole and 

 ground grain. 



The capons marketed after the close of the feeding experiment 

 sold readily at retail in the local market for 20 cents per pound. 

 The loss of weight in dressing was small, being almost entirely 

 due to the fasting necessary to empty the crop. At this price 

 there was a good margin over the cost of food under either ration. 

 The accompanying illustration is from a photograph of a number 

 of these capons ready for market. 



