New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 95 



relative efficiency of the rations for ducklings. 



The ration containing the animal meal was more freely eaten. 

 Calculated on the basis of dry matter the food consmned by Lot 

 A during the first four weeks was more than twice as much as 

 that by Lot B and the net gain in weight more than ten times as 

 great. For each pound gain in weight there were 2.6 pounds of 

 dry matter in the food for Lot A and 6 pounds for Lot B, 



During the following five weeks 40 per ct. more food was con- 

 sumed by Lot A than by Lot B and the gain in weight made by 

 Lot A was more than twice that made by Lot B. The amount 

 of dry matter in the food for each pound gain was 3.6 pounds for 

 Lot A and 4.8 pounds for Lot B. For the nine weeks over 50 

 per ct. more food was consumed by Lot A and the total net gain 

 in weight Avas 2.7 times more than that of Lot B. There were 

 3.3 pounds of dry matter in the food for Lot A for each pound 

 gain in weight and 5 pounds for Lot B. 



When the birds remaining in Lot B were finally changed to 

 the ration that had been fed to Lot A a rapid growth was made 

 and Avhile the gains were not so good as had been previously 

 made by Lot A they were better than those made at this time by 

 the more nearlv mature birds in Lot A during three weeks 

 feeding on the same ration. For the five weeks there were 5.1 

 pounds of dry matter in the food for Lot B for each pound gain 

 in weight and for the three weeks for Lot A 7.4 pounds for each 

 pound gain in Aveight. It was therefore apparent that while 

 the vegetable food ration greatly retarded the growth up to ten 

 weeks of age and was the cause of great mortality, it did not pre- 

 vent a rapid and profitable growth by the surviving birds under 

 the better ration. The effect of the first few weeks under the 

 inferior ration could not be entirely overcome however, and the 

 birds from Lot B never reached as satisfactory development as 

 did the others. 



RELATIVE ECONOMY OF THE RATIONS FOR DUCKLINGS. 



The cost of the food for each pound gain in weight during the 

 first four weeks of the experiment was for Lot A 2.7 cents and 



