226 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



THREE COMMENTS ON OUR FOOD TABLE. 



First. The foods are very largely cereal. I am a firm believer in 

 the theory that the hen can subsist and yield a fine profit in eggs on 

 a ration of grains alone. I have no objection to soft feed, cooked feed, 

 steamed feed, etc., but it has been shown that these are not necessary 

 to profitable egg production. You can probably increase the egg out- 

 put for a short time by these expedients, but your yearly product will, 

 we believe, not greatly exceed that from a grain and meat ration. By 

 cooked or steamed feed you can surely increase the egg product at the 

 time of year that eggs sell for the most money. 



Second. I give this table of foods, not as the best one for all, but 

 as a good one for most people, especially the amateur. If your market, 

 location and surroundings enable you to substitute potatoes, turnips, 

 beets, cabbage, etc., for some of the items, well and good ; I have no 

 quarrel with you and shall be glad to hear of your success through the 

 columns of this paper. Or if you can obtain fresh bones from the 

 butcher and will grind them, you can dispense with much of the cut- 

 bone and beef-scrap I have prescribed and reduce materially the cost. 

 '•■' Third. You may not be able to purchase in small quantities the 

 feeds I have prescribed at the prices named. Feed promises to be cheap 

 this year and eggs will surely be high. This article is written in west- 

 ern Missouri, and a prominent stock feeder in looking over the table 

 said, "You have those grain prices 50 per cent higher than is necessary 

 for this section this year." Now, you may need to pay higher prices 

 than those specified, but if so you are in a locality where you can sell 

 your eggs higher than "16 cents per pound." At our Beaver Hill farm 

 we believe that our feeds cost us perhaps 25 per cent higher than our 

 estimate, but we will realize more than 25 per cent advance on the price 

 of eggs, for at no time this summer did we sell eggs lower than 20 

 cents per dozen, and in September people were coaxing for our eggs 

 at 24 cents per dozen, or "16 cents per pound." Right here in the 

 country districts of western Missouri eggs are selling now for 18 cents 

 per dozen. 



THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION. 



The problem I am asking you to demonstrate is the possibility of 

 starting November i with forty-five pure-bred pullets of an "eggs-early- 

 and-often" strain and on the rations I prescribe, or one of equal cost and 

 merit, make them produce in 360 days 240 eggs each, ""two eggs each 

 three davs." 



