REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 67 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



per cow than the average for the herd in 1913. Weeding out the low producers Avas 

 the main cause of the increase. Calculating hay at $7 per ton, roots and silage at $2 

 per ton, meal at 1] cent per jjound, pasture at $1 per month, it cost 87 cents to produce 

 100 pounds of milk, and eighteen cents to produce a pound of butter. With the latter 

 at 28 cents per pound and skim milk at 20 cents per hundredweight, the cows gave 

 an average profit of $48.74 over cost of feed. An interesting fact is that the test six 

 gave a profit of 104 per cent over cost of feed, whilst the seven others only gave a profit 

 of 54 per cent. It would probably pay to weed again next year. 



Experimental feediny- — Best quantities of meat to feed. — In 1913 and in 1914, 

 fifteen cows were used for an experiment which lasted over 300 days altogether. These 

 cows were a fairlj' u.niform group as to weight, production, time elapsed since calving, 

 and they were all fed the same quantities of roughage. A certain number received as 

 much meal as they would eat, which was 1 pound per 2-25 to 2-5 pounds of milk; the 

 next lot got 1 pound of meal per 4 pounds of milk; whilst the last lot were given 1 

 pound of meal per 8 pounds of milk. Partitions were put in between cows, in the 

 mangers, so that no one could be robbed by her neighbours, and sawdust was used as 

 bedding so that no strav>' could be eaten. The lot which received an unlimited quantity 

 of meal averaged the most profit. 



Cost of raising heifers. — It is th< intention to find out exactly the cost of feed 

 nesessary to raise a heifer until she is ii? milk. All the feed given to three calves was 

 weighed, and it cost $23.18 to bring each of them to 6 months, when their average 

 weight was 3G1 pounds. Hay was valued at $7 per ton, roots at $2 per ton, meal at 1^ 

 cents per pomid, whole milk at 1^ cents per pound, and skim-milk at 20 cents per hundred 

 weight. It is probable that the cost can be decreased by feeding less whole miUi and 

 more skim-milk, and this will be tried another year. 



Selling breeding stock at a reasonable price. — Nine cows have now qualified for 

 Record of Performance, and none will be kept that cannot do the same thing. 



SHEEP. 



There are seventeen pure-bred Leicesters: one ram and sixteen ewes: five aged, 

 seven shearlings, and four lambs. 



POULTRY. 



One breed only is kept, Barred Rocks. About 150 hens and pullets were vpintered. 

 A good building, compribing incubator, egg, killing, and feed rooms and a granary, 

 was built; also a 32 foot by 16 foot permanent house for 100 hens, and three colony 

 houses 12 feet by 8 feet. 



BEES. 



Sixteen colonies were put in the cellar of the Superintendent's house in the autumn 

 of 1914. The average production of honey was 37 pounds per hive. 



FIELD HUSBANDRY. 



Work under this head comprises comparison of different rotations, cost of producing 

 field crops, rates of seeding corn for silage, oats for grain, timothy and clover for hay, 

 yield of hay with oats as a nurse crop sown at different rates, and yield of hay with 

 different nurse crops. 



ROTATIONS. 



Three rotations have been compared : (1) Three-year, swedes, oats, clover; (2) four- 

 year, swedes, oats, clover, timothy; (3) six-year, swedes, oats, hay, hay, hay, hay. In 

 four years from 1911 to 1914, inclusive, the returns per acre increased 42 per cent 



