196 



perature 9.9° cooler than tlie average temperature of the air, while in January it is 

 lO.e"^ warmer than the atmosphere. 



(4) The difference between the average January temperature of the 8-feet soil ther- 

 mometer and the July temperature of the same thermometer is 13.3°, while the 

 difference between the January and July average atmospheric temperature is 33.8°. 



Alabama Canebrake Station, Bulletin No. 8, April 1890 (pp. 8). 



Cattle feeding, W. H. Newman, M. S. — The experiment, which 

 '' was undertaken to compare the feeding v^alue of the products of 

 canebrake soils," is a trial of stall feeding of four animals for beef. 

 Nos. 1 and 2, work oxen, ten to twelve years old, and No. 3, three to four 

 years old, had been at pasture duriug summer ; and No. 4, a " turned- 

 off work steer," was about eight years old. 



The animals were all in fairly good condition. The feeding extended 

 from November 4, 1889, to February 17, 1890, duriug which time various 

 mixtures of pea- vine hay, " mixed hay," rye hay, and cotton-seed hulls, 

 with green cotton seed, cotton-seed meal, and corn on cob were fed dur- 

 iug five periods of twenty-one days each, and the increase (or decrease) 

 in live weight for each period noted. Tables give the food consumed 

 by each animal, gain in live weight, total cost of food, and cost per 

 pound of increase, by periods, a summary of which follows: 



Food consumed, cost of food, and total gain in live weight j)er animal during entire experi- 

 ment. 



The four animals consumed in one hundred and five days 14,354^ pounds of hay 

 and cotton-seed hulls, and 2,285 pounds of cotton seed, cotton-seed meal and corp, and 

 corn-meal, or a total of 16,6.39^ pounds of food. This enormous quantity of food pro- 

 duced only 666 pounds of gross increase at an aggregate cost of $58.41. It required 

 25 pounds of the mixed food to produce 1 pound of gross increase, and this cost 8.8 

 cents per pound. At 3| cents per pound the increase was worth $24.97 ; the total 

 cost of the food was $58.41. This leaves a balance of $33.43, for which the manure is 

 the only asset. The changes rendered necessary in the rations of some of the steers 

 on account of refusal to eat portions of them caused some unprofitable consumption. 

 The results indicate that stall feeding at present price of beef cattle is not profitable. 



Pig feeding, W. H. Newman, M. S.— The object of this experi- 

 ment was to " compare the nutritive effects of whole corn and corn 

 meal" in feeding pigs. Four thoroughbred Essex pigs, all from the 

 same litter, nine mouths old, averaging 79 pounds in weight and '' in 

 good store condition," were used. One pair, Nos. 1 and 2, were fed a 

 full ration of corn meal ; the other, Nos. 3 and 4, received all the whole 



