339 



eating with better appetites. The results of the trial for this year 

 (1888) are that the pigs from mature parents weighed more at birth, 

 ate more feed, and made a greater gain for feed consumed, and that 

 a greater number lived to maturity." 



In the trial of 1889 the mature sow was twenty months old when 

 bred to a boar fifteen months old. The immature sow (taken from the 

 immature sow's litter of 1888) was eight and one half monihs old when 

 bred to a boar seven aud one half months old. The mature sow far- 

 rowed nine pigs and the immature sow seven pigs. The details of the 

 experiment are given in tables as for the trial of 1888: 



Between July 8 and December 23 the mature sow's pij^s made a gain of 767 pounds 

 at a cost of 2.8 cents per pound, aud the immature sow's pigs made a gain of (i40 

 pounds at a cost of 2.b6 cents per pound. The average weight of the pigs in each 

 litter was 136 pounds. One pig of the immature sow's litter died May 13 ; all of the 

 mature sow's pigs lived. Neither litter fed satisfactorily at any time during the 

 trial, but those in charge were unable to ascertain the cause. 



Further trial seems necessary before any positive conclusion can be drawn from 

 this experiment. In the trial of 188-^ the pigs from mature parents were the most 

 protitable; in the trial of 1889 there was little difference between the two litters. 



Eepoet op chemical department, G. H. Failter, M. S., and 

 J. T. WiLLARD, M. S. (pp. 90-132).— Reports are given of the results 

 of work in 1889 in the following lines : a comparison of 125 varieties of 

 sorghum ; improvement of sorghum by seed selection ; crossing of vari- 

 eties of sorghum ; time of planting sorghum ; a comparison of difterent- 

 sized stalks of sorghum ; the composition of feeding stuffs ; the compo- 

 sition of corn at different stages of growth ; ammonia, uitric acid, aud 

 nitrites in atmospheric water. 



Sorghum, comparison of varieties (pp. 90-101). — Owing to attacks of 

 chinch-bugs and to other causes stated in the report the experiments 

 with sorghum in 18S9 were not very satisfactory. All the varieties 

 grown in 1888 were replanted, together with several varieties obtained 

 from the United States Department of Agriculture, and 153 varieties 

 received from the New York State Station. 



Tabulated notes on the samples taken for analysis and on the results 

 of the analysis are given for over 80 varieties, including a number 

 from India, China, Java, and Africa. 



Sorghum, comparison of different-sized stalks {p. 102). — "An analysis 

 was made to determine what difference, if any, exists in the value of large 

 canes as compared with small ones. All of the canes for a certain dis- 

 tance in a row of Kansas Orange sorghum were taken and divided into 

 three parts, containing, respectively, the largest, the smallest, and the 

 medium-sized canes. These divisions were analyzed separately; the 

 details of the results are given in a table. Taking the percentages as 

 calculated on the juice it would seem that the value of the cane in- 

 creases as the size diminishes, there being an increase in cane sugar 

 and total sugars and a decrease in reducing sugar. But as the small- 

 est canes yielded a smaller percentage of juice, the calculation has also 



