588 



The average daily waget of farm laborers in tliirty-six States for 10 years have been 

 as follows: Year 1S79, wages 94 cents; year 18S2, wages '51-07; year 18B5, wages 

 $1.05 ; year 1888, wages $1.06. * * * While, tlierclore, the actual cost of manual 

 labor remains practically the same, the results of such labor, aided by all these me- 

 chanical appliances, have been greatly increased, at the same time introducing a new 

 item into the cost of production, viz, interest and wear and tear of all these imple- 

 ments of husbandry. * * * 



The practical conclusions are obvious: 



(1) Increase the area and production of grass and hay, and feed it. 



(2) Increase and improve the several products of the dairy by careful selection and 

 feeding of the animals, and by improvement in the methods of production of butter 

 and cheese. 



Eeport of first assistant, W. p. Wheeler (pp. 52-70), 

 Soils of tlie farm.— The results are given of niecliaiiieal and cbeniical 



analyses of samples of soil (top soil and subsoil) taken from different 



parts of the station farm. 



Although the soil contains a large per cent of potash, only a very small part of 

 it exists in a soluble form. The soil from field E, which was the finest of any, and 

 contained 0.95 per cent of potash, had only 0.0:5 (0.0^8) per cent soluble in boiling 

 -water. The action of frost alone does not perceptibly increase the soluble portion ; 

 for some (300 grams) of this same soil, moistened with distilled water and frozen 

 forty-seven times, still contained only 0.03 per cent soluble potash. 



ronltry-fcediru/ experiments. — The experiments reported are in con- 

 tinuation of those made in 1888. "In order to observe the effect of 

 rations more or less nitrogenous, during the laying season" two pens 

 of pullets, four Light Brahmas, two White Plymouth Eocks, three 

 Barred Plymouth Kocks, one Buff" Cocliiu, four White-Crested Black 

 Polish, and two Single-Combed White Leghorns, sixteen pullets in each 

 pen, -were fed from January to November as follows : Corn on the cob, 

 oats, meat scraps, and a little grass, alike to both pens, but while one 

 pen (No. 6) was given in addition a mixture consisting of three parts of 

 wheat bran, four of linseed meal, and six of ground oats, containing 25.5 

 per cent of protein, the other (No. 7) was given corn meal containing 

 12.6 per cent of protein. The nutrit've ratio of the food of pen G aver- 

 aged about 1 : 4.2, and that of pen 7 about 1 : 5.7. "An accurate account 

 was kept of the weight of the different constituents in the food con- 

 sumed, the gain or loss in weight, the product of eggs, etc. The results, 

 calculated to the avernge for one fowl, for the different periods of the 

 experiment, are given in tabulated form." 



The average coi- position is also given of the eggs from each pen, of 

 white-shelled and brown shelled eggs, and of the manure from each pen. 



The larger bieeds did somewhat better with the more nitrogenous ration, and the 

 smaller breeds considerably better with the less nitrogenous. The average weight 

 per egg was the same for each pen, 2.03 ounces. The brown-shell eggs averaged 2.12 

 ounces in each pen, and the whitetthelleggs 1.85 ounces in pen 6, and 1.93 ounces for 

 pen 7. * * * 



The value of the average product of manure per fowl from pen G was about 14 

 cents a year, and from pen 7 about 10 cents, the fresh manure from peuG being worth 

 $8.35 and from pen 7 $6.73 per ton. 



