874 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



the amounts being as follows : On sweet potatoes U.02 lb., on cassava 0.029 lb., 

 and on sweet potatoes and cassava together 0.003 lb. per head per day. When 

 the test was repeated with 4 lots each containing 4 larger pigs an average daily 

 gain of 1.152 lbs. per head was noted on corn during the 46 days of the feeding 

 period. On sweet potatoes there was a gain of 0.505 lb. per head per x'ay, on 

 cassava 0.233 lb., and on sweet potatoes and cassava together 0,179 lb. 



A in-eliminary test covering 32 days was made to determine whether rape fed 

 with sweet potatoes would add to the palatability of the ration. On sucJx feed 

 4 pigs made an average daily gain of 0.4 lb. per head per day as compared 

 with 0.9 lb. in the case of a similar lot fed corn and rape. On corn alone the 

 average daily gain was O.S lb. per head. 



In an additional test 4 pigs fed for 3.''> days gained 0.142 11>. per head per day 

 on rape and cassava as compared witli 0.007 lb. with a similar lot fed cassava 

 alone, and 0.4 lb. in the case of a lot fed cassava with cotton-seed meal. The 

 cotton-seed meal" was fed at the rate of 0.5 lb. per head per day and was mixed 

 to a slop and allowed to sour before feeding. The rations of the cassava lot 

 and the cassava and rape lot were then modified l)y the addition of 0.75 lb. of 

 cotton-seed meal per head per day and the test continued for 35 days longer, 

 with the result that an average daily gain of 1.085 lbs. per head was noted on 

 the ration without rape and 1.892 lbs. on the ration with rape. 



" In this test it is rather remarkable that the amount of cassava consumed 

 was only slightly greater and the gain was over one-fourth greater when the 

 rape was fed with it than when fed alone. This was noticeable all through 

 the experiment." 



Comparison of four methods of feeding early hatched pullets, J. E. Rice 

 {Xcin York Cornell ,S7a. Bui. 2'i!), />/). 22!>-2(')'i. fi</s. ,'/, chartf< 12).— It is com- 

 monly supposed that while early imllets are the most profitable layers those 

 which are hatched very early are not so well adapted for this purpose and 

 that they should receive such treatment during the late summer as would 

 retard egg laying with the hope of securing a larger yield in early winter. 

 This is accomplished by allowing pullets when they approach maturity a gi*ass 

 run and a satisfying ration of whole grain with a limited proportion of beef 

 scrap but no ground grain. It is also thought that if such pullets are forced, 

 that is, fed a stimulating mash to induce egg production they will lay a few 

 small eggs and molt prematurely, thus reducing their vitality, and that the 

 subsequent egg jiroduction will be small and their bodies i)rematurely stunted. 



These questions were studied with 4 lots of 20 Single Conili White Leghorn 

 pullets selected for the trial which covered 3G4 days. All the lots were fed 

 cracked coi-n, wheat, and oats in varying proportion with some buckwheat 

 during part of the time. The pullets in two of the pens were forced and fed 

 in addition a mash of corn meal, wheat middlings, beef scrap, wheat bran, and 

 alfalfa meal 2:2:2:1:1, the mash being wet for one lot and dry for the other. 

 "The proportion of mash to total food eaten by the forced hens was 31.5 per 

 cent and the average amount of meat eaten in the mash was 7.0 per cent of 

 total food." The retarded lots were given no mash, but 5.2 per cent of their 

 total food was beef scrap fed very nearly ad libitum. One of these lots was 

 hand fed and the other fed the grain from a hopper. 



On an average the forced pullets gained in a year 1.19 lbs. per hen and the 

 retarded pullets 0.91 lb. The average egg production per hen in the 2 lots 

 was 125.3 and 109.1 eggs and the cost of the eggs per dozen 11.1 and 13.3 cts., 

 respectively. In the case of the forced pullets 91.9 per cent of the eggs were 

 fertile and of these 78.9 per cent hatched. AVith retarded pullets 94.1 per cent 

 of the eggs were found to be fertile and of these G8.5 per cent hatched. 



