174 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. [Vol.38 



phases of poultry rearing are treated with a view of teaching better methods 

 and of arousing and stimulating interest in the industry. 



The g'uinea fowl, A. S. Weiant (U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 858 {1911), 

 pp. 15, figs. 5). — Practical Instructions in breeding, feeding, and marketing the 

 guinea fowl. 



The progress of ostrich raising in Morocco, Aubry (Rec. MM. V4t., 92 

 {1916), No. 21, pp. 622-634, figs. 9). — Trials at Mekinez which give promise 

 of success are reported. Artificial incubation is found preferable to natural. 



The rabbit industry, L. Bkechemin {L'EIevage Moderne et Ulndustrie du 

 Lapin. Paris: Ubr. Agr. Maison Rustiqtie, [1916], pp. [41+188, figs. 42).— 

 Data are given on origin, breeds and breeding, diseases, and the manufacture 

 of the skins. 



DAIRY FARMING— DAIRYING. 



Trials with California silage crops for dairy cows, F. W. Woll and E. C. 

 VooRHiES {California Sta. Bui. 282 {1911), pp. 19-40). — Experiments with 

 silage crops conducted at the university farm during the past four years have 

 shown that average yields of from 10 to 15 tons of green forage may be secured 

 on grain land receiving one irrigation, in the case of corn, sweet sorghum, milo 

 maize, feterita, and Sudan grass. When cut at the right time (about time of 

 maturity for corn, and when fully matured for the other crops) and carefully 

 packed in the silo, all these crops produce silage of excellent quality and pal- 

 atability and furnish succulent feed of special value for feeding dairy and beef 

 cattle, as well as sheep, during late summer or the winter season. 



In a feeding experiment comparing alfalfa hay as a sole roughage with alfalfa 

 hay and corn silage for milch cows, two lots of 13 cows each were fed for 

 three periods of 4 weeks each. Lot 1 was fed alfalfa hay and corn silage 

 throughout the test and lot 2 alfalfa and corn silage during the first and third 

 periods and alfalfa hay as a sole roughage during the second period. In addi- 

 tion, 8 of the cows in each lot were fed a grain mixture of approximately equal 

 parts by weight of wheat bran, rolled barley, and oats, and small amounts of 

 linseed meal and coconut meal. The other cows received only the rough feeds. 

 The production of lot 2 showed an average increase of 2.7 lbs. milk and 0.1 

 lb. milk fat per head daily on alfalfa hay and silage as compared with alfalfa 

 hay as a sole roughage. For both the lots it is estimated that the milk and 

 butter production was increased 14 per cent by the use of silage. Comparing 

 the production of the 10 cows in this test which were fed alfalfa hay alone 

 with that of the 16 cows fed alfalfa hay and gi'ain, it is noted that where the 

 cows were fed grain there was an increase of from 1 to 3 per cent in milk and 

 milk components v.-hen silage was fed. On the other hand, the cows fed no grain 

 showed an increase of from 26 to 27 per cent in milk and butter production 

 due to the feeding of silage. The nutritive ratio for the rations fed lot 2 was 

 1 : 5.8 during the silage periods and 1 : 3.9 during the no-silage period. xVp- 

 parently the efiiciency of the rations was from 11 to 12 per cent greater during 

 the silage periods than during the no-silage period. 



In order to test the value of milo maize silage as a supplement to alfalfa 

 hay IS cows were fed during three periods of 4 weeks each as follows: First 

 and third periods, milo maize and alfalfa hay ; second period, alfalfa hay. In 

 addition 10 of the cows were fed from 3 to 6 lbs. per head daily of a mixture 

 of rolled barley, coconut meal, and dried beet pulp (1:2:1). The average milk 

 yield was slightly lower on the silage rations than on the dry feed only, but 

 the quality of the milk produced on the former rations was somewhat better 

 than that on the latter, making the average production of fat and other milk 



