1918.1 ANIMAL PRODUCTTON. 677 



seems that alfalfa hay and silage make a cheap ration for horses not at work 

 during winter. 



Report from the poultry division for the year ended March 31, 1916, 

 F. C. Elford et al. {Canada Expt. Farms Rpts. 1916, pp. 1301-1319, pis. 16).— 

 A report of work with poultry carried on at 13 stations and farms located in 

 various Provinces of the Dominion of Canada. 



For several years prior to 1909 Canada exported poultry products, but from 

 1909 to 1914 the country not only had nothing to export bnt had to import 

 both eggs and dressed poultry. In 1914 a small surplus was exported, and in 

 1915, following the " Patriotic Campaign for Greater Production," the exports 

 exceeded the imports by $1,842,858. 



A farmer's poultry house is illustrated and specifications given. 



A test was made to determine whether eggs could be shipped after being in 

 the incubator long enough before shipping to show that they were fertile. 

 Five shipmnts in lots of 15 were made from Ottawa to Winnipeg after the 

 eggs had been incubated for 4, 6, 9, 11, and 12 days, but it was found that all 

 eggs were dead upon arrival. Poultry survey work was carried on with two 

 groups of farmers in Quebec and Ontario, and some pen records are given. 



At the Kentville Station natural incubation gave a 73.1 per cent hatch 

 of fertile eggs, while artificial incubation gave only 61 per cent. At the 

 Nappan Farm natural incubation averaged 49.1 per cent hatch, with 90.5 

 per cent alive at the end of the eighth week, while artiticial incubation averaged 

 21.2 per cent with 57.4 per cent alive at the end of the eighth week. 



At the Brandon Farm shipping breeding eggs was compared with shipping 

 day-old chicks for distances of 1,000 and 1,300 miles. Better results were ob- 

 tained by hatching breeding eggs at their destination than by shipping day-old 

 chicks. At the Lacombe Station, out of 98 eggs shipped from Brandon 11 

 chicks were alive at one montli of age, while from 50 day-old chicks only one 

 was alive after one month. Out of 99 eggs shipped from Agassiz, there were 

 60 chicks alive at one month of age, while from 75 day-old chicks 64 were 

 alive after one month. 



In an experiment at Agassiz comparing early and late hatched pullets of 

 two breeds, the cost of eggs per dozen and per pound was found slightly higher 

 with the late hatched. In another experiment comparing Barred Rock pullets 

 with 1-year-old-hens, the former protluced eggs at a cost of 15.64 cts. per dozen, 

 or 10.45 cts. per pound ; the latter at 18.68 cts. per dozen, or 11.98 cts. per 

 pound. With AVhite Leghorns, the pullets produced eggs at a cost of 14.35 cts. 

 per dozen, or 9.69 cts. per pound ; as compared with 16.73 cts. per dozen, or 

 10.35 cts. per pound, for the 1-year-old hens. In a test to determine tlie length 

 of time eggs would remain fertile after removal of the male, there was a 

 drop beginning on the sixth day, amounting to 50 per cent on the tenth day, 

 and reach-ing 16.6 per cent on the fifteenth day, after which all were infertile. 



In a test of rice as a ration for young growing chicks it was found that all 

 the birds fed on iinmilled boiled rice soon became anemic and two of them 

 (iied, tho.se of a second lot fed on milled rice also became anemic and all died 

 before the expiration of the experiment, while those on high-grade rice shorts 

 developed the same symptoms after a somewhat longer period. Similar results 

 followed the continued feeding of boiled whole rice to ducklings. 



Preliminary report of the first year (pullet year) of the Vineland inter- 

 national egg-laying and breeding contest, H. R. Lewis {New Jersey Stas. 

 Hints to Ponltrymcn, 6 {1918), No. 4, pp. J/).— A progress report is given of the 

 first year's performance at the Vineland contest. 



In spite of an epidemic of chicken pox which attacked practically every pen 

 on the centrist plant during September and October, the average egg production 



