ANIMAL PKODUCTION. 



901 



Incuvie (md outgi) uf inorydnic viaterial — Experimenta witli horses. 



According to the author, the experiments show that there is a parallelism between 

 the metabolism of nitrogen and phosphorus, and that even in the case of adult ani- 

 mals the amoimt of calcium retained in the body is not necessarily projoortional to 

 the amount digested. So far as could be o]:»served the amount of water taken with 

 the feed had no effect upon the metabolism or digestibility of the mineral constitu- 

 ents studied. 



Experiments with poultry, O. M. Watson {South Carolina Sta. Bid. 74, PP- 6)- — 

 Since one of the drawbacks to successful turkey raising is the loss of eggs due to 

 turkeys making their nests a long distance from home, the possibility of inducing 

 them to lay when confined in runs was studied with 2 lots, each containing 2 hens 

 and 1 male bird. Bronze birds 2 years old in the one case and 3-year-old White 

 Hollands in the other. Each lot was confined in a run 80 by 100 ft., 2 nests covered 

 at the top to keep out the rain and partially hidden behind some brush being pro- 

 vided in each case. The turkeys were fed in the morning a mash of wheat bran and 

 corn meal 1:1, with whole corn and wheat on alternate nights. Twice a week they 

 were given ground bone and meat scraji and always had access to oyster shells. The 

 Bronze turkeys laid 42 eggs from March 26 to April 22 and the White Holland 36 

 eggs from March 24 to May 4. At the end of the tenth day examination showed 

 that 3S of the former and 27 of the latter eggs were fertile. Twenty-seven of the 

 Bronze turkey eggs and 16 of tiie White Holland eggs hatched. During incubation 

 the Bronze hens Ijroke 4 eggs and the White Holland 6, all of which were fertile. 

 It is stated that all the eggs which failed to hatch were laid during the first 2 weeks 

 of the test. 



Two tests ai-e briefly reported on the most satisfactory breeds of chickens for 

 broilers. In both tests 10 chickens of each of the following breeds and crosses were 

 incluiled: Barred Plymouth Rock, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Indian Game, Indian 

 Game and Pit Game crossed with Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Barred Plymouth 

 Rock and Silver Laced Wyandotte crossed with common hens. The feeding period 

 covered 12 weeks, all the chickens being fed for the first week after they were 

 hatched a bread made of corn meal and wheat bran and buttermilk; during the 

 second week bread, beef sctrap, and German millet; and from the third week until 

 the close of the test bread, beef scraji, cracked corn, and cracked wheat with milk or 

 buttermilk once a day in addition to green feed (rye, lettuce, rape, and kale). 



In the first test the smallest gains were made l:)y the Silver Laced Wyandotte 

 crosses, weighing 40 oz. per chicken at the end of the twelfth week. The greatest 

 gains were made by the Indian Game- Barred Plymouth Rocks, weighing 46 oz. 

 In the second test the smallest gains were also made by the cross-bred Silver Laced 

 Wyandottes, these chickens weighing 41 oz. at the close of the trial. The greatest 

 gains were made by the Pit Game-Barred Plymouth Rocks, weighing 46 oz. Accord- 

 ing to the author "The Wyandotte, Indian Game and Plymouth Rock cross and 

 Pit Game and Plymouth Rock cross sliowed a plump breast. The Pit Game and 



