DAIRY FARMING DAIRYING. 401 



"A study of the rations of this year shows an apparent relation between the quantity 

 of fiber in the food and the egg production. The rations furnishing exceptionally 

 large amounts of fiber, derived principally from such grains as oats and barley, have 

 given very inferior yields of eggs. 



' ' In conclusion, we are justified in saying that our experiments do not lend support 

 to the belief that the nutritive ratios of rations fed to hens must necessarily be nar- 

 row to produce a satisfactory product. We have obtained more eggs in winter in all 

 experiments this year on the combinations of foods with the wider nutritive ratios, 

 and in two out of three experiments the result was the same for the summer period. 

 ... It is well understood that animal matter of some kind is essential to good egg 

 production. Our earlier experiments have shown the great superiority of animal to 

 vegetable protein in rations for laying hens. It is believed, however, that suitable 

 animal feeds, under which class may be included all such as are well preserved and 

 sweet and palatable, may be wisely used in connection with a large proportion of 

 our cheapest grain — corn." 



Second annual international egg-laying competition, D. S. Thompson (Agr. 

 Gaz. X' " South Wales, 15 (1904), A 7 *?. 5, pp. 476-488, figs. 12). — Data are given regard- 

 ing the conditions of the egg-laying contest at the Hawkesbury Agricultural College, 

 the rations fed, and the prize winning pens. Maize is regarded as an important feed 

 for poultry. 



" Overfeeding with maize is certainly fattening, and is injurious to good results 

 from laying hens, but this competition has demonstrated that maize carefully fed and 

 only in proportion with natural grass feeding, pollard and bran, mash and meat, has 

 no injurious effects, but, on the contrary, gives higher results in egg production." 



Considering the test as a whole, the average number of eggs obtained per hen from 

 the 70 pens, in the year covered by the trial, was 163.25, the average value of the 

 eggs per hen >'4.1'7, and the cost of feed per hen $1,395. 



DAIRY FARMING— DAIRYING. 



Hay substitutes, D. O. Noubse ( Virginia Sta. Bui. 148, pp. SS-90). — A shortage 

 of forage crops caused by drought led to tests with dairy cows and beef cattle of 

 various coarse fodders, including straw mixed with silage, corn stover, wet and dry; 

 straw, wet and dry, and cotton-seed hulls, wet and dry. Fairly good results were 

 obtained. Quotations from the author's summary follow: 



"Corn stover can be used to excellent advantage as a roughage for beef animals, 

 and with a moderate amount of grain it compares very well with others given hay. 

 For dairy cows, and when used with silage and a moderate grain ration, it makes an 

 admirable food. We have given a herd of dairy cows no roughage for the entire 

 winter, except stover and silage with grain as mentioned. The animals gave every 

 appearance of thrift, and a good flow of milk continued. . . . 



"The use of straw can not be so highly commended, and yet it can serve a good 

 purpose, especially when hay is high in price. If given more grain to make up for 

 the deficit in quality of the straw it will carry stock safely through a winter, and even 

 horses may do hard work if given the best of care. Of course if one can get oat 

 straw it is considerably better than that from wheat. For dairy cows, or in fact for 

 stockers to be carried over, if they can have some silage and the straw mixed with 

 it, as mentioned before, they are likely to come out iu the spring in a very thrifty 

 condition. 



"Of the cotton-seed hulls we can not speak very encouragingly for this section. 

 As one authority states, 'they are in value about equal to oat straw.' From our trial 

 we should so consider them, though we were obliged to tempt the animals by every 

 known means before they would eat them, due very likely to the fact they had never 

 had access to them before. . . . 



11584— No. 4—04 7 



