ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 589 



.">•"> cu. ft. of air per hour if this limit is not to be exceeded, though they recommend a 

 freer air supply and consider 40 cu. ft. more satisfactory. 



The air requirement of a medium fowl (4.5 lbs.) seemed to be much the same as 

 that of a larger bird (7.5 lbs.) It was found that in wooden poultry houses with 

 ventilation at the top the air apparently changed about 4 times per hour. Each 

 bird kept in such a house should, therefore, have 10 or more cu. ft. allotted to it. 

 The number of birds a house will hold depends on its volume and not on the perch 

 room. The maximum number is found by dividing the volume expressed as cu. ft. 

 by 10. 



"The greatest capacity can be most economically obtained from a given amount 

 of timber if the house is cubical in shape. This can not be quite realized in practice 

 owing to the necessity for a sloping roof, but the nearer one gets to it the better. 

 Low houses, besides being uneconomical, tend to induce overcrowding. Overcrowd- 

 ing causes diminished egg production, and encourages roup, tuberculosis, and other 

 diseases." It was noted that in a long low house without a floor the air was about 

 twice as good as in a similar house with a floor. 



Experiments in fattening turkeys, H. de Oourcy {Jour. Bd. Ayr. [London], 

 11 (1904), No*. 7, pp. 385-397; 8, pp. 495, 496, fi<j*. <s, dgms. 2).— The profitable 

 fattening of turkeys is discussed and a feeding test reported. 



Thirty young turkey cockerels of similar breeding which had ranged on stubble 

 fields for about 3 weeks, grain being fed during the latter part of the period, were 

 divided into 3 uniform lots and fed for 3 weeks. The birds weighed on an average 

 17 lbs. each. During the first 10 days all were fed in the morning a mash of 

 boiled potatoes, boiled turnips, barley meal, maize meal, ground oats, and linseed 

 meal containing 12 per cent of oil, 2:2:2:2:2:1, wet up with skim milk to a rather 

 stiff mash. Milk and water in separate vessels were also supplied, as well as grit 

 and charcoal mixed together. The turkeys were fed in a yard and after an hour for 

 feeding and exercise they were turned into a rather dark poultry house, where they 

 remained until evening, when they were again driven to the yards and fed crushed 

 corn, oats, and barley. 



During the latter part of the test this method of feeding was continued with lot 1, 

 which made an average gain during the entire period of 2 lbs. 12 oz. per bird. Lot 

 2 was fed twice a day by hand cramming a stiff mash of equal parts of ground barley, 

 corn, and oats, with a small amount of melted fat, linseed meal, and skim milk rolled 

 into pellets about 2 in. long and | in. in diameter. The average gain for the entire 

 period was 3 lbs. 6 oz. per bird. 



The birds in lot 3 were fed with a cramming machine a similar mixture to lot 2 

 wet up with skim milk to form a slop of about the consistency of cream. The author 

 states that owing to their size and strength some difficulty was at first experienced 

 in feeding the turkeys; "but this slight difficulty was overcome by placing the birds, 

 one at a time, on a low stand, which raised them sufficiently off the ground to bring 

 the head on a level with the nozzle of the cramming machine, and in such a posi- 

 tion that the feed could be given quite conveniently. After a day or two the turkeys 

 grew accustomed to this manner of feeding, and when meal times came they showed 

 much eagerness to mount the stand and receive their share of food." In this lot 

 the average gain was 4 lbs. 4 oz. per bird. As will be noted, the greatest gains 

 were made by the turkeys fed the soft mash with a cramming machine. The cost 

 of feed per head ranged from 34 cts. with the lot fed without cramming, to 41 cts. 

 with the lot fed with a cramming machine. 



At the close of the test the turkeys were killed and dressed. The author describes 

 briefly the methods in vogue in dressing turkeys for different English markets. Two 

 chief methods of killing are by dislocating the neck and by bleeding. He states 

 that in general the turkeys are plucked but not drawn or trussed. The importance 

 of conforming to the requirements of different markets is spoken of. 



