ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 777 



using slaked lime and salt brine proved to be very effectual, and has also the advan- 

 tage of being inexpensive. It is also not difiienlt to practice. For a period of a few 

 weeks only, smeariTig the eggs with vaseline may prove an effective method of pres- 

 ervation. In the place of vaseline almost any ck^an, greasy substance may be used. 

 For a period of a few months only, packing in dry table salt is worthy of 7-ecom- 

 mendation. Of all the substances experimented with, the water glass solution 

 proved most worthy of commendation. The . . . experiments showed that the 

 water glass solution could be reduced to 3 per i-ent and still retain its preserving 

 quality. Water glass can be obtained of druggists at from 40 to 60 cts. per gallon. It 

 is easily manipulated and the solution may be repeatedly used. The eggs should be 

 com})letely immersed in the solution, and if any eggs float, an inner cover which will 

 sink them below the surface of the liquid should be used. In several tests where 

 the eggs w^ere placed in stone jars inverted saucers were used for this purpose. The 

 expense for the water glass at (iO cts. per gallon would amount to aI)out two-thirds of 

 a cent per dozen eggs. This does not include the expense of the jar or other recepta- 

 cle, which may be of stoneware, glass, or wood." 



Notes 071 Rhode Island Reds (pp. 324-333). — The origin and characteristics of the 

 strain of poultry known as Rhode Island Reds is discussed. 



Trap nests, T. H. Taylor {Rhode Island Sta. Rpf. 1901, pp. 334-340,2)1. 1, dgm. 1).— 

 Conqiarati\e tests were made with a number of sorts of trap nests. The author 

 noted the number of times the nests operated and failed to operate, as well as the 

 number of eggs laid in the nest, outside the nest, etc. 



"Although it is possiljle by the use of trap nests to determine the number of eggs 

 laid by individual hens, the impracticability of their use on a large scale is evident, 

 since the expense of attending them overbalances in a business sense the results 

 obtained. In all the tests here reported it was found necessary to look at the nests 

 during the busy laying season at least 5 times per day, and if a hen had laid each 

 time it took considerably more than the ' one minute a day ' claimed by more than 

 one of the inventors to release the hen and credit the egg to her account. . . . 



' ' We fail to see how any of the devices could prevent egg eating, as was claimed 

 for some of them. In all the nests the hen had access to the egg after it was laid, 

 and in one or two instances a hen was known to eat the egg." 



Narrow, medium, and wide rations for chickens, T. H. Taylor {RJiode Island 

 Sta. RpL 1901, pp. 347-354) . — Tests extending over 3 years were made of the com- 

 parative value of narrow, medium, and wide rations. In every case 3 lots of 10 

 chickens each were used. The chickens fed the medium ration were given cracked 

 corn in the morning and at night a mash of mixed ground grain and beef scrap, the 

 nutritive ratio of the ration ])eing 1:5. The lot receiving the Jiarrow ration received 

 oats in the morning and the same mash at night as lot 1. In addition they were 

 given cut green bone 3 times a week. The nutritive ratio was 1 :2.8. The lot fed the 

 wide ration received the cracked corn in the morning and at night a mash of bran and 

 corn meal. The nutritive ratio of this ration was 1:8.4. The tests covered a total 

 of 92 days. In every case the greatest number of eggs was produced on the narrow 

 ration and the smallest number on the wide ration. The average cost of the feed 

 per hen per day on the 3 rations was 0.19, 0.18, and 0.16 ct, respectively. The cost 

 per egg on the 3 rations, 0.97, 0.8, and 1.34 cts., respectively. 



Chemical analyses showed that the manure from the nanrow ration contained the 

 largest percentage of nitrogen. 



American breeds of fowls. II, The Wyandotte, T. F. McCiREw ( TJ. S. Dept. 

 Agr., Bureau of Animal Industry Bnl. 31, pp. 30, col. i-)h. 10, figs. 5).— The origin of 

 the Wyandotte breed and the characteristics of the different classes are treated of. 

 The bulletin also contains information on breeding Wyandottes, their value as gen- 

 eral-purpose fowls, and related topics. 



