1916] 



ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



171 



[Pig-feeding experiments], M. J. Ckonin iDci)t. Agr. and Tech. Instr. Ire- 

 land, Dept. Com. Irish Pig-Breedin(j Indus., Minutes of Evidence, etc., 1915, p. 

 19). — A comparison of cooked and uncooked meals for 42-Ib. pigs favored the 

 latter. 



Further developments in ovariotomized fowl, H. D. Goodale (Biol. Bui. 

 Mar. Biol. Lah. V/oods Hole, 30 (1916), No. Jf. pp. 286-293) .—The development 

 of several castrated Brown Leshorn females is described. 



These individuals developed male plumage and other male characters. 

 After a time, however, certain changes in the plumage of some individuals took 

 place, best described as a change to or toward the female type, as the case 

 might be. Still later the plumage changed again to or toward the male type. 

 An examination showed that no regeneration of the ovary had occurred in 

 these individuals, but that instead an organ sui generis had grown. A por- 

 tion of the organ was removed from each bird and sectioned, and its structure 

 found to be clearly neither that of the ovary nor that of the testes. The exact 

 natm-e of these organs has not been determined, but their structure suggested 

 that they have some relation to the epididymis. 



The simultaneous administration of pituitary and thyTnus to growing 

 chicks, S. S. Maxwell {Univ. Cal. Pubs., Physiol., 5 (1916), No. 2, pp. 5-8). — 

 The results of these experiments show that in the early stages of growth the 

 pituitary feeding exerts a retarding influence which is more marked when a 

 larger amount is administered, and that this retarding effect is not prevented 

 by the simultaneous administration of thymus substance. When the birds were 

 killed and weighings made of the ovary and testes, adrenals, thymus, thyroid, 

 heart, and spleen, no constant difference was found between the pituitary-fed 

 birds and the controls, except in the case of the thymus, which, despite the 

 thymus administered, was much smaller in the pituitary-fed birds than in the 

 controls. It is deemed probable that in these experiments the retardation of 

 growth of the thymus and of increase in body weight are both due to the 

 effect of the pituitary substance. 



Experiments with laying hens, W. J. Buss (Ohio. Sta. Bui. 291 (1916), pp. 

 185-217). — A series of experiments was conducted to compare the egg produc- 

 tion of hens kept in close conlinement with that of hens allowed practically 

 free range. The following table summarizes the three experiments : 



Range v. confinement for laying hens. 



Experiments were conducted to determine whether rations containing a 

 large variety of feeds give an increase in returns sufficient to justify the 

 extra trouble and expense involved in providing them. Lot 1 received shelled 

 corn and a mash composed of ground corn and meat scrap about 8:5; lot 2, 

 shelled corn and a mash composed of ground corn, bran, and meat scrap; and 

 lot 3, shelled corn, wiieat, and oats, and a mash composed in one test of 

 47580°— 16 6 



