ANIMAL PRODUCTION. ' 669 



The Brabruas wore not uniform in sizo. but the Wyandottes were. At 28 weeks 

 of age the pullets in lot 1 averaged 5.04 lbs. in weight and the cockerels 6.24 

 lbs. At 20 weeks the pullets in lots 3 and 4 weighed 2..S0 lbs. and the cockerels 

 XVA lbs. At the same age the pullets and cockerels in lot 5 weighetl 4.19 and 

 r>.OT lbs., respectively. In a slaughter test the White Wyandottes dressed better 

 than the otlier breeds, the pullets averaging 05.45 per cent of live weight and 

 the cockon>ls (')0.or> per cent. 



The experiments in lOOT were made to determine the comparative growth of 

 different breeds of chickens when given the same food, the compafative value of 

 wet and dry mash, and the relative merits of the various breeds experimented 

 with as to ease of fattening and fitting for market. The results are deemed 

 indicative rather than conclusive, since they show tendencies rather than 

 altsoiute characters. 



Lots 2, 3, 4. and 5, consisting respectively of 50 White Leghorns, 12 White 

 Brahmas and 14 Buff Cochins, 28 Barred Plymouth Rocks and 13 Rhode Island 

 Reds, and 34 White Wyandottes, were fed a mash of ground wheat, com meal, 

 millet seed, oats, barley, buckwheat, and Kaflr corn, and made an average gain 

 of 2.42 lbs. in 14 weeks. Lot 1, consisting of 40 White Leghorns, and lot 6, 

 consisting of 10 Rhode Island Reds and 36 Barred Plymouth Rocks, received the 

 same feeds but in dry form and gained 1.52 lbs. per head in the same time. 



" Ignoring chicks which died during the trial, the heaviest gains were made 

 by White Wyandottes on wet mash and the lightest by White Leghorns on 

 dry feed. Barred Rocks and White Leghorns on wet mash made i»ractically 

 the same gains and weighed practically the same to begin with. The mortality 

 among the Barred Rocks, however, was much greater than among the Leghorns. 

 The gains made by the Brahmas and Cochins were practically alike. The Rhode 

 Island Reds made the poorest gains of any breed on wet mash and the best on 

 dry mash. The Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks on dry mash, however, 

 were not strictly comparable with the other lots, as they were much larger. 

 The average mortality on wet mash was more than ten times as great as qu 

 dry. Only one chick out of 80 died on dry mash, while 19 out of 157 died on 

 wet mash. 



" Between the ages of and J3 weeks it required from 4 to 4.75 lbs. of 

 feed to produce a pound of gain. Between the ages of 13 and 20 weeks it re- 

 Jiuire<l from 4.75 to 5.75 lbs. of feed to produce a pound of gain. 



" Chicks forced when young do not make as rapid growth as fhey approach 

 maturity as those fed a more moderate ration. 



"Chicks weighing less than 1 lb. seem to grow faster on a wet mash; those 

 weighing 1.5 li)s. or more do best on dry feed. 



" The loss among chicks on wet mash was much greater than among those on 

 dry feed, even when weighing less than 1 lb. each. 



"The slaughter tests indicate that the .American breeds dress out better than 

 either the Mediterranean or Asiatic breeds, and that in general pullets dress out 

 better than cockerels. When rather small, weighing less than 3.5 lbs., live 

 weight, the cockerels of the Mediterranean and Asiatic Inveds seem to dress out 

 better tlian the pullets." 



.•\n ex|»eriment in forced molting by partial starving with IS White Leghorns 

 se<'ined at first to depress, tluMi increase slightly the egg ]»roduction, but the net 

 results at the end of 3 uionHis were tnifavoraI)le. From incubator tests of 190<» 

 it would api»ear that eggs set about the middle of .\pril produced the highest 

 percentage of chicks and eggs set the last of May the lowest. " The eggs of the 

 difTi'rent brtHHls in order of their weight were as follows: Black Minorca, Light 

 Brahma. Barred Rock, White Leghorn, White Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red. 



