798 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



with the crossbred birds to 2 lbs. 3 oz. with the Buff Orpingtons, and the average 

 cost per bird, including the original cost of egg and incubator and brooder expenses, 

 ranged from 15.42 cts. with the crossbred birds to 17.32 cts. with the White Wyan- 

 dottes. The cost of food per pound of gain was practically the same for all the lots, 

 averaging 6.6 cts. It was noted that there was great variation in growth in different 

 weeks of the test, though generally speaking the fluctuations were similar with all 

 the breeds. 



The eggs of domestic ducks and hybrid ducks. A contribution to the 

 study of hybridizing-, G. Loisel (Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris'], 59 (1905), No. 

 36, pp. 587-589). — According to the author's observations a domestic duck's egg 

 weighs on an average 70 gm. and contains on an average 9 gm. shell, 24 gm. or 21 cc. 

 yolk, and 37 gm. or 36 cc. white, this quantity of yolk being made up of 13 gm. 

 water, 7 gm. fat, and 4 gm. protein, and the white of 31.3 gm. water and 5.68 gm. 

 protein. The eggs laid by a domestic duck crossed with a wild duck weighed on an 

 average 60.5 gm. and contained 7.26 gm. shell, 29.9 gm. white, and 22.76 gm. yolk 

 made up of 10.15 gm. Avater and 12.61 gm. dry matter. 



The author concludes that the eggs of the crossbred ducks though smaller are 

 superior to domestic ducks' eggs from a food standpoint since they contain more 

 dry matter, and that crossing with the wild form is advantageous for continuing the 

 desirable characteristics of domestic ducks. 



The guinea fowl, H. de Courcy (Jour. Bd. Agr. [London] ), 12 (1905), No. 9, pp. 

 533-536). — A summary of data on the feeding, care, and management of guinea fowls. 

 As the author points out, guinea fowls are important factors in reducing the number of 

 insects, and since they gather most of their feed the cost of raising them is less than 

 with other poultry. 



DAIRY FARMING -DAIRYING. 



A comparison of wheat bran and cotton-seed meal for milk production, J. 

 Michels and J. M. Burgess (South Carolina Sta. Bid. Ill, pp. 18). — The authors state 

 that a review of the literature bearing on the feeding of cotton-seed meal shows that 

 no ill effects follow its rational use as a food for milk production, and that bad results 

 are probably due to one or more of the following causes: (1) Feeding the meal in 

 conjunction with unsuitable roughage, (2) feeding it in a stale or musty condition, 

 and (3) feeding it in excessive quantity. 



The bulletin gives the results of a feeding experiment in which 21 cows were fed 

 for 3 periods of about 4 weeks each for the purpose of comparing cotton-seed meal 

 and wheat bran and of studying the influence of cotton-seed meal on the health of 

 cows. During the first and third periods the grain ration consisted of 3 lbs. of bran 

 and 3 lbs. of cotton-seed meal, and during the second period 4£ lbs. of cotton-seed 

 meal. 



The average daily butter-fat production was 14.51 lbs. during the first period, 14.96 

 lbs. during the second, and 14.14 lbs. during the third, showing an increase of 0.63 

 lb. for the cotton-seed meal period as compared with the average for the 2 periods 

 when bran was fed. The cost of butter-fat production was 18.7 cts. per pound in 

 period 1, 16.2 cts. in period 2, and 19.3 cts. in period 3, showing a saving of 2.8 cts. 

 per pound in favor of the cotton-seed meal period. The butter-fat production of indi- 

 vidual cows varied in cost from 12.9 to 19.5 cts. per pound. It was estimated that 

 the bran-and-meal ration fed in periods 1 and 3 had the same manurial value as the 

 meal ration fed in period 2. 



The health of the cows was apparently uninjured by the heavy meal feeding. The 

 butter made during the second period was appreciably firmer than that during the 

 other periods, but in other respects it was the same. 



