DErARTMBNTAL ACTIVITIES. 41)1 



exercised in this respeid. The vindecorticated products in paiticular 

 have also certain astiiiipent ]nopeities wliicli would licl]) to corveet 

 the a])erieiit iidioii ot liie young' grass in tlic curly spriiii;'. 



Foil it h K<i!)-lii III II 11 lest. — Tills \\;is coiu nicuccd on the 1st Ajjril, 

 1920, and terminated on tlie 2nd March, 11)21, a ])('riod ot 48 weeks. 



The acconiniodatio]! availahle was the same ;is in the i)rt'vi(nis 

 tests, viz., 120 single })ens. A full description ot the pens is given 

 m Local Series Bulletin ^o. 70, pnhlished hy the J)ei)artment of 

 Agriculture. Eighteen coniijetitors made <'ii1iics of twenty pens, eacli 

 pen containing six birds. Of these pens, sixteen were from Xatiil 

 breeders, two from the Transv;i;il . ;ind one eacli from tlie <)r;nige Free 

 State and Cape Provinces. 



Of the twenty entries, titteen were I'tility White Leghorns, two 

 Wliite Wyandottes, and on(> each of tlie t(!llowing hreeds : Aneiuia, 

 Black Minorca, and Rhode Island Eeds. 



As in the pievious lest, only two-ounce eggs were comited fioni 

 the commencement: as will he seen from the totals given, a big per- 

 cen'^age of underweight eggs was ccdlected, but nearly half of them 

 were laid by two pens, one of which laid the largest nund)er ot eggs 

 in the test, \iz., 1184, or 174 eggs more tlum the jien \\ hich won the 

 test. 



The weather during the period under review was hy no means 

 ideal; as is usual in this hicality, sudden (dianges were experienced, 

 and cold mist_v days were frequent from (Jcloher to April. 



The three leading places weie oecui)ied hy Flility White Leg- 

 horns, and the fourth by White Wyandottes. Tlu' silvei- and bronze 

 medals presented by the South African Poultry Association for the 

 pens laying the greatest nundtei' of standard-weight eggs during the 

 test were won by Pen ]Vo. 7 (White Leghorns) (owner, Mr. A. B. 

 Cheney, Pietermaritzbrug, ?vatal) and Pen Xo. 1) (White Leghorns) 

 (owner. Mr. R. Porritt. Pieiermaritzburg, Natal), respectively with 

 100?) full-weight eggs and 7 underAveights and U-!2 full-Aveight eggs 

 and 181 underweights. 



The best individual record was made by Hen No. 84, Pen No. 

 14, the property of Mr. A. J. Hawkins, Pietermaritzburg, Natal, 

 with 205 full-weight eggs, the second being Hen No. 4i). Pen No. 1). 

 the property of ^Ir. P. Porritt, Pieternnrritzburg, Nal;il. with 204 

 full-weight eggs. 



The total egg-yield for the 48 weeks was l.'),0!ll, giving an 

 average i)er bird of 159 eggs. The total value of first-grade eggs 

 pi'oduced was £106. 17s. L.d. : the eost of feed during ilie test 

 amounted to £85s. 10s. ^'d. 



Wet mash was fed in the morning, green food at uoon, and grain 

 in the afternoon. As in picvious tests, the grain was fed in scratch- 

 ing littei' in the houses, in order to give the birds as much exercise 

 as possible. The average amount of mash consunn^d ])e]- bird during 

 the test was 2.9 oz. per diem and of grain 2.5 oz. A supply of 

 flint grit, oyster shell, and charcoal was always before the birds. 



Only three deaths occurred, which nni\ be considered very 

 satisfactory. 



