Journal of Agriculture. [lo Feb., 1909. 



The nutritive ratio of the morning mash is perhaps narrower than some 

 are used to give to laying hens, but undoubtedly the excellent returns from 

 the hens encourage me to believe that, in practice at least, it has been a 

 success. The wheat ration may seem to have too wide a nutritive ratio, 

 but I do not think the bulk wheat of the State has a much narrower one. 

 A nutritive ratio of i 14.5 is considered by many English breeders about 

 right, or the normal ratio. The term " narrow ration " is used to denote 

 that the proportion of protein pxesent in the food is higher than the normal, 

 and the ration is said to be " wide " when the proportion of protein is less, 

 or that the carbo-hydrates are in greater quantities than in the normal. 



The difficulty of obtaining the correct nutritive co-efficients of the con- 

 stituents of the rations make such tables less reliable for fowls than for 

 cattle, yet they serve a useful purpose in concentrating thought on the 

 subject, and the feeding done is less empirical, and so less liable to mistakes. 

 It is only within recent years that close attention has been given to the scien- 

 tific feeding of poultry, and then only to a limited extent. The alimenta- 

 tion of poultry is so different to that of cattle, on which much research 

 work has been based, that we can only hope for approximately correct 

 results. We must supply a " maintenance ration " in order to keep the 

 birds alive, i.e., replace waste tissues and keep up the body heat. 



We must also supply the necessary surplus for the making of an egg 

 for at least 200 days during a year. If it can be managed to rear a strain 

 of birds that lays 250 eggs in a year then greater prosperity is possible for 

 the owner. It is possible by continued selection to intensify the tendency 

 to regular and continuous egg production, which formed the characteristic 

 of the individual hen which was originally selected in starting the present 

 strains. Hence the type of prolific layers will take characteristic qualities 

 as do good milkers among cows. From the results obtained it is evident that 

 it is the strain and not the breed that qualifies a bird as a prolific laver, yet 

 I believe the White Leghorn, whether from more attention being paid to 

 It from practical breeders in the past, will, in a series of tests, maintain 

 the premier honours. It remains to be seen, however, when the prolific 

 strains of the heavy breeds are more commonly kept whether the above 

 statement will hold good. 



Besults Achieved by Victorian Poultry Farmers. 



Caulfield Poultry Farm. 



The coloured plate opposite page 112 represents a portion of the Caul- 

 field Poultry Farm. These poultry yards are laid out on the most modern 

 and up-to-date lines, and may be described as complete in every detail. 

 The yards, runs, houses &c. , are constructed on convenient and labour- 

 saving principles, and are neat in design as well as useful, but it is not 

 in this direction that this farm has made a name for itself. The high 

 standard of egg production of the poultry bred at these yards is the strong 

 feature of its success. The breeds selected are White Leghorns and Silver 

 Wyandottes. 



'White Leghorns. — In White Leghorns, the selection of stock was made 

 from guaranteed laying strains obtained from American and ^Australasian 

 breeders whose names were right to the front in the tests in the various 

 States of the Commonwealth. Amongst the stock purchased were six hens, 

 each with guaranteed records of 254 eggs for twelve months. 



