New YorkK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 99 
gestion as to the availability of inorganic lime and phosphorus, a 
number of feeding trials** were made, and the results of several 
with chicks were reported. Nineteen lots of chicks were used. 
Rations without animal food and others with animal food were fed, 
some in each class having an ash content lower than usual, some a 
medium content and others higher than usual. To these rations 
were added in varying proportions clean glass sand, Florida rock 
phosphate ground to flour, ground oyster shell, bone ash, sand and 
ground rock, sand and ground shell, or bone ash and ground shell. 
A brief summary of the results in general from these feeding 
trials is about as follows: 
The mixing of sand in the food, both in a ration containing ani- 
mal food and one without, resulted in better health for the chicks 
and more efficient use of the food. 
The addition of raw, ground Florida rock phosphate and sand 
to rations both with and without animal food resulted. in better 
growth and more efficient use of the food than when sand alone 
was added. : 
The addition of the ground rock to rations without animal food 
resulted in more rapid growth and more efficient use of food than 
the addition of sand alone. 
The addition of ground rock phosphate to rations both with and 
without animal food was followed by better growth, and on the 
whole from less food, than the addition of finely ground oyster 
shell. 
Food mixed with finely ground oyster shell proved less healthful 
and less efficient than the same food mixed with fine sand. 
Mixing bone ash and ground oyster shell in the food resulted in 
more rapid growth than the mixing of sand alone. But injury to 
health attributed to the ground shell made the feeding less profitable. 
In commenting on the results of these experiments when report- 
ing them, it was suggested that while advantage often followed the 
feeding of inorganic phosphate from such unusual materials the 
results were not quoted as recommending the general use of Florida 
rock and bone ash. Their chief value was in helping better to plan 
and interpret other experiments. Fine raw or cooked bone is better 
material for supplying the lack of phosphorus and lime and more 
profitable to use, especially when so generally associated with other 
palatable animal matter of high nutritive value; and the advice 
* Bul. 242; also in Rpt. 22:37-59 (1903). 
