62 REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE 
INVESTIGATIONS WITH PouULTRY. 
* 
Attention is directed to the results already secured in our 
poultry experiments, detailed in the report of the first assistant, — 
which appear to demonstrate that the results of carefulinvestigation 
of this branch of the agricultural industry are likely to prove of as __ 
great practical value as similar investigations with dairy cattle and _ 
swine. Although thus far but two seasons have been given to this 
work, it will be seen that with the larger breeds of fowls a differ- 
ence of twenty-five per cent, and with the smaller breeds a 
difference of fifty per cent, in egg production was found, accord- 
ing to the general character — carbonaceous or nitrogenous — of 
the ration fed these fowls. 
These results are, so far as I know, the only ones which have 
been secured by investigations extending through two entire sea- 
sons, and their practical value is so evident that there is every 
reason why they should be carried forward and extended to 
the investigation of other questions connected with this industry, 
where so much assertion and so little actual knowledge scientifi- 
cally determined now exists. 
There appears no reason for doubt that by careful breeding 
and selection there may, within a few years, be secured a strain 
of fowls from certain of our breeds now most distinguished for 
ege production as far surpassing the average of the breeds from 
which they may be selected, as do certain strains of dairy cattle 
surpass the average in the profitable production of milk and 
cheese. Toward this end, so far as I know, little, if anything, 
has been attempted, but it offers a field for experiment full of 
promise to the future of this important industry. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH SORGHUM. 
Attention is directed to an experiment mentioned in the report 
of the first assistant, which will prove of great practical value to 
the sugar grower and manufacturer, in case it shall be found by 
future experiment that these results may be obtained. The 
increase of fully ten per cent in the amcunt of sugar in the cane 
is not an unexpected result, since it-accords with results found in 
the investigations of Dr. T. L. Phipson of the sugar cane soils of 
Louisiana and Demerara, as also the similar results secured by Bye 
myself in 1882. 
A Datry ScHoou. 
