The product of eggs secured during the second laying season, 
even with the disadvantage of the same food for two consecutive 
years, was but little less than that of the first season. There are — 
usually about three months between the first and second laying — 
seasons. If there should be four, the cost of maintenance 
during that time for hens entirely dependent on the feed box 
would be, at the ordinary prices of grain, an average of about — 
nineteen cents for the smaller breeds and about twenty-four cents — 
for the larger; so unless pullets can be produced at less costthere 
would appear little advantage in replacing hens the first yearasis 
so often recommended, except where great difference in the market 
values of one and two year old fowls exists. With breeding stock — 
of course this question has not been considered. | 
The results of several feeding experiments indicate that for lay-— 
ing fowls of smaller breeds, Indian corn, or corn meal, can be fed 
in quite large proportion with a considerable margin in its favor 
over certain more nitrogenous foods, but that while smaller fowls, 
even where confined, suffer little serious disadvantage under the 
ration, larger breeds will not endure for long a very large propor- — 
tion of corn meal in their feed, and unless at liberty do better witha 
somewhat more nitrogenous ration. 
For exhibition stock a highly nitrogenous ration is to be recom- 
mended, except, perhaps, for a short period when extra weight is — 
desired. , 
From the fact of better “condition” attending the nitrogenous 
ration and the tendency to have the production of eggs limited to 
a shorter period, an advantage will doubtless be found in the more — 
nitrogenous and oftener varied ration for breeding stock. 1a 
There is no doubt that during the laying period the fowls of _ 
both larger and smaller breeds having the corn meal were fatter, _ 
for at almost all times during this feeding trial the handling and 4 
weights of the birds indicated it. % 
At the close of the two years’ feeding there was not so great — 
difference in the average weights, all the fowls having ceased laying 
for some time. The fowls were then put in smaller pens and fed ~ 
the same rations they had been getting, but were allowed all they , 
could eat. After six weeks of this feeding, there not having been i 
opportunity before, many of the hens (nineteen in all) were killed _ 
and dissected. ‘a 
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