1912] The Work of the Dominion Experimental Farms 35 



The summer and winter housing of swine and the profitable use 

 of summer pastures and green succulent crops for growing pigs, are 

 among the numerous other matters relating to the swine industry that 

 have been investigated. 



Special attention has been given, more particularly in recent years, 

 to the best construction of buildings for the housing of all classes of 

 farm stock, having in view efficient lighting and ventilation, factors of 

 the highest import to the health and thrift of the animals. 



Experimental Work in Poultry. 



The poultry industry in Canada has of late years rapidly advanced, 

 and to supply the information and advice asked for by the ever-in- 

 creasing number of poultry keepers, much experimental work has been 

 undertaken. This has been chiefly conducted at the Central Farm. 



This work has naturally fallen largely into two lines: The breed- 

 ing, feeding and care for egg production and the breeding and feeding 

 for first-class table fowl, and m.any valuable data have accumulated in 

 the course of years in both branches. In a very condensed form I may 

 present some of the more important results : 



1. Variety in rations is essential to good egg production, and 

 especially so during the winter season. The value of freshly crushed 

 green bone, meat meal or other good animal food, as well as a certain 

 proportion of green stuff, in addition to the mixed grain feed, has been 

 established. 



2. In egg production, individuals differ widely and our results 

 have shown the wisdom of systematic breeding from hens of known 

 laying capacity. 



3. For properly fattened fowl birds of the right type should be 

 used. They may be fattened in coops, and crushed, sifted oats with 

 barley meal and fine shorts mixed with skim milk has been found a 

 preferable ration and one that has given birds of the highest market 

 value. 



Here as with other classes of live stock, proper housing has been a 

 subject of experiment, and the so-called "cotton-front house" has been 

 found conducive both to the health of the birds and a good egg pro- 

 duction. 



Botanical Work. 



No institution of agricultural research would be complete without 



a scientific staff and properly equipped laboratories for the study of 



those parasitic organisms to which are due so many diseases that attack 



our economic plants. It would appear that as the area under cultiva- 



