lished and thus the possibility of stim- 

 ulation removed. Recently special 

 methods of feeding to delay maturity 

 have been advocated. 



In order to provide information 

 on this problem, work was under- 

 taken at this station with October 

 hatched birds. Three pens of chicks 

 were placed on our regular feeding 

 program and three additional pens 

 were placed on a special restricted 

 feeding program. Within each feed- 

 ing program a lighting experiment 

 was set up. Daylight only, dim all- 

 night light, and a fourteen-hour day 

 by use of artificial lights were started 

 with the day-old chicks. Thus, the 

 pens receiving only daylight were 

 subjected to light stimulation due to 

 increasing length of day while the 

 ether pens had a constant level of 

 Ijght. Preliminary reports indicate 

 that the feeding program did not in- 

 fluence age at sexual maturity or egg 

 size. On the other hand, the lights 

 had the desired effect of delaying 

 maturity and increasing egg size. 



Utilizing Pasture to Save Feed Costs 

 In Rearing Pullets 



In order to determine the value 

 of pasture in rearing pullets, one 

 experimental plot of grasses was used 

 to rear a group of pullets on an ad 

 libitum feeding program. On an- 

 other plot limited feeding was prac- 

 ticed. The character of the feed was 

 shifted from about 1.2 of grain to 

 one of pellets in the ad libitum feed- 

 ing to 3.4 of grain to one of pellets 

 in the limited feeding. This resulted 

 in a feed cost saving of four dollars 

 per ton. The pullets on the limited 

 feeding program averaged about two 

 tenths of a pound less in weight at 

 twenty weeks of age. This was pri- 

 marily due to the lack of pasturage 

 because of dry weather. When a 

 good range is available it is possible 

 to rear good pullets at a saving by 

 Inniting feed, particularly mash. 



R. C. RiNGROSE 



Soils 



A Survey of the Soils 

 Of Nev/ Hampshire 



During the past year, an addition- 

 al 50 square miles were mapped in 

 Rockingham County. There still re- 

 mains to be completed about 100 

 square miles in the northwestern part 

 of the county. 



Because 83 per cent of the state 

 is forested, there was an attempt made 

 this past year to make the soil sur- 

 vey information more useful to for- 

 esters. The soils of the seven counties 

 for which maps are available were 

 grouped on the basis of long-time 

 forest management needs and colored 

 maps were prepared, showing the lo- 

 cation of the various soil groups. 

 These maps were then given to the 

 county foresters. A two-day school 

 was held for the county foresters, 



and field trips have been made to 

 study forest soil problems. 



Numerous requests for informa- 

 tion about the soils on specific tracts 

 of land have been answered, and 

 copies of the published soil survey 

 maps have been sent out. 



A generalized map of the soils of 

 the state has been prepared. Photo- 

 graphed copies are available. 

 W. Lyford 

 R. Feuer 



Legume Persistence 

 Affected by Soil Type 



Field plots have been established 

 on three soil types to study the in- 

 herent effect of soil type on the per- 

 sistence of perennial legumes. Both 

 the physical and chemical properties 

 are being allowed to contribute to 



36 



