ON AGRICULTURE TO CANADA 121 



provided for in the front of the houses. No cooked food, hot mash 

 or condiment of any kind was used. One feed a day, on a mixture 

 of dry grain consisting of wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, and 

 Indian corn, was thrown on the floor, which was littered to a depth 

 of .'5 to 4 inches with cut straw and roughage. Besides the 

 grain, the birds had a self-feeding hopper of bran or crushed wheat 

 available, as well as access to grit, oyster shell and meat scraps. 

 When the water froze inside the houses no more was given, but 

 instead snow was shovelled in. Between 19th November and 

 31st March, 10,122 eggs were laid with the percentage of fertility 

 running from 76 to 93, whilst the health of the birds remained 

 excellent throughout. This by no means constitutes a record in 

 winter laying, but it undoubtedly dispels the idea that warm 

 housing is necessary to secure winter egg production. It is further 

 suggestive of what may be expected from a judiciously graded up 

 flock of layers housed on the colony system in a temperature often 

 running down to 15 or 20 degrees below zero. Artificial hatching 

 and rearing were extensively carried on at this College ; for the 

 latter, apex houses, with part of the floor space used as a hot 

 brooder, were considered to give excellent results. 



At the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, the poultry depart- 

 ment is under the charge of Mr A. G. Gilbert, a veteran in know- 

 ledge and a pioneer in poultry development. Here the evolution 

 of modern poultry housing was seen in its various progressive stages, 

 beginning with the long range of artificially heated houses, and 

 ending in the latest type of open-fronted colony houses, with sliding 

 glass windows in the middle, on each side of which were open wire 

 screens, over which cotton canvas curtains could be drawn in very 

 cold weather. An additional cotton screen, which could be unfolded 

 in extreme cold, was provided in front of the perches. Mr Gilbert 

 believes implicitly in keeping up the stamina of the birds, claim- 

 ing that from healthy vigorous stock, chickens hatch well and are 

 easily reared. He advocates plenty of variety in the diet, an 

 abundance of fresh air, with strict avoidance of damp, and un- 

 doubtedly the fowls under his charge bore ample evidence of 

 excellent theories being successfully carried out in practice. The 

 varieties here consisted of Barred and White Rocks, Bui? and White 

 Orpingtons, Minorcas, White Leghorns, Faverolles, and Light 

 Brahmas. 



At the Ontario Agricultural College and Experimental Farm, 

 Guelph, the poultry department is equipped with capital buildings 

 and yards, constructed according to the most approved plans. The 

 stock of fowls consists of twenty-five varieties representing fifteen 

 breeds, the principal of which are Barred and White Plymouth 

 Rocks, Brown and White Leghorns, Buff and Spangled Orpingtons, 

 Silver-laced, Columbian, and Silver-pencilled, Wyandottes, and 

 Minorcas. A few of each variety are bred to exhibition standards, 

 but utility is the main feature kept in view. Mr W. R. Graham, 

 B.S.A., who is in charge of this department, has won a reputation 

 for scientific research and practical experimental work which has 

 made him known in every country where poultry are kept. One 



