March, 1938] Agricultural Research in N. H. 29 



house group laid a total of 246 eggs as compared with 102 eggs for the 

 range shelter group during the last three weeks of the test period. 



Aside from the characteristic of early rate of production, puUets 

 reared by either method should be of equal quality. {State Fund) 



Test of Gas-Burning Brooders 



To test the efficiency of gas (bottled) burning brooders, two were in- 

 stalled in 10' X 12' colony houses by T. B. Charles and Philip Wilcox. 

 This test ran from March 25 to May 19, 1937. Gas meters were in- 

 stalled on each brooder so that a daily, as well as weekly, record of gas 

 consumption could be recorded. Both groups were managed in a simi- 

 lar manner, and were fed the New England College Feed Conference 

 ration for growing chicks. 



Detailed records on growth, feathering, mortality and feed consump- 

 tion were kept. Two groups of 350 New Hampshire chicks were started 

 on March 25, 1937. Heat was discontinued on both lots during the 

 seventh week. 



Mortality was very low, being 2.57% in one house and 2.85% in the 

 other, up to eight weeks, the period of this test. The pullets from both 

 groups were carried to maturity without any further loss. 



Chicks in one house required 152 lbs. of gas for the brooding period, 

 and in the other, 93 lbs. of gas. This difference in gas consumption 

 was due to mechanical difficulties with one burner which have been cor- 

 rected. The average cost of fuel was 2.45 cents based on total number of 

 chicks started. 



At six weeks of age the cockerels were segregated to other pens. At 

 eight weeks of age the pullets averaged to weigh 1.465 lbs., with an aver- 

 age consumption of 4.846 lbs. of feed. 



Chicks under the gas-burning brooders used in this test, reacted 

 similarly to chicks under a coal-, oil- or wood-burning brooder. They 

 formed the typical ring of chicks at night. Chick movement was re- 

 corded throughout the night for comparative study with other types of 

 brooding units. {State Fund) 



Weathering and Lime-Sulphur Injury 



Studies of the effect of weathering on lime-sulphur injuries made by 

 0. Butler indicated that weathering does not increase the injury when 

 lime-sulphur alone is used, but caused marked increase when either cal- 

 cium arsenate or acid lead arsenate is added to it. 



Previous work has shown that the addition of one per cent, cane 

 sugar to lime-sulphur reduces injury to the bean between 10 and 30 per 

 cent., and an experiment was made to test its value in the case of the 

 apple. The addition of sugar reduced the injury and may be ex- 

 pected to offer a protection similar to that obtained on the bean. 



The development of chlorotic foliage on the apple early in the season, 

 the leaves assuming a bright and uniform yellow color, has been as- 

 cribed to spray injury, but it seems improbable that this coloration is 

 due to other than natural causes. Chlorosis due to spray injury that 

 we have obtained experimentally causes a mottling of the foliage prompt- 

 ly followed by leaf-fall, not a uniform yellowing of the leaf. {Adams 

 Fund) 



