150 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



IX. — Poultry Experiments. 



In our experiments with poultry during the past year our 

 attention has been confined ahnost exclusively to questions 

 connected with the feeding of fowds for eggs. We are en- 

 deavoring to obtain light on the question as to the proper 

 relation between the dift'erent nutrients in the ration fed. 

 Our work during the year may be summarized as follows : — 



1 . Wo have compared two rations, in one of which corn 

 is })rominent, in the other wheat, using animal meal as a 

 source of animal food. The nutritive ratio of the ration in- 

 cluding wheat has been 1 : 4.34 ; for the one including corn, 

 the ratio has been 1 : 6.24. 



2. We have compared two rations in which respectively 

 corn and wheat are })rominent, with milk albumin as the 

 source of animal food in each, and with an addition of corn 

 oil as a source of fat, in which the milk albumin is very 

 poor. The nutritive ratio of the ration including wheat is 

 1 : 4.44 ; for the ration including corn, 1 : 6.48. 



3. We have compared two rations in one of which wheat 

 is prominent, in the other rice, with milk albumin as the 

 source of animal food in each. Both of these rations were 

 very low in fat. The nutritive ratio of the first (in which 

 wheat is prominent) is 1 : 4.3 ; of the second (in which rice 

 is prominent), 1 : (i.4. 



The most im})()rtant points in connection with the results 

 appear to be as follows : — 



1. In the comparison of wheat with corn, where animal 

 meal was the source of animal food, the egg production for 

 the entire period from December 14 to September 4 was 

 jmictically e(|ual. For the winter period, December 14 to 

 April 1, the corn ration ])roduced eggs at an average rate 

 of .3005 per hen day ; the wheat ration, at the rate of .271)2 

 per hen day. In other words, 100 hens on the corn ration 

 would have given an average daily yield of a slight fniction 

 over 30 eggs, while the wheat ration would have given from 

 the same number of hens almost 28 eggs per day. For the 

 summer period, A\n'\\ 1 to September 4, the corn ration gave 

 an .iverage of .4365 eggs per hen da}'' ; the wheat i-ation, 



