1906.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT— No. 33. 43 



although it did fairly well for a year, has been injured by 

 successive winters, until it is at the present time almost 

 ruined. 



In this connection I call attention further to the fact that 

 Mr. D. S. Bliss of the Department of Agriculture, who has 

 been making special eftbrts to promote the introduction of 

 alfalfa into New England, and who has travelled extensively 

 for the purpose of studying the results obtained, now speaks 

 very discouragingly as to the outlook in general. 



In conclusion, while we are not inclined to discourage 

 experiments with alfalfa, we do wish most emphatically to 

 caution against engaging in these experiments upon an 

 extended scale, for we feel that disappointment is almost 

 inevitable. 



XI. — Poultry Experiments. 



Our work with poultry during the past year has had the 

 same general purpose in view as in former years, namely, to 

 throw light on the question of the proper selection of feeds 

 for laying fowls. The fowls used in the experiments were 

 pullets of our own raising, and matched flocks have been 

 kept, as in former years, each in a house by itself, all 

 the houses being of precisely similar dimensions and con- 

 struction. 



1. The two flocks in houses Nos. I and 2 have been fed 

 on rations characterized by high content both of ash and fat 

 and low fiber. The deficiency of wheat in fat as compared 

 with corn is made up in the ration fed to the fowls in House 

 No. 1 l)y the use of corn oil, the total amount of fat in the 

 foods used being substantially the same for the two rations. 

 This experiment, therefore, in a general wa}^ afi'ords oppor- 

 tunity to test the relative value for egg production of wheat 

 and corn. The ration fed the fowls in House No. 1 contains 

 a relatively high percentage of protein, and has a narrow 

 nutritive ratio. The ration used in House No. 2 contains 

 a relatively low percentage of protein, and has a wide nutri- 

 tive ratio. The animal food used in both these rations was 

 beef scraps. The following results were obtained: for the 

 first period, March 2 to May 12, inclusive, the wheat ration 

 produced eggs at the average rate of .39 per hen day, the 



