﻿2 BULLETIN 21, IT. S. DEPAKTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



discussed in the following pages, and the complete details of each 

 are recorded in Tables I to IV of the appendix at the end of the 

 paper. The main object of the summary tables is to show the results 

 according to length of feeding period, which varied from 6 to 21 days 

 in Experiments A and D, from 9 to 18 days in Experiment B, and 

 from 7 to 16 days in Experiment C. All the various kinds of birds are 

 necessarily mixed together in showing these results, but the aver- 

 ages for two of the main classes — broilers and roasters — -are shown 

 separately, irrespective of length of feeding period, at the bottom 

 of each table. 



The actual cost of producing the gains in each case is given under 

 each experiment, and as the price of grain and milk varied some- 

 what in the different Idealities, the relative amount of feed required 

 to produce a pound of gain is used in comparing the efficiency of the 

 rations and the methods at the different stations rather than -the 

 cost of the gains, except where different feeds are used. 



PRICES OF THE FEED USED. 



Before describing the feeding operations, the following list of aver- 

 age prices of the grain and buttermilk used is given: 



Table 1. — Average prices of grain and buttermilk used in the feeding experiments. 



Year. 



Feed. 



Experi- 

 ment A. 



Experi- 

 ment B. 



Experi- 

 ment C. 



Experi- 

 ment D. 



1911 

 1912 

 1911 

 1912 

 1911 

 1912 

 1911 

 1912 

 1911 

 1911 

 1912 

 1911 

 1912 

 1911 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 

 1912 



Corn meal, per 100 pounds 



do 



Low-grade wheat flour, per 100 pounds . 



do 



Oat flour, per 100 pounds 



do 



Shorts, per 100 pounds 



do 



Linseed meal, per 100 pounds 



Tallow, per 100 pounds 



do 



Buttermilk, per gallon 



do 



Condensed buttermilk, per gallon 



do 



Graham flour, per 100 pounds 



Bone, per 100 pounds 



Meat, per 100 pounds 



81.38 

 1.48 

 1.42 

 1.50 



1.25 

 1.20 



.06 

 "2.66 



$1.32 

 1.39 

 1.30 

 1.38 

 2.25 

 1.50 

 1.30 

 1.18 



7.00 



8.00 



.02 



.02 



$1.45 

 1.69 

 1.35 

 1.45 



1.28 

 1.27 

 2.50 



.01 

 .01 



$1.35 

 1.74 

 1.30 

 1.52 



1.30 

 1.20 

 2.50 



.OS 



1.50 

 3.25 



EXPERIMENT A, 1911. 



Most of the lots in this experiment at Station 3 were fed for a 

 short time only during the first part of the feeding season, due to the 

 lack of suitable equipment and space for fattening. The station was 

 overcrowded twice during the season, which lowered the gains and 

 increased the cost in both instances. The low, tin roof made the 

 building too hot during warm weather, and produced a thick con- 

 densation of moisture on the inside of the roof in cool weather, when 

 the building was partially closed. The gains, except for these two 

 crowded periods, were fairly consistent throughout the season and 



