

HENS. 145 



GROUP 3. 



Pen No. 9 had fifteen Barred Plymouth Rock pullets. 

 Pen No. 10 had twenty Barred Plymouth pullets. 

 Pen No. 1 1 had twenty-five Barred Plymouth pullets. 

 Pen No. 12 had thirty Barred Plymouth Rock pullets. 



GROUP 4. 

 Pens Nos. 13, 14 and 15 were duplicates of Pens Nos. Q, 10, 11. 



The birds in all the pens received the same quality of food. 

 All food was distributed among the pens of a single group in 

 proportion to the number of birds each one contained. The 

 birds in group No. 2 were not so well developed as those in 

 other groups and were fed according to their needs. All birds 

 in a single group were fed the same quantity. Uniform care 

 and treatment prevailed. Two birds were lost by accident 

 during the winter. A good supply of dry straw was kept on 

 the floors at all times, and the birds were induced to exercise 

 freely. The only lack of uniformity in conducting the test was 

 in group i, pen i, where older birds were used than in other 

 pens, which results in a more favorable showing than can be 

 ascribed to numbers alone. 



It was intended to carry the test through the year, but the 

 building was destroyed by fire early in May, thus terminating 

 the test at six months. For the purpose of this test only, it 

 may be that the period from 'November first to May first rep- 

 resents better the influence of the floor space than would be the 

 case when summer runs were added. 



In examining the data, it should be remembered that each 

 group forms a test independent of other groups. This is 

 important as the birds in different groups are not alike, but all 

 the birds in pens comprising a single group are uniform. 



The uniformity of the results in every group are such as lead 

 to the conclusion that as we increase the numbers of birds above 

 fifteen on a floor space of one hundred and sixty feet, the 

 ^SS yield diminishes as the number of birds increase. This 

 testimony is emphatic, as among the four groups there was not 

 a single exception to this conclusion. 



