SPECIAL FOODS 57 



pound dry matter in food per egg and 1.3 cents for 

 food consumed, while the other lot laid 145 eggs at a 

 cost of 1.796 pounds dry matter and 2.3 cents for food 

 consumed. This included the cost of labor for cutting 

 the bones. 



Quite similar results were obtained in more recent 

 experiments by the New York experiment station. 

 Here it was found that for laying hens the rations 

 containing animal food proved superior to others in 

 which all the organic matter was derived from vegetable , 

 sources. The hens fed green cut bone laid more eggs 

 and at a less cost per egg for food consumed. Pulleta 

 raised on food containing considerable bone began 

 laying much earlier than those fed corresponding 

 rations made up of vegetable food. This point is of 

 the greatest importance to poultrymen and farmers 

 who know of the difficulty of getting late hatched 

 pullets started to laying before cold weather sets in. 

 Once get them laying, and with good food, care and 

 warm quarters they will lay well during the late fall 

 and early winter, when eggs are highest, but if they 

 cannot be started before the holidays it is almost impos- 

 sible to get any profit out of them before every other 

 hen and pullet starts laying toward spring and the price 

 of eggs goes down with a thud. 



For raising young chicks and ducks green cut bone 

 as a food has no equal. ISTothing will approach it in 

 putting on growth and weight, more particularly with 

 ducklings than with chicks. Ducklings without an 

 abundant supj^ly of animal protein in the ration, 

 together with a liberal proportion of vegetable matter, 

 seem unal^le to make any approximation to their 

 normally rapid and most profitable growth. 



Scrap bone is obtained at markets or packing 

 houses, and the short soft bones with meat adhering to 

 them are preferred. These are ground up in machines 



