1922.] Food in Relation to Egg Production. 747 



in egg values is due to scarcity during the winter, and in all 

 probability the rise in food values for the corresponding period 

 is due more to a personal, than an economic factor. The poultry- 

 man in charge of the trial was in all probability feeding heavily 

 the more expensive foods, in order to get his output quickly 

 up to its maximum, and just to what extent this personal factor 

 comes in, it is impossible to say until the conclusions arrived 

 at by the study of these figures can be checked by experimental 

 work on a commercial basis. But it must be very obvious that 

 if, while maintaining the high curve of egg values, the corre- 

 sponding curve of food value could be flattened to its summer 

 level a very material difference would be made in the profit. 

 While a few pence per bird is not a great item taken by itself, 

 it becomes so when spread over 740 birds, or as will be the case 

 this year, nearly two thousand. 



A study of comparative weights shows that while values are 

 related weights are not. The heaviest feeding weight does not 

 correspond with the greatest output. 



But interesting as the study of comparative values and weights 

 mav be, there is a further aspect of feeding for egg production 

 that should not be lost sight of. In the " Feathered Y\ 7 orld 

 Year Book " for 1921 the writer called attention to the 

 relation that exists between quality of food consumed and the 

 actual output of eggs. There can be little question that quality 

 of food is closely related to output, and it is interesting to notice 

 from the accompanying diagram, that during the years when 

 the quality of food was at its worst, the output of eggs per bird 

 was also the- lowest registered. The same thing holds true of 

 the percentage of second grade eggs to first. The poorer the food 

 became the more second grade eggs were recorded, as will be 

 seen from the following table : — 

 Summary of Second Grade Eggs during four Winter Months. 



1915-10.1916 17 191 7.7,9. 1918-19. 1919-20. 1920-?1. 



1st Grade 66*1 51-8 54 1 7292 77 3 75 69 



2nd Grade 33 9 48 2 15-9 27*08 22-7 24 31 



There is one aspect of feeding costs in it? relation to pro- 

 duction that has not yet been deall with. It is a mistake to 

 assume that eggs alone represent the output of value from any 

 given pen. In the growth of flesh and in the production of 

 manure we have two items less by far in value than the eggs, 

 but still considerable, to set off against the food and other costs. 

 While flesh and manure are usually disregarded in working out 

 values it is obvious they should be included. Even at the end of 



