1910.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 1027 



and pound up the potatoes, which before boiling would constitute 

 about one-third by weight of the mash. Barley meal and ground oats 

 were then mixed in equal parts and mixed with the potatoes. Skim milk 

 was added to form a rather wet mash. This was fed to the ducklings 

 from the end of the fifth to the beginning of the ninth week. During 

 the last two weeks of fattening, animal food in the form of rough fat 

 of tallow greaves was added to the mash, the allowance being about 

 two ounces per day to each duck. Grit and water for drinking were 

 liberally supplied. Apart from the charcoal the food received by all 

 the ducklings was the same. 



Pen No. 1 was allowed no charcoal, Pen No. 2 was given an 

 unlimited amount of rough charcoal, while in the case of Pen No. 3 

 powdered charcoal was mixed with the mash at the rate of one-fifth 

 charcoal to four-fifths of the other ingredients, the charcoal being 

 thoroughly incorporated with the meals before they were moistened. 

 The results are shown in the following table : — 



Table No. i. — Ducks. 



Pen. 



Number 

 of Ducks 

 in pen. 



Weight at 

 6 weeks 

 old. 



Weight at 

 8 weeks 

 old. 



Weight at 

 10 weeks 

 old. 



Increase 

 in 



4 weeks. 



Increase 

 per head 

 in 4 weeks. 



No. I 



(no charcoal). 



} 6 



lb. oz. 

 15 2 



lb. oz. 

 21 6 



lb. oz, 

 23 0 



lb. OZ. 

 7 H 



lb. oz. 

 1 5 



No. 2 



(rough charcoal). 



} 6 



15 O 



24 8 



27 2 



12 2 



2 0 



No. 3 

 (charcoal mixed with 

 the food). 





15 0 



25 8 



27 14 



12 14 



2 2 



The trials show that charcoal in one form or another is essential 

 in the profitable fattening of ducks. It appeared to keep the ducklings 

 healthy, and enabled fattening to be continued with profit for a much 

 longer period than when charcoal was not allowed. 



Pen No. 1, which was allowed no charcoal, made most gain in 

 weight from the sixth to the eighth week, and made but a slight gain 

 from the eighth to the end of the tenth week, whilst the two charcoal- 

 fed pens kept on increasing satisfactorily all the time whilst they were 

 being fattened. Mixing the charcoal with the food appears to be the 

 better system of feeding, but the slight increase in weight of Pen No. 3 

 over Pen No. 2 would scarcely pay for the extra cost of grinding- and 

 mixing charcoal with the mash, as compared with feeding it alone 

 and in rather coarse condition. 



The experiments with geese were conducted on similar lines and 

 gave almost identical results, as shown in the following table. The 

 breed was the Embden-Toulouse. The foods fed to the geese were the 

 same as those fee} to the ducks, except that they got steeped oats 



