38 
BULLETIN 561, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
in the pens with which it is directly comparable (Nos. 1, 2, and 3 ir 
1912-1913). 
The lower the nutritive ratio the higher the cost of feed per 100 
pounds, because of the higher protein content. The nutritive ratio 
widened considerably in 1915 in all the pens which were allowed to 
balance their own ration (Nos. 3, 4, and 7), regardless of whether it 
was their second or third laying year. The hens apparently did not 
relish the beef scrap as well in 1915 as in the previous year, although 
the same brand of beef scrap was used. This widening of the ration 
in Pens 3, 4, and 7, compared with Pens 5 and 8 where the beef scrap 
was constant, did not change the relative position of these pens in 
cost of egg production, but may have tended to lower the actual 
production. The highest-priced ration, that used in Pen 6, was high 
in price because of the small proportion of ground feed, and produced 
eggs at the highest cost of any pen during its first two years, regardless 
of conditions. The rations fed in the different pens are given in 
Table 1. 
Table 11. — Proportion of grain and mash in ration, cost per 100 pounds, and nutritive 
ratio. 
Ration. 
Nutri- 
Ration. 
Nutri- 
Year. 
Pen. 
Cost 
tive 
Year. 
Pen. 
Cost 
tive 
Grain. 
Mash. 
per 100 
pounds. 
ratio. 
Grain. 
Mash. 
per 100 
pounds. 
ratio. 
Percent. 
Percent. 
Percent. 
Percent. 
1913 
1 
65 
35 
$1.58 
1:4.5 
1914 
7 
53 
47 
SI. 56 
1:4.7 
1914 
56 
44 
1.57 
1:4.0 
1915 
45 
55 
1.50 
1:6.4 
1915 
45 
55 
1.59 
1:3.4 
1914 
8 
57 
43 
1.58 
1:4.5 
1913 
2 
76 
24 
1.59 
1:5.6 
1915 
52 
48 
1.60 
1:4.2 
1914 
58 
42 
1.59 
1:4.3 | 
1915 
47 
53 
1.62 
1:3.7 
1914 
1915 
9 
70 
52 
30 
48 
1.43 
1.43 
1:7.8 
1:7.4 
1913 
3 
64 
36 
1..56 
1: 5. 5 
1914 
52 
48 
1.55 
1:5.1 
1915 
10 
61 
39 
1.49 
1:4.9 
1915 
43 
57 
1.49 
1:6.9 
1915 
11 
54 
46 
1.50 
1:4.6 
1913 
4 
67 
33 
1.57 
1:5 
1914 
54 
46 
1.56 
1:4.8 
1915 
12 
48 
52 
1.61 
1:4.1 
1915 
50 
50 
1.48 
1: 7.7 
1915 
13 
50 
50 
1.51 
1: 4.5 
1913 
5 
59 
41 
1.53 
1:5.2 . 
1914 
47 
53 
1.57 
1:4.7 
1915 
14 
46 
54 
1.57 
1:4.1 
1915 
43 
57 
1.57 
1:4.5 
1915 
15 
56 
44 
1.49 
1:4.6 
1913 
6 
84 
16 
1.63 
1:4.8 
1914 
74 
26 
1.60 
1:4.9 
1915 
16 
69 
31 
1.50 
1:5.4 
1915 
73 
27 
1. 55 
1:5.9 
The nutritive ratios are narrower in all the pens except Pen 6 in 
their second year, especially in Pens 1 and 2, because the proportion 
of mash was considerably increased. These ratios are still narrower 
in their third year (1915), except in those pens allowed to select 
their own mash constituents. The feeds and method of feeding 
have as much if not more influence on results as the nutritive ratio, 
as shown in the case of Pen 9, which has a very wide nutritive ratio 
