1514 
the  pen.  but  of  course  they  cannot  be  credited  to 
any  particular  bird.  It  is  stated  in  this  bulletin 
that  during  the  year  one  pen  of  Orpingtons  laid  only 
eight  eggs  outside  the  nest,  while  a  pen  of  Wyan¬ 
dotte*  laid  140  eggs  outside. 
MORTALITY  AMONG  IIENS.— During  the  year 
124  birds  out  of  the  thousand  died  from  various 
causes,  which  gives  an  average  loss  of  12.4%.  Of 
course  the  mortality  in  some  pens  was  greater  than 
in  others.  In  one  case  seven  birds  out  of  10  died 
during  the  year.  Rather  more  than  half  of  the 
deaths  were  due  to  some  trouble  with  the  repro¬ 
ductive  organs,  some  trouble  with  the  liver,  or  an 
unnamed  disease  which  affected  the  windpipe. 
Naturally  the  mortality  among  birds  of  this  kind 
in  a  contest  of  this  sort  would  be  higher  than  in 
larger  flocks  kept  under  ordinary  farm  conditions, 
and  probably  not  pushed  as  hard  for  egg  produc¬ 
tion.  In  one  case  a  White  Wyandotte  hen  died 
early  in  .Tune.  This  lord  had  laid  23  eggs  in  Jan¬ 
uary.  17  in  February,  1G  in  March.  14  in  April,  and 
2b  in  May.  which  gave  her  93  eggs  in  131  days. 
So  far  as  known,  this  bird  never  laid  two  eggs  in 
any  one  day.  yet  it  was  found  that  such  a  per¬ 
formance  on  her  part  would  have  been  quite  pos¬ 
sible.  Instead  of  the  ordinary  set  of  reproductive 
organs,  this  lien  had  two  ovaries  and  two  complete 
ducts.  A  fully-formed  egg  with  a  shell  on  was 
found  in  one  of  the  ducts,  and  a  newly  detached 
yolk  was  found  in  the  upper  part  of  the  right  ovi¬ 
duct.  Thus  it  would  seem  that  this  hen  was  making 
use  of  this  dual  system,  and  might  easily  have  laid 
two  eggs  per  day. 
(To  bo  continued.) 
Balanced  Ration  from  Alfalfa  and  Silage 
Alfalfa  Substituted  for  Grain 
Taut  I. 
EPLACING  CONCENTRATES.— There  is  no 
question  that  corn  silage  and  Alfalfa  bay  can 
he  put  together  in  the  right  proportion  to  make  a 
balanced  ration.  There  is  no  reason  as  far  as  any 
injurious  physical  effect  is  concerned  why  corn  sil¬ 
age  and  Alfalfa  hay  cannot  make  up  the  entire  ra¬ 
tion.  In  the  Western  regions  where  Alfalfa  hay  is 
grown  in  quantity,  and  is  therefore  cheap,  cows  are 
often  fed  on  Alfalfa  hay  and  silage  or  even  Alfalfa 
alone.  Figures  taken  from  Ohio,  Utah,  New  Jersey 
and  Illinois  bulletins  on  substituting  a  part  of  the 
grain  in  the  ration  with  Alfalfa  hay  are  pub¬ 
lished  in  the  last  edition  of  Henry’s  “Feeds  and 
Feeding.”  These  figures  point  to  the  conclusion  that 
Alfalfa  hay  can  be  substituted  for  a  large  part  of 
the  concentrates  in  the  ration  of  the  dairy  cow 
without  materially  reducing  the  yield  of  milk  or 
fat.  However,  when  all  the  concentrates  are  so  re¬ 
placed  the  yield  of  cows  of  good  productive  capa¬ 
city  is  markedly  decreased.  What  is  true  of  Al¬ 
falfa  bay  as  a  supplement  for  some  of  the  grain  in 
the  ration  is  also  true  of  other  legumes,  such  as  the 
clovers. 
FACTORS  DISCI'S  BED— The  following  are 
the  principal  factors  that  have  prompted  the  discus¬ 
sion  of  this  question : 
1.  The  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  silos  and 
the  recognition  of  silage  as  a  most  excellent  feed 
for  dairy  cows. 
2.  The  increase  in  the  production  of  Alfalfa  bay, 
particularly  the  many  successful  attempts  to  grow 
Alfalfa  in  New  England. 
3.  The  increase  in  the  price  of  grain. 
4.  The  realization  on  the  part  of  feeders  that  Al¬ 
falfa  hay  and  corn  silage  are  of  opposite  composi¬ 
tion,  i.e. :  Alfalfa  hay  is  higher  in  protein  and  corn 
silage  low,  and  that  when  put  together  in  the 
right  proportion  they  make  a  balanced  ration :  also 
the  fact  that  both  feeds  are  very  palatable. 
5.  The  fact  that  Alfalfa  hay  at  $23  or  $24  per 
ton  is  a  better  buy  than  some  of  the  grain  feeds  at 
higher  prices. 
DECREASING  MILK  COST.— A  liberal  use  of 
corn  silage'  and  Alfalfa  hay  will  permit  the  use 
of  little  or  no  grain,  and  hence  make  it  possible  in 
the  majority  of  cases  to  produce  milk  at  less  cost. 
This  method  of  feeding  has  a  particularly  strong 
place  in  those  sections  distant  from  cities  where 
milk  is  being  sold  to  large  dealers  at  a  low  figure. 
Whether  the  man  who  is  getting  a  good  price  for 
his  milk  can  get  enough  more  milk  out  of  cows  by 
feeding  a  large  amount  of  grain,  making  a  ration 
■jjtfreater  variety  to  pay  for  the  grain  is  a  point 
Instigation.  Farmers  have  reported  the  pro- 
good  on 
Ik  <ir  mi 
|l 
V  • 
Ek  '  1 
■a  hay  as  on  this 
G/>e  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
or  other  roughage  and  a  large  amount  of  grain. 
To  show  how  Alfalfa  hay  may  be  used  in  place  of 
grain,  the  following  rations  with  cost  of  same  are 
presented.  These  rations  are  all  for  a  1000-lb.  cow, 
producing  25  lbs.  of  4%  milk  daily.  The  require¬ 
ment  for  this  cow  is  2.312  lbs.  of  protein  and  12.83 
lbs.  of  carbohydrate  equivalent  daily. 
Ration  No.  I. 
F  eed 
Protein 
r.II.Equiv. 
Cost 
30  lbs.  corn  silage . 
.  .330 
4.980 
.075 
10  lbs.  mixed  bav . 
.  .430 
4.700 
.09 
.700 
9.680 
.105 
2  lbs.  gluten  feed.... 
.  .432 
1.182 
.031 
1  lb.  distillers’  grains 
.  .224 
.005 
.0103 
iy>  lb.  cottonseed  meal. 
.  .555 
.010 
.03 
1  lb.  linseed  oil  meal . 
.  .302 
.477 
.02 
%  lb.  wheat  bran . 
.  .002 
.242 
.0003 
6  lbs.  grain. 
2.335 
12.862 
$0.2090 
Ration  No  II. 
Feed 
Protein 
r.ILEquiv. 
Cost 
30  lbs.  corn  silage . 
.  3  1 
4.980 
.075 
10  lbs.  Timothy  bay.... 
.  .300 
4.55 
.125 
.030 
9.530 
.200 
2  lbs.  gluten  feed.... 
.  .432 
1.182 
.031 
1  lb.  distillers’  grains 
.  .224 
.( >65 
.<  1165 
1  V>  lb.  cottonseed  meal. 
.  .930 
.010 
.03 
1  lb.  linseed  oil  meal. 
302 
.477 
.02 
1  lb.  wheat  bran . 
.  .124 
.4*4 
.0130 
(ji/j  lbs.  grain. 
2.207 
12.954 
$0.3105 
F.  J. 
“  What  Ailed  the  Western  States” 
The  Money  Question 
Part  11. 
IIESE  articles  -imply  reflect  the  statements 
made  to  us  by  Western  people — readers  of  The 
R.  N.-Y.  The  letters  come  fnmi  all  side; — Repub¬ 
licans,  Democrats,  Prohibitionists  and  Socialists — 
and  they  are  surprisingly  free  from  party  Idas  or 
opinion.  The  writers  tell  us  simply  just  what  in¬ 
fluenced  the  voters.  We  doubt  if  there  has  ever 
been  a  fairer  expression  of  opinion  concerning  po¬ 
litical  motives,  our  object  in  printing  the  articles 
is  merely  to  let  our  readers  understand  just  what 
these  Western  people  have  in  mind,  before  they 
drift  away  too  far. 
Last  week  we  spoke  of  the  “present,  prosperity” 
argument.  The  Republicans  elected  McKinley  on 
"the  full  dinner-pail”  or  “stand  pat”  argument.  It 
was  a  material  issue,  and  it  established  a  precedent. 
With  grain  and  all  farm  products  high  those  West¬ 
ern  farmers  applied  the  same  argument  to  the 
Democratic  situation.  The  argument  once  was: 
The  dinner-pail  is  full:  McKinley  is  President. 
Therefore  vote  for  McKinley,  This  year  is  was: 
Prices  for  farm  produce  are  high :  Wilson  is  Presi¬ 
dent.  Therefore  vote  for  Wilson.  This  argument 
appealed  to  thousands  <>f  voters  and  they  acted  upon 
it. 
Next  in  importance  seems  to  have  been  the  money 
question.  We  must  remember  that  much  of  the 
West  has  been  and  is  a  debtor  section.  The  East 
has  supplied  most  of  the  money  needed  by  West¬ 
ern  farmers  and  the  interest  paid  has  come  to 
more  than  the  principal.  Many  Western  people  are 
now  prosperous  and  out  of  debt,  but  many  still  owe 
Eastern  bankers  or  bondholders.  A  may  borrow 
money  from  K  and  he  glad  to  get  it  on  any  terms. 
A  keeps  on  paying  interest,  for  23  or  30  years  be¬ 
fore  he  is  able  to  settle  in  full.  Tn  spite  of  every¬ 
thing  A  will  always  feel  that  B  has  taken  more 
than  his  share.  It  is  human  nature  for  a  man  to 
teel  that  way.  Apply  this  in  a  larger  way  and  you 
have  the  feeling  of  the  debtor  part  of  the  West  for 
the  creditor  East.  Very  much  of  the  money  which 
the  West  owes  the  East  belongs  to  farmers  and  to 
people  in  moderate  circumstances — who  have  ex¬ 
actly  the  same  aims  and  ambitions  in  life  of  the 
Western  people  who  owe  the  money.  These  people 
do  not  deal  directly,  but  through  hanks  and  trust 
companies,  and  therefore  these  common  people  do 
not  understand  each  other.  The  Western  man  at¬ 
tributes  his  financial  troubles  to  “Wall  Street"  when 
much  of  the  money  about  which  they  quarrel  is 
owned  by  people  just  about  like  themselves. 
The  writer  of  this  lived  in  the  Far  West  at  the 
time  of  the  greenback  excitement.  The  favorite 
charge  then  was  that  the  old  soldiers  were  paid  in 
greenbacks  while  the  bondholders  were  paid  in  gold. 
Few  Eastern  people  can  realize  the  bitterness  ex¬ 
pressed  by  those  middle-aged  men  toward  the  money 
lenders  classed  under  one  general  name — “Wall 
Street.”  Much  of  this  has  now  passed  away  with 
the  prosperity  which  came  to  the  West,  but  the  sons 
and  grandsons  of  these  old  green  backers  still  in¬ 
herit  something  of  that  feeling. 
They  classed  Mr.  Hughes  as  the  candidate  of 
“Wall  Street.”  The  Democrats  had  given  the  coun- 
December  0,  101  o. 
try  the  Reserve  Bank  and  the  Rural  Credits  law. 
The  West  generally  recognized  the  latter  as  im¬ 
perfect  and  not  very  useful,  but  as  also  carrying  a 
great  vital  principle.  That  is  the  recognition  of 
land  as  a  safe  basis  for  government  loans  or  credit 
and  circulation.  The  West  has  been  long  on  farm 
land  but  short  on  gold.  As  government  credit  has 
been  based  on  gold  the  rich  East  had  the  advan¬ 
tage.  With  farm  land  recognized  as  suitable  for 
such  credit  the  West  feels  that  it  has  a  fairer 
chance.  On  their  records  many  Western  voters 
thought  that  President  Wilson  was  less  inclined  to 
favor  “Wall  street”  than  Mr.  Hughes.  So  they 
voted  for  him. 
Yon  see  party  lines  were  smashed.  Years  ago  we 
saw  Western  farmers  marching  in  a  political  pro¬ 
cession.  Some  of  them  were  in  abject  poverty.  They 
could  not  pay  interest.  They  were  living  on  the 
1  oorcst  food,  with  clothing  ragged  or  patched  with 
flour  sacks.  Yet  they  carried  banners  marked 
"Prosperity”  when  they  knew  nothing  of  it  them- 
;•  elves.  I n  their  hearts  they  felt  that  they  had 
coined  their  manhood  into  money  and  sent  it  away 
u  t lie  Atlantic  Coast,  but  the  party  bosses  said 
march  and  shout  “prosperity,”  and  they  were  do¬ 
ing  it.  This  year  you  could  not  make  them  do  it. 
.  ml  that  spirit  of  disobedience  to  political  orders  is 
very  largely  what  turned  the  election. 
During  the  last  weeks  of  the  campaign  the  daily 
papers  noted  the  “betting  on  Wall  Street.”  All  this 
was  a  political  trick  to  work,  on  the  imagination  of 
the  sporting  element,  hut  in  the  West  it  worked  in 
the  unexpected  way.  Many  Western  farmers  ac¬ 
cepted  this  “betting”  as  evidence  that  '‘Wall  Street” 
wanted  Hughes,  and  they  considered  "Wall  Street” 
responsible  for  their  troubles.  Remember  that  this 
is  no  argument  one  way  or  the  other,  hut  a  plain 
statement  of  the  truth  which  we  think  our  Eastern 
farmers  should  have. 
Encourage  the  Local  Exhibitors 
OUR  last  editorial  paragraph,  page  1424.  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  showing  of  bought  fruit  at  county 
lairs,  etc.,  has  attracted  my  attention,  and  arouses 
my  sincere  approval,  especially  as  it  might  he  re¬ 
peated  almost  word  for  word,  with  the  greatest 
truth,  merely  substituting  the  word  poultry  for 
fruit.  I  am  most  desirous  that  the  exhibits  of 
poultry  at  the  local  fairs  in  the  Fall  should  be  both 
educative  and  stimulating  to  the  poultry  raisers  of 
their  respective  localities,  and  feel  that  the  presence 
in  the  show  tent  of  a  lot  of  birds  that  have  been 
bought  by  some  man  who  comes  each  year  with  a 
lot  of  the  same  sort,  and  captures  a  large  propor¬ 
tion  of  the  prize  money,  especially  in  the  varieties 
not  widely  kept,  is  a  distinct  discouragement  to  be¬ 
ginners.  young  folk,  and  other  potential  enthusiasts, 
who  might  otherwise  he  inclined  to  exhibit  and 
thus  he  stimulated  to  the  raising  of  more  and  bet¬ 
ter  poultry.  Furthermore,  when  one  of  these  men, 
tm  the  advertisement  secured  by  such  winnings, 
-ells  a  lien  of  birds  picked  up  at  random  from  any¬ 
where,  the  chances  are  that  the  buyer  will  he  bit¬ 
terly  disappointed,  the  next,  season,  in  that  the 
chicks:  bred  from  them,  because  of  the  lack  of 
“blood-lines”  in  the  stock,  will  not  be  anywhere  near 
the  quality  that  he  had  been  led  to  expect.  Really 
the  pen  has  been  sold  under  false  pretenses.  Some 
•  if  the  poultry  papers  have  come  out  against  these 
“string-men,”  and  it  would  help  if  you  could  see 
your  way  to  give  them  a  little  attention.  There 
must  he  a  distinction  made  between  the  man  with 
•i  purchased  “string  and  the  actual  breeder  of 
many  varieties.  Thanks  for  the  help,  enjoyment 
and  stimulation  always  to  he  found  in  your  most 
excellent  sheet.  Alfred  homes  lewis. 
It.  N.-Y. — We  have  expressed  ourselves  on  this 
question  several  times.  These  shows,  the  local  ones 
in  particular,  should  he  for  the  benefit  of  local 
breeders  and  growers. 
IF  any  of  oul*  hunters  shoot  a  xvild  duck,  will  they 
look  at  the  leg^  carefully?  They  may  find  an 
aluminum  band  around  one  leg.  It  will  have  a 
number  on  one  %de,  and  on  the  other  the  name  of 
the  Biological  Survey.  *If  you  get  such  a  duck,  he 
sure  to  send  this  hand  to  the  Biological  Survey  at 
Washington,  D.  <’.,  slatiug  when  and  where  this 
bird  was  shot.  Sometime  ago  a  number  of  these 
ducks  were  cured  of  the  duck  sickness  which  pre¬ 
vails  around  Great  Salt  Lake  in  Utah.  These  ducks 
were  numbered  and  then  released.  Now  the  Survey 
wants  to  know  how  long  these  ducks  lived,  and 
whether  they  completely  recovered  from  the  sick¬ 
ness,  also  how  far  they  were  able  to  travel.  Here 
is  a  case  where  the  hunter  can  help.  If  you  are 
fortunate  enough  to  shoot  one  of  these  ducks,  there¬ 
fore.  make  a  dinner  out  of  him,  and  also  contribute 
a  little  to  the  records  of  science. 
