86 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPORT. 
each Leghorn pullet would figure the same as that of each Cochin — 
the average weight of the former being a little over 2.8 pounds 
and of the latter a little over 5.5 pounds. With the prices then 
prevailing this cost was a little less than 14 cents. 
THE QUESTION OF MECHANICAL CONDITION OF THE FOOD. 
In some form grain must usually constitute the larger part of 
the food for poultry, and among the questions constantly brought 
to attention was that concerning the relative efficiency of ground 
and whole grain. There were many reasons that would favor the 
use of whole grain, among them the saving of time in feeding and 
the expense of grinding with the possibility of inducing exercise 
‘ by scattering the food. If ground foods were fed there was the 
possibility of often using cheaper by-products and in mixtures of 
ground grain more nitrogenous materials than any of the ordi- 
narily available whole grains. The general practice of successful . 
poultrymen was to feed both whole and ground grain. 
To get some data suggesting the relative efficiency of whole grain 
and of ground, feeding experiments! were made, using one 
ration containing only whole and dry grain and another in which for 
the first season three-eighths and for the second one-half of the 
grain food was ground and moistened. There were fed for two 
successive years on the contrasted rations four lots of hens, two 
pens of Leghorns representing one type, and two pens of Cochins 
representing another. 
With the exception of using wheat bran and wheat middlings 
instead of ground wheat, the same grains were fed ground that 
were fed whole in the contrasted ration. Corn, however, was 
cracked to the size of the smaller grains fed, which were wheat, 
oats, buckwheat, barley and flaxseed. Fresh bone was regularly 
fed to each pen and some succulent vegetable food and part of the 
time skim milk. 
During the first season the consumption of food was greater 
under the whole grain ration for both breeds, and during the second 
season was still somewhat greater for the Leghorns, but about alike 
under both rations for the Cochins. During both years egg pro- 
duction by the Leghorns was greater under the ration with ground 
grain, the difference being slight the first year and more pronounced 
the second year. The excess was only a little over 3 per ct. the 
first season and over 17 per ct. for the second. With the less active 
*® Buls. 90 and 106; also in Rpts. 14:494-516 (1895) and 15:666-687 (1896). 

