The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-23
International Egg-Laying Competition Second Winter Test.


 D. s. Thompson, Poultry Expert,
 Hawkesbury (Australia) Agricul-
 tural College,
 The season throughout the winter test has been a very good one, favor able to egg production. The weather has been genial and mild, with splendid rains, and the surface of the pens has been in a fine green state throughout. The American hens arrived in very poor condition, but with careful treat ment, good housing. healthy environ ment. and clean quarters. coupled with favorable climatic conditions, they were successfully nursed through their sickness. and have given a good &C., count of themselves. The little Rose comb Brown Leghorns topped the list, and won the winter test with magni- ficent total of I'll eggs, for six months, or an average of 11S.5 eggs per hen, the average weight being 24 OF. per dozen, and the market value f5 Is. Ed, or an average of 16s. 10d for each hen. This is remarkably high.
 An Australian pen of Silver Wyan- dottes laid 693 eggs. or an average of 115.5 eggs of an average weight of 24M oz. per dozen, truly remarkable performance, to which the owner and the State can justly point with pride. It is not desired to discount the per formance of the American pen in any way, but 1t may be pointed out that the fact of the American pen having won the winter test. while it undoubtedly points to the fact of their being an eX- cellent strain, 1t does not demonstrate that Rose-comb Brown Leghorns will be found winter layers.
 The competition. so far as 1t has gone, has been a remarkable success. both in the splendid results obtained and the important material influence 1t has ex- ercised throughout Australia in stim- ulating breeding with a view of i'm proving and developing the utility side of poultry keeping. The prize- winners for the winter test were:
 Rose-comb Leghorns-First f5.
 Silver wyandottes-Second A.
 Langshans-Third. f3 los.
 Bun Leghorns-Fourth. f3.
 White Wyandottes-Fifth, f2 los.
 Silver Wyandottes-Sixth, f2.
 Silver Wyandotes-Seventh fl los.
 Black Orpingtons-Eighth fl.
 We are accommodating valuable deduc- tions from these competitions, and amateurs in the poultry world are un- doubtedly securing practical ihforma- tion from it's object lessons. That we have gained considerably can easily be understood by the fact that the aver age per pen from the forty-one pens competing in the first winter test was 342.6 eggs per pen, or an average of 571O per hen: while for the second win ter contest the average for 70 pens was 470 eggs per pen. or an average of 1885 per hen, truly a notable increase. Surely no one will have the temerity to say that this magnificent advance could be obtained without increased knowledge on the part of the competi- tors and all concerned.
 General average weight of the eggs of the various principal varieties, graded:
 Brown Leghorns. "A OF.
 Buff Leghorn, Aucona, and Silver, Golden, White, and Buff Wyandottes. 25 OF.
 Langshang, Black Orpington, and Ju- bilee orpington. 26 OF.
 Buff Orpington. 27 oz.
 White Leghorn and Andalusian, 2S OF.
 Minorca. 29 oz.
 The conclusions bearing on the size of the eggs and the laying capacity of the varieties and strains will be of great interest. We found that the leading pens in the Silver Wyandotes, viz. Howell Warren and Kendall, were all under the average size of 25 ozs In Black Orphingtons it was found that the leading pens, viz. Wild. Rone, Bastin, Harris and Wedlich, all laying under the average weight or just up to it: while in Leghorns all the leading pens were under the average size The same thing occurs again in Andalusians.
 Ailments of PIgs.-COnstIpatiOn and
 SeOurA in Pigs.
 Keep the sucking pigs bowels in good condition, and you will raise d healthy and thrifty litter. Constipa- tion nearly always precedes SCOUTS in nIgs. and is due largely to the diet fed the SOW.
 should the SOW be feverish after Throwing. give her two tablespoons full of Epson salts for two or three