South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-11-17
AGRICU TURE
Work and Purposes of Experiment
Stations Solve Breeding Problems
BY Charles l.. oppcrnran.
Formerly state Poultrymen of
Maryland.

Maryland.
During the past decade the cause
q the hen mas been recognized By
practically all OF the agricultural
experiment stations in the import
ant poultry PRODUCING states. From
ga more or less obscure beginning
the poultry business has steadily ad-
vaneed until we speak Of it today as
our billion dollar industry. Much
~ this progress is due go the untir-
ing efforts OF poultry investigators.
The aim OF the experiment. sta
tions has been 20 show. by careful
tests of various kinds what feeds
are best adapted 20 eeg production,
how the egg production Of the flock
can b. improved through selection
and breeding. what type of house is
best suited 10 the needs OF the fowls.
and how diseases may be treated
and eliminated IA fact all import
ant phases OF. poultry keeping have
received careful consideration and
study. From this work there has
accumulated a vast wealth Of infor-
nation. available 20 every poultry
man FOR the asking.
That farmers and poultry keep
crs generally have failed 10 make
use Of this knowledge is well known.
Many farmers and commercial
poIltrymen have sold off their stock
during the past year because Of high
priced feeds. It is impossible, they
say 10 make any profit unGer pres
ont conditions.
Why some Breeders Fail.
on the other hand. we find any
number Of poultry keepers who are
making money and planning 10 in
crease the extent Of their opera
tions as fast as possible.
What is the difference between
these two classes
Observations have convinced me
that the failure of the former is
due Co the fact that they have not
kept abreast OF the times. They
fail 20 see the need OF utilizing the
Information that has been obtained
from eXperimen work. To them
q hen is a hen. rega rdless of her egg
production They don't know that
when wheat reaches a price that
prohibits its use for poultry il can
uc substituted by other feeds. Only
90 few days ago "a poultryman told
me there was no use fOoling with
hens III wheat had to be omitted
from the ration. If this man had
Ieen acquainted with the results
of recent feeding tests he would
not have made such "A statement.
The WheatIess Ration.
For more than a year the govern
ment has been trying out what is
known as the wheatIess ration. The
results obtained from the expert
tucnt have been SO encouraging
that the ration is now being advo-
Gated an over the country. The
scratch feed is composed of two
pounds Of cracked corn and one
pound or oats. and Jhe. mash Is
made up OF three pounds of corn
meal and one pound of beef scraps
The mash is kept in a hopper. to
which the birds have free access at
au times. and the scratch feed IT,
-iveu in the litter The aim is TO
regulate the quantity of scratch
Feed SO that the fowls Will consume
about equal parts of the scratch and
mash
Similar feeding experiments are
.onstantly being conducted 10y the
different poultry experiment sta
tiOns i'm various parts Of the coun-
try The poultry keeper who hopes
Cos feed his lock economically must
keep i'm touch with this work Write
o. your state experiment station and
ask for wartime feeding literature.