Show OL cu am 00 soto GUINEA PIG AID TO scientists of especial interest to live stock breeders bleeders Bre eders Mra prepared pared ty by the united states department ot of agriculture service it may be possible some day for the live stock producer to breed his animals in such a way as to speed up the growth of their offspring scientists of the united states department of agriculture have accomplished this with guinea pigs and believe the same principles may apply to live stock dr hugh C geneticist of the bureau of animal industry and hla his associates observed that inbreeding and cross breeding of guinea pigs ex arted a marked influence on the rapidity or slowness of the growth they are starting new researches to test these scientific principles of inheritance on live stock especially pec lally ally swine sheep and cattle if the live stock breeder could influence the rate of growth of his young farm animals as has been done with guinea pigs he would have control of an important element in the cost of production it Is generally accepted that rapid growth Is economical growth the department scientists obtained various results by cross breeding the members of unrelated families of guinea pigs each of which had been thoroughly inbred when both parents were members of lightweight families the offspring grew faster and larger than either parent at the same age when one parent was a lightweight and the other a heavyweight the offspring grew more nearly like the heavyweight parent gaining especially fast in case the mother was the heavyweight the investigators gained no advantage of growth by crossing two heavyweight families but did improve the fertility of the offspring the heaviest family of inbred guinea pigs outgrew all others during their first tour four months three cattle problems on feeding discussed three questions of great importance to cattle feeders are discussed in a new bulletin just issued by the minnesota agricultural experiment station these questions involve the grinding of shelled corn barley and alfalfa hay for fattening cattle caille the feeding of cane ane molasses to fattening cattle and the value of pe atland hay as aa roughage for cattle among the principal conclusions are the following when fattening cattle are being fed a ration of shelled corn and alfalfa hay both feeds of fair quality and hogs are following the cattle no worthwhile advantage Is to be gained by grinding either the corn or the alfalfa or by grinding both and mixing before feeding when a suitable ration of palatable feeds Is being fed to fattening cattle under conditions prevailing in minnesota the use of either small or large amounts of molasses in the ration has baa little effect upon the dally daily rate of gain and tends to lower the margin of profit over feed cost rather than to raise it timothy or timothy and alside alsike clover mixed hay grown on properly fertilized peat soil will be palatable to eattle cattle and show a feeding value equal or superior to similar hay grown on normal upland soil copies of the bulletin may be had free by writing the mulling mailing room university farm st paul and requesting bulletin |