- Email: [email protected]
The Cornell Poultry Testing Project at East Aurora, N. Y
have a good elementary education. Fees: There is no tuition for residents of Massachusetts, but a laboratory fee of $4.00 is required for the fall term and the same for the spring term. TERM SCHEDULES FALL TERM According to Schedule: Course 1. 5 hrs. Course 2. 2 lab. periods Course 3. 2 lab. periods Course 5. 2 hrs. Course 7. 6 lab. periods WINTER TERM According to Schedule: Course 1. 5 hrs. Course 6. 12-15 hrs.
Course Course Course Course
17 SPRING TERM According to Schedule: 1. 5 hrs. per 4. 5 lab. per 5. 2 hrs. per 7. 5 lab. per
week week week week
17 Having the entire time of these students during the fall and spring terms will help solve one of our difficult problems and do wonders in getting the student in the spirit of the work. It will also help to establish the fact that our college students should give their entire time, at least one term, to their major work. Why should this arrangement not be made? We are continually finding fault about his lack of practical experience and whether a certain amount should be demanded at entrance or before graduation. These problems can partially if not wholly be solved in this way. Again the addition of this course to our curriculum means increased efficiency and helpfulness. We already had the room and equipment and with a slight addition to our teaching force our usefulness has been increased 30 per cent more. If you catch the drift you will comprehend that our institution now has an additional function. It has become a school of agriculture as well as a college. J.C. Graham, Massachusetts. THE CORNELL POULTRY TESTING PROJECT AT EAST AURORA, N. Y. Some of you may have heard of the Cornell Poultry Testing, Cost Accounting, and Farm Organization Project which is being carried on in the vicinity of East Aurora, N. Y. It is my purpose to briefly outline the status of this project, its aim, its scope, the methods in practice and some of the observations made after being carried on for ten months. I regret that we have not completed the year that I might give you results in figures rather than in observations . The object of the work is to secure officially supervised records of egg production and cost accounts of the poultry enterprise under normal conditions; that 55
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Wyoming Libraries on March 29, 2015
detailed outline is given below and the general plan is as follows: the student will devote all his time to poultry work from the opening of College in September to January 1st at which time he will drop all poultry courses except course one and take about 16 credits in Course 6. From the close of the winter short course, about March 15, until College closes, about the middle of June, he will again devote all his time to poultry work. As will be seen the short course brings the student in contact with other members of the faculty and acquaints him with important correlated work. COURSE OF STUDY Course 1. Elementary Poultry Keeping. A text book course supplemented with lectures, recitations, etc., covering the entire field of elementary poultry keeping, special emphasis being laid upon the following subjects: opportunities in poultry keeping, poultry house construction, feeds and feeding, breeds and breeding, incubation, brooding, growing stock and poultry diseases. 5 recitations per week throughout the year. Course 2. A practical laboratory course covering the following subjects: carpentry, fattening, killing, picking, gressing, caponizingi, avian anatomy and physiology, making and applying disinfectants, lice powder, also identification and study of poultry feeds, etc. 2 laboratory periods per week from September until December inclusive. Course 3. Poultry Judging. The Standard of Perfection will be used as a text. Fall term. Two 2 hour laboratory periods. Course 4. A practical laboratory course in incubation, brooding and growing stock, equivalent to 5 laboratory periods per week from March to June inelusive . Course 5. A conference, observation and general reading course equivalent to 1 or 2 recitations per week during the fall and spring terms. In this course the student will become thoroughly acquainted with the best literature on poultry subjects through books, station bulletins, scientific articles, poultry magazines, etc. A thorough discussion of the problems met 'by the practical poultrymen is a strong feature of this course. Course 6. Supplementary courses: Each student shall elect from the winter short course enougjh of the following subjects to give him at least 12 to 18 credit hours: Pomology, Soils, Agronomy, Beekeeping, Market Gardening, Animal Husbandry, Farm Management, Dairying, etc. Course 7. Poultry Management- A general poultry practice course in the care and management of poultry, the work to be done morning, noon and night, and other periods as necessity requires, the class to be responsible for the work in caring for the specified flocks under the supervision of instructors from September until December Inclusive ana from March until June, inclusive. Entrance Requirements: Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and
56
each member, and such farms as prove eligible will be given a certificate of Merit and placed on a list to be known as '"Cornell Approved Poultry Farms." Bach member is required to pay an initial entrance fee of $7.50 and six months later an additional sum of one cent per hen for each hen over and above the first 100—the initial fee covering this first 100 hens. The money so collected is calculated to be just about sufficient to defray the expenses of printing record blanks, of stenographic work, of postage, railroad fare and other expenses incidental to carrying out the project. The Field Instructor is in the employ of and is paid by the Department. From the standpoint of the members, the benefit expected to be derived from the project lies in first hand instruction and assistance in the care and management of the poultry, the adoption of a system of accounts applicable to their need; the knowledge gained by actual figures showing just what the fowls are doing; the benefit that comes from being closely associated with the College in the way of receiving publications, etc.; and lastly a stimulus in the direction of better care and management of the poultry enterprise. Undoubtedly, there will also accrue to the members some advertising value in connection with the work. The Department, in its turn, is getting officially supervised records of egg production and cost accounts on many types of poultry farms; all fowls being kept in their normal environment under ordinary commercial care. From a' practical standpoint these records should be extremely valuable. We are also getting in personal touch with the poutlryinen of the State, and can know first hand the lines of vantage to follow in order to be of most assistance to them. The co-operation, we have found in this connection is decidedly gratifying. In regard to some of the difficulties encountered and the observations made I will mention a few of the more important ones. There seems to be little trouble to secure a sufficient number of men ready to try the project, but those to whom it appeals most strongly and to whom it appears to be of most benefit after ten months trial, are the ones who keep from, 150 to 600 fowls. However, one of the most enthusiastic members is the man having 3100 hens. As much depends on the attitude of the man toward poultry, as on the size of his business. One of the chief difficulties is a means of conveyance for the Field Instructor, who should really be provided with a Ford, which should increase his efficiency at least 50 per cent and possibly double the number of men he could handle. Another year we are hoping to take on nearly as many more men, making the number at least forty, and to provide some means of conveyance. This article by Prof. A. B. Dann will be concluded next month.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Wyoming Libraries on March 29, 2015
is poultry production as it is carried out on the specialized poultry farm, on the general farm, on the city lot, and the various combinations of these. It deals, therefore, with records and accounts of entire flocks under actual farm conditions in ordinary houses, yards and ranges, and under the care of the owner or manager as the case may be. The project is under the direct supervision of Mr. R. S. Moseley, formerly on the extension force of our Department, and whose headquarters are now at East Aurora. The work began on October 1st, 1915 with eighteen members and has since increased to twenty-two, with flocks ranging in size from 60 laying hens to 3100; there being represented in the project— 10,164 hens. The farms on which these are located vary in size from a village lot to over 600 acres, and there is represented all types of management; two business men with hobbies for poultry, three men with city lot poultry yards, five general farmers with ordinary farm flocks, nine men with more or less specialized poultry farms, one farmer's wife who, cares for the farm flock, and two gentlemen whose estates are under the direction of managers. We have, therefore, a wide variety of types of poultry enterprises represented. The plan of operation is briefly this: the members agree to furnish to the Field Instructor on special blanks provided by the Department, complete records of egg production, incubation and brooding, and of expenses and: receipts of the poultry enterprise. It is understood that the Field Instructor will make regular visits to each farm once every two weeks remaining ordinarily one^half day, and special visits when called or when he feels it to be necessary. Notice is not necessarily given as to the time of his coming. He utilizes his time during these visits to gather the eggs, to check up the "records and accounts, to inspect conditions, to select stock, hatching eggs and th e like and to offer suggestions in regard to any part of the poultry work under consideration, such as marketing eggs or stock, remodelling houses, care of batching eggs or brooding the chicks, and upon leaving submits a carbon copy of the findings, suggestions, and recommendations, retaining the original copy for his own files. This bears the date of the visit and is found invaluable for future reference to past conditions. The records kept consist of a n incubator record sheet, a brooding record sheet, an expense and income sheet for the young stock, a daily record sheet for egg production, mortality and labor, and an expense and income daybook for the mature stock. These are summarized quarterly by the Field Instructor and a carbon copy submitted to the owner. Attempts were made to summarize monthly but due to the work required, these were made quarterly. At the end of the year a complete summarized statement of his poultry business will toe furnished
Course Course Course Course
17 SPRING TERM According to Schedule: 1. 5 hrs. per 4. 5 lab. per 5. 2 hrs. per 7. 5 lab. per
week week week week
17 Having the entire time of these students during the fall and spring terms will help solve one of our difficult problems and do wonders in getting the student in the spirit of the work. It will also help to establish the fact that our college students should give their entire time, at least one term, to their major work. Why should this arrangement not be made? We are continually finding fault about his lack of practical experience and whether a certain amount should be demanded at entrance or before graduation. These problems can partially if not wholly be solved in this way. Again the addition of this course to our curriculum means increased efficiency and helpfulness. We already had the room and equipment and with a slight addition to our teaching force our usefulness has been increased 30 per cent more. If you catch the drift you will comprehend that our institution now has an additional function. It has become a school of agriculture as well as a college. J.C. Graham, Massachusetts. THE CORNELL POULTRY TESTING PROJECT AT EAST AURORA, N. Y. Some of you may have heard of the Cornell Poultry Testing, Cost Accounting, and Farm Organization Project which is being carried on in the vicinity of East Aurora, N. Y. It is my purpose to briefly outline the status of this project, its aim, its scope, the methods in practice and some of the observations made after being carried on for ten months. I regret that we have not completed the year that I might give you results in figures rather than in observations . The object of the work is to secure officially supervised records of egg production and cost accounts of the poultry enterprise under normal conditions; that 55
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Wyoming Libraries on March 29, 2015
detailed outline is given below and the general plan is as follows: the student will devote all his time to poultry work from the opening of College in September to January 1st at which time he will drop all poultry courses except course one and take about 16 credits in Course 6. From the close of the winter short course, about March 15, until College closes, about the middle of June, he will again devote all his time to poultry work. As will be seen the short course brings the student in contact with other members of the faculty and acquaints him with important correlated work. COURSE OF STUDY Course 1. Elementary Poultry Keeping. A text book course supplemented with lectures, recitations, etc., covering the entire field of elementary poultry keeping, special emphasis being laid upon the following subjects: opportunities in poultry keeping, poultry house construction, feeds and feeding, breeds and breeding, incubation, brooding, growing stock and poultry diseases. 5 recitations per week throughout the year. Course 2. A practical laboratory course covering the following subjects: carpentry, fattening, killing, picking, gressing, caponizingi, avian anatomy and physiology, making and applying disinfectants, lice powder, also identification and study of poultry feeds, etc. 2 laboratory periods per week from September until December inclusive. Course 3. Poultry Judging. The Standard of Perfection will be used as a text. Fall term. Two 2 hour laboratory periods. Course 4. A practical laboratory course in incubation, brooding and growing stock, equivalent to 5 laboratory periods per week from March to June inelusive . Course 5. A conference, observation and general reading course equivalent to 1 or 2 recitations per week during the fall and spring terms. In this course the student will become thoroughly acquainted with the best literature on poultry subjects through books, station bulletins, scientific articles, poultry magazines, etc. A thorough discussion of the problems met 'by the practical poultrymen is a strong feature of this course. Course 6. Supplementary courses: Each student shall elect from the winter short course enougjh of the following subjects to give him at least 12 to 18 credit hours: Pomology, Soils, Agronomy, Beekeeping, Market Gardening, Animal Husbandry, Farm Management, Dairying, etc. Course 7. Poultry Management- A general poultry practice course in the care and management of poultry, the work to be done morning, noon and night, and other periods as necessity requires, the class to be responsible for the work in caring for the specified flocks under the supervision of instructors from September until December Inclusive ana from March until June, inclusive. Entrance Requirements: Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and
56
each member, and such farms as prove eligible will be given a certificate of Merit and placed on a list to be known as '"Cornell Approved Poultry Farms." Bach member is required to pay an initial entrance fee of $7.50 and six months later an additional sum of one cent per hen for each hen over and above the first 100—the initial fee covering this first 100 hens. The money so collected is calculated to be just about sufficient to defray the expenses of printing record blanks, of stenographic work, of postage, railroad fare and other expenses incidental to carrying out the project. The Field Instructor is in the employ of and is paid by the Department. From the standpoint of the members, the benefit expected to be derived from the project lies in first hand instruction and assistance in the care and management of the poultry, the adoption of a system of accounts applicable to their need; the knowledge gained by actual figures showing just what the fowls are doing; the benefit that comes from being closely associated with the College in the way of receiving publications, etc.; and lastly a stimulus in the direction of better care and management of the poultry enterprise. Undoubtedly, there will also accrue to the members some advertising value in connection with the work. The Department, in its turn, is getting officially supervised records of egg production and cost accounts on many types of poultry farms; all fowls being kept in their normal environment under ordinary commercial care. From a' practical standpoint these records should be extremely valuable. We are also getting in personal touch with the poutlryinen of the State, and can know first hand the lines of vantage to follow in order to be of most assistance to them. The co-operation, we have found in this connection is decidedly gratifying. In regard to some of the difficulties encountered and the observations made I will mention a few of the more important ones. There seems to be little trouble to secure a sufficient number of men ready to try the project, but those to whom it appeals most strongly and to whom it appears to be of most benefit after ten months trial, are the ones who keep from, 150 to 600 fowls. However, one of the most enthusiastic members is the man having 3100 hens. As much depends on the attitude of the man toward poultry, as on the size of his business. One of the chief difficulties is a means of conveyance for the Field Instructor, who should really be provided with a Ford, which should increase his efficiency at least 50 per cent and possibly double the number of men he could handle. Another year we are hoping to take on nearly as many more men, making the number at least forty, and to provide some means of conveyance. This article by Prof. A. B. Dann will be concluded next month.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Wyoming Libraries on March 29, 2015
is poultry production as it is carried out on the specialized poultry farm, on the general farm, on the city lot, and the various combinations of these. It deals, therefore, with records and accounts of entire flocks under actual farm conditions in ordinary houses, yards and ranges, and under the care of the owner or manager as the case may be. The project is under the direct supervision of Mr. R. S. Moseley, formerly on the extension force of our Department, and whose headquarters are now at East Aurora. The work began on October 1st, 1915 with eighteen members and has since increased to twenty-two, with flocks ranging in size from 60 laying hens to 3100; there being represented in the project— 10,164 hens. The farms on which these are located vary in size from a village lot to over 600 acres, and there is represented all types of management; two business men with hobbies for poultry, three men with city lot poultry yards, five general farmers with ordinary farm flocks, nine men with more or less specialized poultry farms, one farmer's wife who, cares for the farm flock, and two gentlemen whose estates are under the direction of managers. We have, therefore, a wide variety of types of poultry enterprises represented. The plan of operation is briefly this: the members agree to furnish to the Field Instructor on special blanks provided by the Department, complete records of egg production, incubation and brooding, and of expenses and: receipts of the poultry enterprise. It is understood that the Field Instructor will make regular visits to each farm once every two weeks remaining ordinarily one^half day, and special visits when called or when he feels it to be necessary. Notice is not necessarily given as to the time of his coming. He utilizes his time during these visits to gather the eggs, to check up the "records and accounts, to inspect conditions, to select stock, hatching eggs and th e like and to offer suggestions in regard to any part of the poultry work under consideration, such as marketing eggs or stock, remodelling houses, care of batching eggs or brooding the chicks, and upon leaving submits a carbon copy of the findings, suggestions, and recommendations, retaining the original copy for his own files. This bears the date of the visit and is found invaluable for future reference to past conditions. The records kept consist of a n incubator record sheet, a brooding record sheet, an expense and income sheet for the young stock, a daily record sheet for egg production, mortality and labor, and an expense and income daybook for the mature stock. These are summarized quarterly by the Field Instructor and a carbon copy submitted to the owner. Attempts were made to summarize monthly but due to the work required, these were made quarterly. At the end of the year a complete summarized statement of his poultry business will toe furnished