138 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



" During the range season — from June to the close of 

 October — the birds ate just about one pound of the scrap 

 to ten pounds of the cracked corn and wheat. They had op- 

 portunity to balance their rations to suit themselves by having 

 the two classes of food to select from always at hand. It would 

 seem that we had not been far wrong in our previous feeding, 

 as the birds used just about the same relative amounts of scrap 

 to other food, when they had liberty to do so, that we had for- 

 merly mixed in for them. 



" We are not able to say whether this method is more or less 

 expensive of material, than when we fed the four feeds each 

 day at regular hours. As near as we could calculate, there 

 were no appreciable differences. 



" The birds did well under this treatment. The cockerels 

 were well developed and we never raised a better lot of pullets. 

 The first egg was laid when the oldest pullets were four months 

 and ten days old. For the last six years the pullets have been 

 from four months and ten days to four months and twenty 

 days old when the first eggs were found. This year we shall 

 make another change by adding dry mash to the menu — hav- 

 ing a trough of that material besides the ones containing beef 

 scrap and cracked corn. The difficulty of keeping the food 

 clean and dry during continued exposure is nearly overcome by 

 using troughs with slatted sides and broad, detachable roofs. 

 We make them from six to ten feet long, with the sides five 

 inches high. The lath slats are two inches apart and the 

 troughs are sixteen inches high from floor to roof. The roofs 

 project about two inches at the sides and effectually keep out 

 the rain except when high winds prevail. 



The roof is very easily removed by lifting one end and 

 sliding it endwise on the opposite gable end on which it rests. 

 The trough can then be filled and the roof drawn back into 

 place without lifting it. This arrangement is the best of any- 

 thing we have found for saving food from waste and keeping 

 it in good condition. When dry mash is used in it, there is 

 considerable waste by the finer parts being blown away. When 

 used for that purpose it is necessary to put it in a sheltered 

 place out of the high winds." 



The dry-feeding was continued with the pullets thus raised, 

 with decidedly satisfactory results. The report says : 



