188i3.] POULTRY RAISING. 55 



Mr. Barnard of Bristol. I would say that I have, since 

 the snow came on the ground this winter, thrown ensilage to 

 my hens, and they seem to like it very much. As to the re- 

 sults, I cannot say. 



Mr. Geo. Lasbury of East Windsor. I find that my hens 

 eat very greedily all the crockery that is broken around the 

 house, and I find that it helps their laying qualities. Oyster- 

 shells, clam-shells, and morQ particularly bones, are valuable. 

 Take all the bones that you can find around the house and 

 crack them up ; your hens will eat them greedily, and it re- 

 pays the cost in time and trouble. 



The lady has told us to " prove all things." Nothing has 

 been said about the value of the manure. In keeping hens, 

 I look upon the manure as almost of as much consequence as 

 the eggs. I take out from twenty-five to thirty bushels of 

 manure from under my hens every year. I take one bushel 

 of hen manure and one bushel of plaster, and run the mixture 

 through my coal-sifter (I want to keep it dry), and if you can 

 find anything better than that to put into corn-hills, you can 

 do more than I can. Put a handful into your corn-hills, and 

 you will see your corn come up wonderfully. In order to save 

 this manure of course you must have your hens roost in one 

 place. If they roost here and there, and all around, of course 

 you cannot save it ; but if they roost in one place, then you 

 can get the manure, and use it to great advantage on almost 

 anything except potatoes. Hens do well in the winter season 

 if they are supplied with broken crockery, cracked oyster- 

 shells or clam-shells, and crushed bones. That is a very par- 

 ticular point. 



Mr. TiLLiNGHAST. I will give my experience in feeding 

 green food to hens. I have found nothing better than man- 

 gold-wurtzels. I have raised them two or three years, and I 

 find that my hens devour them very greedily ; and I find that 

 the egg-baskets tell as soon as they are fed. I find that if 

 they are omitted the egg-basket is much lighter. I would 

 inquire whether meat is a necessity for laying fowls ? 



Miss Reed. No, sir ; I do not^ think it is actually neces- 

 sary, but I think it helps very much. 



