10 Nov., 1917.] Poultry and Fruit. 663 



by what we know as putting on flesh; it can be utilized as a building 

 material for a protective covering, as in wool; and it is also used as a 

 supply of food for the offspring. The lierbage taken into the body of 

 a cow goes through a long series of jjrocesses, and is taken from the 

 teats as a fairly constant material — milk; or, in the case of birds, is 

 stored up as a concentrated food for the young in the protective 

 egg shell Since the functions of food are to fill different require- 

 ments, it is obvious that the quantities of the chief constituents with 

 which it should be ])rovided will also vary, and many attempts to deter- 

 mine the amounts of the varying constituents of food to be given under 

 different conditions have been made. The various foodstuffs — protein, 

 fats, and carbohydrates — differ in their physiological value; proteins 

 serving as the greatest muscle builders, fats and carbohydrates as heat 

 producers. Hence it is necessan', in order to cater for all bodily 



wants, to have the amounts of each given in a proper pro]iortion ; the 

 results of this is " the balanced ration." This can be worked out as the 

 following fraction : — 



Albuminoids. 



Carbohydrates + (fats X 2J). 



The ratio thus obtained must not be allowed to fall outside certain 

 limits. Thus — 



1 



2-4 is a narrow ration, or one rich in protein. 



1 

 5-6 is medium. 



1 



8-12 a wide ration, or one poorer in protein. 



These limits must be observed, as a ration which is too narrow entails 

 too much work on the organs of the body, while one which is too \vide 

 does not give sufficient building material to replace body waste. On the 

 other hand, in animals and birds from which we desire natural pro- 

 ducts, as milk and eggs, the ration must be narrow, as the food must 

 serve its double function — sustaining the body and supplying material 

 for the .sustenance of the offspring. 



5 PLANTING THE ORCHARD. 



H. J. Bovill, Horticulturist. 



The value of the poultiy yard can be further enhanced by planting 

 it with fruit trees and vines, which in hot weather will give shade for 

 the fowls. The cost of such a plantation would not be great. The land 

 should be ploughed and sub-soiled to a depth of at least 14 inches, and 

 after harrowing is ready for planting. The sub-soiling breaks up anj' 

 hard soil below the surface, and allows the roots of the trees to pene- 

 trate deeply. Trees should be planted 24 feet apart on the septuple, 

 and the base pegs for this distance should be 20 ft. 9i in. apart. ITow 

 large should the hole be ? He was a wise fruit-grower who, when 

 asked this question, replied, " As large as the field." In digging the 

 holes, the surface soil should always be thrown on one side and the 

 lower on the other, so that when the tree is planted the surface earth may 

 be placed in direct contact with the roots and the lower soil used to fill 



