168 Farm Poultry 



heads of cabbage within reach of the fowls and 

 permit them to partake ad libitum. 



Rape, etc. Rape, sea kale, and other plants 

 of the cabbage family, which are noted for their 

 crisp stems and leaves, furnish excellent green 

 poultry food. Dwarf Essex rape may be sown 

 in narrow rows and given horse cultivation. 

 When the leaves are large enough to furnish 

 considerable food, they may be picked and fed 

 to the fowls. If hand-picking is objectionable, 

 the leaves may be cut with a sickle or scythe. 

 If cut a few inches from the ground, a second or 

 third crop will often be produced from one seed- 

 ing. 



Clover ~hay. If green food is not at hand for 

 winter feeding, a good substitute may be found 

 in steamed clover hay, particularly if it is mixed 

 with the soft or ground grain food. It is import- 

 ant to have this hay finely cut. If a steamer 

 is not at hand, the hay may be satisfactorily 

 treated by putting it in a tight vessel and pour- 

 ing on boiling water sufficient to moisten all the 

 cut hay, permitting it to remain tightly covered 

 over night. 



Meat foods. Poultrymen find it to their ad- 

 vantage to imitate the natural food of the fowls 

 and to furnish some meat food. Fowls that are 

 given a wide range in the summer time feed 

 largely on insects and earthworms; but during 



