POULTRY, BIRDS AND BEES 255 



dry, or moistened and mixed with a little ground feed. 

 Hens will eat several pounds of this material during the 

 winter, if given the opportunity. 



Mangels, beets or carrots are also valuable feeds for 

 laying hens in winter. Such feeds take the place of the 

 green grass hens eat in the summer. 



Ration No. 3. — Fed with good results by the Maine 

 Experiment Station. See Farmer's Bulletin No. 357, page 

 33, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture: .246 lb. grain and meal; 

 .011 lb. oyster shell; .006 lb. dry cracked bone; .005 lb. 

 grit; .006 lb. charcoal; .027 lb. clover. 



The above is the average amount given per hen per 

 day. This ration was fed in practically the same manner 

 as ration No. 1, except for the mash or ground feed. This 

 mash was made of a mixture of 2 parts by weight of bran, 

 1 part cornmeal, 1 part middlings, 1 part gluten meal, 1 

 part linseed meal and 1 part beef scraps, and was kept 

 constantly before the birds in a feed trough with a slatted 

 front. This mash was fed dry. 



A simpler mash, composed of bran, some ground grain 

 of any or several kinds, and, if possible, a little beef scrap, 

 would likely do as well as the more complicated mash. 



Questions: 



1. Describe the method followed in feeding ration No. 1. 



2. What can you say regarding feeding hens several different 

 kinds of feed? 



3. In what ways may green feed be suppUed to hens in winter? 



4. Describe the composition and method of feeding the mash in 

 ration No. 3. 



Arithmetic: 



1. How much of the various kinds of feed will a hen eat in 200 

 days, if fed ration No. 1? 



2. How much will it cost to feed a hen 200 days on ration No. 

 1, if wheat is worth 85c. per bushel, ground bone Ic. per pound, and 

 cabbage $5.00 per ton? 



3. How many eggs must a hen lay in 200 days to pay for her 

 feed, if she is fed ration No. 1 and eggs are worth 25c. per dozen? 



BIRDS 



Importance of Birds. — It is estimated that insects destroy 



many millions of dollars worth of crops each year. It may 



safely be stated that the chief food of birds is harmful 



insects. On this account birds generally are very valuable 



