CHAP. VI.] FARMING FOR LADIES. ] 55 



the quantity of grain consumed would be 

 considerably diminished. The experiments 

 were not confined to a few trials, but were 

 repeated in various ways upon a great num- 

 ber of fowls, in order to ascertain the exact 

 difference of food which they would consume 

 when the corn was boiled ; and as the quan- 

 tity of hard corn was — as we have seen — 

 already known, the fact could be easily 

 proved. The result, however, showed that, 

 instead of the consumption of corn being less- 

 ened by the boiling, it was in one instance 

 increased, and in most others there was no 

 difference. Fowls which ate daily a certain 

 quantity of raio oats, afterwards consumed 

 precisely the same amount of the boiled; 

 and buckwheat — although the four measures 

 raw made fourteen when boiled — was con- 

 sumed in exactly the same time. The in- 

 stance to which we have alluded was that of 

 rye ; for notwithstanding the larger bulk oc- 

 casioned by its being boiled, a cock and seven 

 hens which daily consumed three-fourths of 

 a measure in its raw state, were found to eat 

 as much of the boiled as amounted to four- 

 ffths of a measure when raw. 



