648 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



limed every two or three years. Cover should be provided for the 

 birds. The pens may be sown with clover, timothy, and other grass 

 early enough to furnish ample cover by the time the birds are turned 

 in. Small evergreens may be grown inside with decided advantage 

 or cut branches of evergreen or deciduous trees may be placed within. 

 If growing grass or clover can not be conveniently provided in the 

 pen, a piece of sod should be placed there occasionally. The birds 

 enjoy tearing sod to pieces for the seeds, insects, and grass it contains. 



Food. Pheasants are small feeders, and there is greater danger 

 of overfeeding than underfeeding. Overfeeding is productive of dis- 

 ease. In order to guard against it, the attendant should at first 

 sprinkle a little food on the ground, wait for that to be eaten, and 

 then repeat until the birds lose their eagerness, when feeding should 

 be discontinued. The proper quantity of food for each pen may 

 thus soon be ascertained. Pheasants are omnivorous, and as variety 

 is advantageous, almost any edible substance may be fed grain of 

 all kinds, finely chopped meat, cooked cereals, table scraps, boiled 

 potatoes, boiled rice, apples, turnips, rose hips, the tubers of Jeru- 

 salem artichokes, and finely chopped green food, as lettuce, grass, 

 cabbage, onion tops, garlic, and chickweed. Green food is important 

 and should be constantly supplied, even if it must be raised under 

 glass. All green food must be chopped fine, as otherwise the birds 

 are likely to become crop bound. Ground bone is excellent. Seeds 

 of various weeds, when obtainable, may be furnished ; hay seed also 

 is good. 



Care in Winter. Many species of pheasants are able to with- 

 stand cold. Even when the mercury is below zero, they generally 

 prefer to roost in the open runs, and they seem to be little discom- 

 moded by snow. Nevertheless, it is well to afford them some shelter 

 from severe storms and from excessive dampness ; and some species 

 normally inhabiting warm regions require housing in cold weather. 

 Scrupulous cleanliness must be maintained throughout the winter, 

 as at other seasons, and dust baths must be provided at all times. 

 It is necessary to remember also that grit or fine gravel is essential 

 to the proper digestion of food by pheasants. In winter it is not 

 usually necessary to separate the cocks from each other or from the 

 hens. (Agr. Dep. F. B. 390.) 



HONEY BEES. 



Bee keeping for pleasure and profit is carried on by many 

 thousands of people in all parts of the United States. As a rule it 

 is not the sole occupation. There are, however, many places where 

 an experienced bee keeper can gain a good livelihood by devoting 

 his entire time and attention to this work. Generally it is unwise to 

 undertake extensive bee keeping without considerable previous ex- 

 perience on a small scale, since there are many minor details that 

 should be thoroughly understood before one could really > expect to 

 be successful in the work. Bee keeping is extremely fascinatmg^to 

 some people as a pastime, furnishing outdoor exercise as well as in- 

 timacy with an insect whose life habits have formed an absorbing 

 study from earliest times. It is only fair, however, to say that when 



