168 THE POULTRY-BOOK. 



It is customary in Europe, where there are large pouh>v 

 yards, to have within them a hollow place, for a reservoir of 

 worms. These are about a foot deep, and built up on the sues 

 with stones. The bottom is covered with a layer of earth two 

 or three inches deep, and is watered occasionally. The worms, 

 when collected from the fields, are thrown upon the earth. 

 Fowls are fond of scratching among earth thus prepared, and it 

 is found to be a healthy exercise for them to hunt their prey in 

 this manner. 



Olivier de Serres, the father of rural economy in France, 

 constructed what he called a Verminier on a large scale. He 

 caused a hollow place to be dug, about twelve feet square and 

 four feet deep, sloped at the bottom, so as to allow superfluous 

 water to run off. The bottom was strewed with straw to the 

 depth of six inches, and upon this was laid a quantity of fresh 

 horse-dung to the same depth, and this was covered with sifted 

 earth. Over the earth was poured a quantity of blood, and any 

 garbage which was handy mixed with chaff. This process 

 was repeated until the pit was wholly filled in layers. It was 

 then covered with bushes, to protect it from the wind, and to 

 prevent the fowls from scratching among it. The rains soon 

 rendered the whole sufficiently moist to produce a putrefactive 

 fermentation of the mass, and myriads of worms were engen- 

 dered. 



It is the French practice to give the fowls, early in the morn- 

 ing, a quantity of grain, considerably less than they would eat 

 for breakfast. When this is consumed, the verminier is opened, 

 and a few spadefuls of the mass, with the worms in it, is 

 thrown into the yard. Upon this the fowls eagerly pounce, 

 and scatter it about with great delight, till they have devoured 

 every worm it contains. 



By proceeding regularly this way, dealing out only a few 

 spadefuls at a time, the heap of compost will last a considerable 



