VARIOUS KIXDS OF FOOD. 



23 



it the poultry-keeper should be guided by the season. When 

 the weather is warm, and the production of eggs abundant, 

 the food should abound in nitrogenous or flesh-forming material, 

 and not contain too much starch or oil, both of which, being 

 carbonaceous, have warmth-giving and fattening properties ; 

 but when the cold weather approaches, and the eggs even of 

 good winter layers are fewer than in summer, less of nitro- 

 genous and more of carbonaceous food will be needed. The 

 following table has been often copied since its first publication 

 by Mr. Tegetmeier, but its practical usefulness is so obvious that 

 we make no apology for giving it here, with some modification to 



make the proportion of warmth-giving to flesh-forming in- 

 gredients more plain, and with the analyses corrected up to 

 date. 



To show the practical use of this table, it may be observed 

 that whilst "sharps" or "middlings," from its flesh-forming 

 material, is one of the best summer ingredients, in winter it 

 may be advantageous for some fowls to change it for a portion 

 of Indian meal. It is, however, necessary to avoid giving 

 much maize to large fowls, either as meal or corn, or the effect 

 will be a useless and prejudicial fattening from the large 

 quantity of oil it contains j it is best mixed with sharps or 



