XOVEMBKK 15. 1916 



1091 



liood iind sisterhood so dose among all nations, races, 

 and peoples, that we shall become {ruly kindred each 

 to the other, and that great word " humanity," like 

 a rolling wave of the ocean of God's love, shall wash 

 out from the sands of time the words caste, creed, 

 sex, and even that good word patriotism, because we 

 shall feel that the who'.e world is our country and all 



men are our kin. Every utterance of appreciation, 

 affection, and friendship; every token of mutual co- 

 operation ; every stroke of honest hard work under- 

 taken side by side; every sincere prayer, helps to- 

 ward this beautiful day that we call " the coming of 

 the kingdom of God." 



POULTRY DEPARTMENT 



WHOLE GRAIN INSTEAD OF GROUND GRAIN FOR 

 POULTRY. 



Some years ago, if I remember correctly, 

 T saw a statement from some state or na- 

 tional authority to the effect that it does not 

 pay to cook feed for chickens, swine, cows, 

 or horses. I have been for many years un- 

 der the impression that in a like manner it 

 does not pay to grind grain for poultry — 

 tliat is, the gizzard of the fowl will do the 

 grinding in the natural way, and give as 

 good results as if the corn, wheat, oats, etc., 

 were giound for them. I do not recall just 

 where I got the idea ; but I have for several 

 years supposed that if the chickens could 

 help themselves to corn, wheat, and oats, 

 and a plenty of greeii stutf, together witli 

 animal food of some sort, it was about all I 

 could do for them. Of late years our ex- 

 periment stations, I am well aware, have 

 recommended different " mashes " kept in 

 places where the fowls could help them- 

 selves. Down in my Florida poultry-ranch 

 I have fed whole grain iDrincipally. At 

 different times I have procured mashes par- 

 ticularly recommended; but whether the 

 chickens were not used to mashes or for 

 some other reason, they paid but little atten- 

 tion to them. I have always supplied them 

 with ground raw bone, also with lettuce, 

 cabbage, kale, etc., in abundance. Well, I 

 have in my hand a statement from the Uni- 

 versity of Missouri from which I clip tlie 

 fnllowing: 



It should be remembered that one of the principles 

 of poultry-feeding is that the hen cannot do well if 

 fed on a whole-grain ration. Not only does a ration 

 of grain fall to furnish the proper food nutrients, 

 but such a ration is ditticuU for the l;ird to digest 

 properly. The great fault with the farmer in his 

 poultry-feeding is that he attempts to feed a whole- 

 grain ration, and generally only one grain at that. 

 Such a ration results in poor egg-production and also 

 causes digestive disorders and liver and kidney 

 troubles. Complaints of this kind frequently come 

 to the department of poultry husbandry, and a sug- 

 gested change in the ration has usually resulted in 

 the elimination of the trouble. Efficient digestion 

 demands a co.iiV ination of whole and ground grains. 

 A ration should consist of grains and ground feeds. 

 Generally speaking, twice as much grain sliould be 

 consumed as gi'ound feed. This depends, of course, 

 upon the nature of the foods fed. 



After reading tlie above over for sevei'al 

 times T decided to send it to the poult ly 



department of our Experiment Station at 

 Wooster. Below is their reply : 



Mr. Root : — It is a rather common practice among 

 poultrymen who devote some special attention to 

 l)oultry feeding to feed a dry mash made up of va- 

 rious ground feeds and milling by-products as a 

 part of the ration. I do not know of any e.xperi- 

 ments along this particular line that have shown 

 that such a course is justified by the results secured. 



In an experiment which we began here last 

 December, one lot receives a ration made up of 3 

 parts corn, shelled ; 2 parts wheat, 1 part oats, with 

 10 per cent by weight of meat scrap fed in a trough 

 each day at noon. On the basis of this one experi- 

 ment, the use of a dry mash seems advisable, altho 

 we shall want to continue this work for a number 

 of years before announcing definite results. You 

 will note in our Bulletin 291 that a dry mash was 

 used in all of the experiments. In the light of pres- 

 ent knowledge it would seem advisable to allow about 

 one-third of the ration to be a dry mash, composed 

 of milling by-products and meat scrap, and prob- 

 ably ground corn. W. J. Buss, 



Assistant, Poultry Husbandrv. 



Wooster. O., Sept. 30. 



Just now I am getting the best results in 

 the way of eggs from a small numbt^- of 

 pullets that I have ever had in my life so 

 far as I can remember; and they have been 

 having for a month past almost nothing but 

 sweet corn in the way of grain.* Most of 

 the sw^eet corn is dry, hard, whole grain. 

 They liave a little sour milk and a few 

 scraps from the table. I might say right 

 Iiere, however, that the way Mrs. Root man- 

 ages our household there is but very little 

 left for the chickens unless it is bones which 

 we grind up. And this reminds me that, 

 altho I have in years past tried about every 

 bone-mill on the market, the one that 

 pleases me most is tlie Wilson '' Crown " 

 mill. I think the list price is only $9.00. 

 It is made by Wilson Brothers, Easton, Pa. 

 It is all easily " get-at-able," and vc y sim- 

 ))le, with no loose parts to be dropping or 



* One reason for feeding the fowls alniiKsl entirely 

 on sweet corn was to see if our good friend is right 

 in what he says about sweet corn for chickens on 

 page C,H9 ; and another thing, these pullets that I am 

 writing about are the Eglantine strain that claims 

 to be remarkable layers; and it mav be tl:e strain 

 has more or less to do with the fact that the^se 

 young pullets, after la;, ing their first egg, the l.igge.st 

 liart of them have given us an egg every day for a 

 month or six weeks past. My e.^perienie has been 

 heretofore that pullets seldom lay every day at the 

 start, especially if they commence at the age of five 

 or six months. There are seven pullets that for quite 

 a spell past (it is now October 16) from wliich we 

 have been getting five egg.s one day and six the next. 



