NEW SYSTEMS IN POULTRY FARMING. 165 



days on the journey many will be found dead and the rest 

 more or less weakened. The most important thing of all 

 is to be ready for the youngsters when they arrive. A 

 good brooder, heated, should be in readiness, and every 

 provision should be made for the chicks' comfort. 



The high cost of feed has caused consternation in 

 the poultry yards of America and those who did not 

 go out of the business altogether have considerably cut 

 down the size of their flocks. Harriet's account books 

 show that some years ago when she started to keep a 

 few hens, the cost of egg production amounted to about 

 twelve cents a dozen, and every cent above that cost 

 was clear profit. Today it costs her about three cents 

 an egg, and when eggs sell below thirty-six cents a 

 dozen they are sold at a loss. Harriet's books also 

 show that at the time she was able to produce eggs at 

 twelve cents a dozen, she seldom received more than 

 twenty cents a dozen; and now at a cost of thirty-six 

 cents per dozen, she retails her products at forty-five 

 cents. She reasons that she is making as much profit 

 now as she ever did. In order to be on the safe side, 

 we have been experimenting with rations with a 

 view of lessening our expense. We have found that 

 a mash composed of equal parts by weight of bran, 

 cornmeal and meat scrap, is considerably cheaper than 

 the mashes formerly fed, composed of bran, cornmeal, 

 middlings, ground oats and meat scrap; besides the 

 fowls eat it more greedily. When we mix our feed by 

 measure, we take two parts of bran and one part each 

 of cornmeal and meat scrap. 



As a grain food, wheat is practically out of the 

 question on account of its high cost, so Harriet has 



