Value of Boxe-dust i.v Feedixg. 139 



There is, iiowever, one ingredient in chicken-feeding which deserves special notice, being of 

 the greatest assistance to those whose space is Hmited. We allude to the bone-dust, or ground 

 dry bones, which is often used by gardeners in potting plants. For the knowledge and use of tliis 

 ingredient we had originally to thank Mr. John Stuart, of Helensburgh, well known in Scotland as 

 a successful breeder, and to whose unvarying friendship in many other ways and instances we feel 

 pleasure in acknowledging heavy obligations. After full and satisfactory trial ourselves, we had 

 no hesitation in recommending the use of bone-dust to other breeders ;* and the extent to which 

 other writers have followed us in various periodicals, and to which the substance is now advertised 

 in the poultry papers, besides the many private testimonies we have ourselves received, are con- 

 clusive evidence of the value of an article of diet which Mr. Stuart's kindness had enabled us to be 

 the first to introduce generally to poultry-breeders. We do not pretend that bone-dust is of any 

 special assistance to those who have at command unlimited grass-range over a good soil, or to 

 those who rear chiefly small but hardy breeds. Neither of these require it, though even then its 

 use usually affords some benefit, with no trouble and scarcely any expense. But to weakly breeds, 

 especially such as — like La Fleche — suffer from leg-weakness, it is of the greatest service ; and 

 to such as wish to rear large birds in a limited space, it is the most valuable aid with which we 

 are acquainted. Its effects are, i, to supply abundance of bone-making material ; 2, to counter- 

 act any tendency to diarrhoea, causing the excrements to assume that firm character denotive of 

 perfect health; and, 3, greatly to postpone what poultry-men call "setting," or maturity, and thus 

 ensure a longer period of growth, on which ultimate size so greatly depends. Being ground 

 up whole, a fair amount of animal food is also contained in the bone-dust. The year after we 

 first made publicly known the benefit to be derived from this ingredient, we had a letter from 

 an extensive breeder of Light Brahmas, stating that he could more than confirm all we had said ; 

 that, on trial, his birds that season showed far more bone and substance than ever before ; he had 

 not more than half the usual number of cockerels with any weakness in the legs ; and diarrhoea, 

 with which he was formerly troubled, had disappeared. We have other letters to the same effect 

 from well-known English and American fanciers. 



- Bone-dust for mixing in poultry food should be on an average about the fineness of coarse 

 oatmeal. There are usually larger pieces interspersed, but these need not be taken out, as any 

 too large will be rejected ; though the meal may be sifted free from any larger than peas if 

 desired. The price being never very much more per hundredweight than good meal, it should be 

 used liberally with all the soft food, and about an ounce may be mixed with every half-pint of 

 dry meal before adding the milk or water. In small yards, as we have already said, cut grass 

 must be liberally supplied as w^ll to the mixture ; and on such food the birds will grow wonder- 

 fuWy, and acquire a constitution which in confinement we have never been able to attain in any 

 other way. We may say that burnt bones pounded have not by any means the same effect, being 

 reduced to mere phosphate of lime with some amount of animal charcoal ; neither have crushed 

 raw bones, which have been stated by some to produce similar results. On the contrary, raw 

 bones have been proved by the very simple test of experiment to hasten laying in the pullets, and 

 " furnishing" or feathering out to maturity in the cockerels, as might be expected from the quantity 

 of fresh jelly they contain — hence, while excellent in moderation for laying stock, or during a 

 limited time to prepare cockerels for actual exhibition, they are not adapted for the regular food 

 of chickens whose period of maturity the breeder for exhibition rather desires to postpone. That 

 this postponement, and with it continuous growth, is effected by the dry bone-meal, we have most 

 fully proved ; and in the case of weakly breeds, which have it for its strengthening power, but 

 / • "The Brahma Fowl," Chap. IV. 



