SPECIAL REPORT FOR YEAR I912. 27 



The green corn. Dwarf Essex rape and the thinnings from the 

 mangolds are used during the summer to feed both the adult 

 birds in the houses and the growing chickens on the range after 

 the natural pasturage has become exhausted. Dwarf Essex 

 rape is an excellent source of green food for poultry but it 

 must be fed with great caution to birds which are laying, be- 

 cause if eaten in any considerable amounts it may color the 

 yolks of the eggs green with disastrous results in the market. 



Following such a system as is outlined above it is possible 

 to have throughout the year a continuance of green fodder well 

 calculated to keep the birds in the best of physical condition and 

 at the maximum of productivity. 



Natural Enemies of Poultry. 



One of the difficulties that the poultrA^man has to contend 

 with is the continued loss of chicks, and sometimes even of 

 nearly or quite full grown birds, as a consequence of the depre- 

 dations of natural enemies. It is safe to say that the magnitude 

 of the loss from these sources is not anything like fully realized 

 by anyone who has not kept an accurate account of all his birds. 

 In the experimental breeding work with poultry at the ]\[a:ne 

 Agricultural Experiment Station it is necessary to keep account 

 of every- single bird on the plant. It has, therefore, on this account 

 been possible to check up and form an adequate estimate of 

 the losses due to the creatures that prey upon poultry. A good 

 deal of attention has been devoted to the problem of hov/ these 

 losses ma}^ be cut down and the results of this experience may 

 be of benefit to other poultry keepers in this State. 



In the experience of the Maine Agricultural Experiment 

 Station the most destructive natural enemy of poultry, in the 

 long run, has been found to be the crow. The depredations of 

 hawks are more spectacular perhaps but on the whole far less 

 destructive. A hawk will only visit a poultry yard occasionally, 

 and especially if he is shot at once or twice will be very wary 

 about approaching it again. On the contrary the crow is a 

 steady and persistent robber. He will continue his depreda- 

 tions just as long as it is physically possible for him to do so. 

 While there may be some doubt as to wdiether crows are bene- 

 ficial or harmful as regards other phases of agriculture, there 



