THE si'ortsman's vade mecum. 41 



soup aside, and then boil old Indian meal till it is quite stiff 

 Let it also get cold. Take of the boiled meal as much as 

 you think requisite, adding sufficient of (Jie broth to liquefy 

 it. This is the cheapest town food. In the country during 

 the summer, skimmed milk, sour milk, buttermilk, or whey, 

 may be used in place of the soup. In the winter, it is as 

 well to give soup occasionally for a change. Never use new 

 Indian flour. It scours the dogs dreadfully. Old does not. 

 The plan I adopt is, to buy Indian corn this year for use 

 next, store it, and send it to giind as I require it ; and as the 

 millers have no object in boning the old meal, returning new 

 for it, I insure by this means no illness from feeding in my 

 kennel. Although Indian corn has not either so much 

 albumen or sacchaiine matter in it as oats, it does tolerably 

 well with broth ; but when the greatest amount of work is 

 required in a certain given time from a certain quantity of 

 dogs, as in a week's, fortnight's, or month's shooting excur- 

 sion, I always use oatmeal, for two reasons : — 1st, it is far 

 more nourishing in itself, a less bulk of it going further than 

 corn meal : — 2nd, you cannot depend on getting old 

 meal in the country, nor yet meat always to make soup. The 

 dogs fed on oatmeal porridge and milk, which you always 

 can get, do a vast deal of work, and have good scenting 

 powers. Using these different articles, I calculate each dog 

 to cost me one shilling York currency per week, and I pay 

 fifty cents per bushel for Indian corn, six dollars per barrel 

 for oatmeal (old), one York shilling for beef head, milk three 

 cents per quart for new, probably, one and a half for skim. 

 In a house there are always bones, potatoe peelings, and pot 



