A GUIDE FOR KEEPERS OF POULTRY 159 
Brewers’ grains are sometimes substituted for gluten 
meal in this mash. The several meals in this mash are 
thoroughly mixed and the troughs are never allowed to 
become empty. The mixture is constantly before the 
hens and they are allowed to help themselves. Oyster 
shell, dry cracked bone, grit and charcoal are kept in 
other separate protected troughs where they are accessi- 
ble at all times. A moderate supply of mangels and 
plenty of clean water are furnished. For the mangels, 
turnips, cabbage, or other sorts of beets, would make a 
perfect substitute. About 5 pounds of dry clover hay, 
cut to %” lengths, is fed to each 100 hens every day. [or 
clover hay alfalfa could be substituted to advantage, this 
not being fed at the Maine station because alfalfa can not 
be grown in Maine. Clovermeal or alfalfameal used as a 
part of the dry mash would probably be a satisfactory 
substitute for the cut hay, but the bulkiness of the hay 
makes it preferable, as hens need bulk as well as nutritive 
elements in their feed. When the wheat, oats or corn is 
given the birds they are always ready for it, although 
there is an abundance of the dry mash accessible to them. 
They scratch in the litter for the last grain. It is evi- 
dent that they like the grain better than the dry mash, 
although they by no means dislike the latter, for they 
help themselves to it whenever they need it, and never go 
to roost with empty crops. They apparently do not like 
it well enough to gorge themselves on it and sit down, 
loaf, get overfat and lay soft-shelled eggs, as is so com- 
monly the case with Plymouth Rocks when they are 
given warm morning mashes in troughs. 
Some of the advantages of this method of feeding are 
that the troughs may be filled at any convenient time, 
only guarding against allowing them to become empty, 
