FOOD. 3!) 



The potato is the only cooked vegetable ad- 

 missible, and is very conducive to the health and 

 growth of poultry. When mashed and sprinkled 

 with meal, it is a pleasant variety in the poultry 

 bill of fare. Time was when we were wont to 

 indulge our favourites freely in its use, but, alas ! 

 that is matter of history now. The high price 

 almost prohibits it to poultry, and I fear to 

 many, too, who once depended mainly upon this 

 fickle root for their support.* 



I do not approve of any feeding dish. Poultry 

 prefer to pick their food off the ground, and the 

 gravel and sand swallowed along with it are ne- 

 cessary for digestion. Chopped cabbage, lettuce, 

 spinage, or other green vegetables, should be 

 given daily ; calcined oyster-shells are also to be 

 used. Fowls are very fond of them, and they 

 tend to produce perfect eggs. They are prepared 

 by burning them in the fire until quite brittle, 

 when they can be easily broken by the hand. 



The first meal, consisting of graia, should be 

 given at six a.m. in summer, and at daylight in 



* This waa written during the prevalence of the potato 

 disease, therefore — although potatoes still command good 

 prices — they are quite within the reach of all. 



