THE REARED PHEASANT 231 



stale — the latter a most important consideration ; 

 each keeper can look after many more coops, and 

 besides the saving of labour in the field, the cost 

 of foods should come to about £5 less per 1000 

 birds. 



For some reason, best known to themselves, 

 keepers like the old way. It becomes necessary, 

 then, to let your keeper understand that if he 

 cannot rear on dry food, some one else must be 

 found who can. The one point that requires close 

 attention is a proper supply of water. Good 

 water must be given, preferably with a little 

 sulphate of iron in it, and should be changed 

 twice a day. On very hot days the water should 

 be changed at midday. 



This season (1912) I had five rearing-fields, all 

 on dififerent foods, one being on dry food, and the 

 rest on wet foods. I lost over 4000 birds this 

 wet summer on the four fields where the old 

 methods were followed, having had every possible 

 disease among the birds. On the dry-food field I 

 lost about the usual percentage of a good season ; 

 and the dry-fed birds were the only ones that 

 looked well. 



Last season (1911) I reared 7000 on the dry 

 food. This was exactly the opposite sort of year, 

 very hot and dry. My dry-fed birds were then 

 smaller boned than the rest. But since adding 

 soaked wheat to the food (No. 2), I can notice no 

 diflerence between them. 



I have been playing with this dry food for 



