AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 
equal parts of wheat, oats, barley, and peas; an- 
other is oats, wheat, buckwheat and corn, using 
about half as much of each of the latter two as of 
the former two. 
As previously intimated, any combination may 
be used, so long as the correct proportion is main- 
tained. It is a good plan to have several different 
combinations, changing the bill of fare each day, 
as desirable variations in the diet stimulate the 
appetite and promote the general health. 
In making up a grain ration, the properties of 
the other foods—animal and vegetable foods— 
should also be taken into consideration, as they, 
too, exert quite an influence. Do not overlook this 
point. 
The Benefits of Exercise. Grain should always 
be fed in litter of some kind, so that the birds will 
have to scratch and hunt to get it out. It is a good 
plan to keep the floor of the poultry house covered 
to a depth of a foot or more with cut clover hay, 
straw, dry leaves, or some other loose material. 
Nothing has a more pronounced favorable effect 
upon the thrift and general health of a flock of 
fowls during the winter months than plenty of 
good exercise in a fresh, invigorating atmosphere. 
Scratching apartments in the poultry house, cov- 
ered with plenty of good litter, are all that is 
necessary. 
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