AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 
self. In the case of the experienced poultry 
breeder this slightly increased cost is usually 
enough to cause him to formulate his own rations, 
but the beginner can well afford to pay a few extra 
cents—or even dollars—for this ‘“‘ sure thing” in 
the feeding line—at least until he has acquired 
some practical personal experience. The feeds 
for youngsters cost from two dollars to three dol- 
lars per hundred-pound bag; those for mature 
fowls seldom cost more than two dollars per hun- 
dred pounds, which is clearly only a few cents more 
than it would cost for an ordinary mixture of the 
same amount of wheat, corn and oats. 
There are two methods of feeding poultry, the 
“mash ”’ system and the “‘ dry-feed”’ system. The 
Different former employs the use of wet or 
Methods of damp mixtures of soft (ground) 
Reeding food. The latter employs the feeding 
of only dry grains and seeds, and is now the most 
popular among practical American poultrymen, be- 
cause it is Nature’s way of feeding. The dry-feed 
system does away with all bother and labor of 
cooking and mixing food, and by throwing all the 
seeds and grains in a deep litter the birds are com- 
pelled to scratch and hunt for all the food they get, 
and they thus secure much healthful and invigorat- 
ing exercise. This also keeps them busy, con- 
tented and happy, and in the winter is a great aid 
toward keeping up the bodily warmth of the 
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