PRACTICE OF DRY FEEDING 91 



economical digestion — in fact, we mufet feed to improve 

 the stamina in our flock and to develop them along the 

 line of the Berkshire — the maximum amount of gain with 

 the minimum amount of waste. 



Follow Nature's Suggestions. 



To accomplish this we must solicit Dame Nature's help, 

 for we must first of all follow her line or our craft is ship- 

 wrecked before we are out of the harbor. Note how she 

 adapts her children to the surroundings. For instance, 

 put your broad flanked, deep bodied, heavy Holstein into 

 the hilly pasture where feed is short and within a few gen- 

 erations you will find in their places cattle of one-half the 

 size, and thin, pinched figures and a general half-starved 

 hustle-for-a-living appearance. 



On the other hand, take the thin, "slim waisted" cattle 

 from a hill pasture owner who makes his feed "hold out!" 

 and place them for a few generations upon the meadows of 

 qui; "down the valley" cousin. This man has feed to sell. 

 Soon we have developed a type with broad muzzle, deep 

 flank, wide buttocks, every line betokening full feeding of 

 rich, nourishing food for generations. 



Take the chickens of a liberal feeder at the age of three 

 weeks. They will have strong, thick legs, wide feet and 

 long bodies, very few feathers if of the larger breeds, in 

 fact their wings will hardly have started to grow; while 

 if we look at the youngsters of one of the scant feeders, 

 we find short bodied chicks with a general pinched air, 

 looking as though they were hardly sure they ever had a 

 full meal or ever expected one. 



Take the chicks at this age and give them to the best 

 feeder in the world, and he can never make them as thrifty 

 or equal to the first lot. The "opportunity " was there, but 

 it was not grasped during those few short weeks and Dame 

 Nature has decreed that as the chick "is to be brought up 

 on short rations she must cut the garment from what cloth 

 is given her. 



For this reason we must be sure that we are started right 

 and then push and push hard; no experimenting, but liberal 

 feeding of the right kind of feed. With plenty of fresh 

 air at a proper temperature and with sanitary surroundings. 



