POULTRY FOODS 



199 



Apples. All fruits and berries of temperate regions are eaten 

 with relish by poultry, but the apple is the only one that seems to 

 contribute substantially to their nourishment. The others may be 

 eaten in considerable quantities without any notable decrease in the 

 amount of grain required, but birds having access to all the apples 

 that they can eat will often eat much less grain than usual and 

 thrive remarkably. 



Table XVII. Composition and Values of Meat By-Products 



Green bones. As usually collected, bones have some meat adher- 

 ing. Different lots vary considerably in protein and fat. Green cut 

 bone of average composition is generally considered the best of all 

 animal foods for poultry. Its use is limited by the difficulty of se- 

 curing regular supplies, by the labor of preparing it, and by the 

 impossibility of keeping the prepared bone on hand in quantity in 

 any but extreme cold weather. 



Beef scrap, pork scrap, meat meal, blood meal, dried blood, etc. 

 are cooked preparations of the offal of slaughterhouses and packing 

 houses. The scraps and meals are usually the residue of rendered 

 lard and tallow, scraps being coarsely, and meal finely, ground. 

 Goods of this class are often adulterated with material fit only for 

 fertilizer. Even when composed wholly of edible elements, there 

 are wide variations in quality, due to differences in condition of 

 material used. A good article may usually be known by its appear- 

 ance and by its odor when scalded. It should have the odor of 

 cooked meat, not that of fertilizer. The great advantages in using 

 these preparations are their convenience and their keeping qual- 

 ities. Most of them will keep for some months under any ordinary 

 conditions. Stored in a cool, dry place, goods of this kind have 

 been kept for several years without apparent deterioration. 



