The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-09

chicken silo-to provide succulent feed for the flock in winter. Ever try 1 one?
 Supplying green feed for laying fowls l in winter has always been more or less l Of a problem with poultry raisers. That | green feed at all times is most desirable 1 in making up a balanced ration goes without saying, but how to supply it in l sufficient quantities and in succrlent form when the ground is frozen or cov- cred with snow is not very easy mat ter, from an economic viewpoint. The practice of gathering greens dur ing the open season and drying them for winter use-the method of prepara- | tion at feeding time being to steam or boil the grecns-is well known. It has been successful. and it has met the purpose intended to such degree that it is recommended as good poultry pro- cedure.
 AS A TRIAL
 To those. however, who seek a green ! ration approximating a ma tural state, | pc ultry silo is suggested for trial Home | made silos for this purpose have been used by demonstrators and other prac- | tical poultry raisers, in the south and | have given perfect satisfaction. They can very easily be constructed-in the same | manner and out of the same material | that are used in making homemade sios 1 for cattle-and large expense can be over come and the same purpose accomplished 1 by utilizing an ordinary whisky, mo- I lasses, or vinegar barrel or a hogshead. The smaller containers are recommended | as more convenient where fowls are kept | ir pens-one barrel for each pen. THE BARREL TYPE
 The illustration shows the simplicity
 of the construction or rather reconstruc- l rNf{ hoh ha ] the barrel or hogshead is placed upon a stand made of heavy boards and at a height of about 12 inches from the ground i The boards composing the floor of the i stand on which the container rests should be several inches apart so that air can circulate freely. Also a hole should be bored in the bottom of the barrel to drain l off excess liquid. The top or head of
 the barrel should be of such size as 1 to fit in the barrel and be easily re-
 moved, and weight should be placed ! upon it to pack down the contents. Six i inches above the base of the barrel an l opening may be made, round or square
 in shape and hinged on straps, for access 1 to the silage. As the barrel does not
 stand too high from the ground to be | easily reached this door is not consid- | cred a necessity. The lid or flap of this opening should fit snugly and be secured in place by a wooden or iron button
 The green feed to be stored may con- sist of beet tops. lettuce and cabbage leaves, celery tops, kale, spinach, clover, and succulent grass from the lawn or
 roadside-and kind of greens that is usu- ally fed to chickens. For convenience in feeding it is advisable to chop this ma
 teral fine. The silo may be filled at
 one time, or partly filled, and the con- tents added to as opportunity arises
 | The cross section pictured gives an idea of the contents of the barrel or hcgshead, showing the layers of different greens. In this connection it may be mentioned that between these layers lit- ter from the barn floor-usually contain ing gran-may be used. It has ten dency to absorb superfluous juices
 SELECTING AN INCUBATOR
 A large number of reliable makes of incubatorS are manufactured in | this country. Some machines have become popular in certain sections be- cause they were advertised extensively rather than on account of special
 adaptability' to the climatic condi- tions Cheap machines are less reiia- ble. require more attention and wear
 out much quicker than higher priced