But the advance in Poultry Culture has brought about feeding of whole grains, to a large extent. For years the proper feeding of chicks, even on farms with modern brooding equipment, has been a stumbling block, causing serious loss, and, in many instances, failure, to those attempting to raise chickens either in large or small numbers. Follow Nature’s Teaching In Poultry Culture, in order to succeed it is essential to study Nature, to find out how the hen in a wild state cares for her brood, and then bring the artificial conditions as near to Nature as possible. In almost every chick food put on the market the main ingredient, namely corn, was never intended for a young chick to eat. Consider for a moment, and you will realize that the hen in a wild state could not possibly feed corn to her young. For the sake of argument, however, suppose that corn did ripen at a time when it would be possible for the hen to procure it for her brood, the size of the kernel is so great that the small chick could not possibly swallow it. Thus Nature plainly points out that corn, for young chicks, is not the proper food. A Balanced Food On The Corning Egg Farm the question of chick food that could properly be called “chick food” has been a study for years, the problem being to procure a balanced ration containing, as closely as possible, the ingredients intended by Nature for a young chick to eat and thrive on. Many experiments were made with different mixtures, both with chicks running with natural mothers and with those being reared in the Brooder House, and it was found that in all cases where corn was fed in the mixture the results were bad. The youngsters running with the hen did not show the large mortality which those did in the Brooder House, but even the broods running with the hen did not do nearly so well where the corn was fed, as did those not having this ingredient in their food. The great mortality in young chicks is produced by the upsetting of their digestive organs. Corn is very heating, and as soon as the chick’s blood is over-heated its digestive organs fail to work properly, and what is now known as “White Diarrhœa” almost invariably develops. It is claimed by some authorities that this difficulty comes from a germ which is in the egg before incubation. This may be the case, but it is certainly true that wrong feeding will bring this germ into active life, and snuff out the existence of the chick. Another phase, which has been a special study on The Corning Egg Farm in the brooding of chicks, is an abundant supply of fresh air, not only in the room itself, but also to have the oxygen fed to the chicks properly when they are under the hovers. The use of gas for heating the hovers was found a decided improvement over the lamp, so far as the freshness of the air went, but, for procuring the purest hot air, to flow up into the hovers, we are now installing a system of hot water pipes. [Illustration: OLD ARRANGEMENT OF BROODER HOUSE