operly, and with
a due regard to economy. Where only one or two dogs are kept, it is
presumed that the refuse of the house is ample for them. It will keep them
in good order and condition; but where more are kept, it will be necessary
to look further for their supplies. We will therefore treat them as one
would a kennel, distinguishing town from country; for in the one what
would be extremely cheap, in the other would be dear. For ordinary
feeding, then, in town, purchase beef heads, sheep ditto, offal, i.e.
feet, bellies, &c., which clean. Chop them up and boil to rags in a
copper, filling up your copper as the water boils away. You may add to
this a little salt, cabbage, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, turnips, or any
other cheap vegetable. Put this soup aside, and then boil _old_ Indian
meal till it is quite stiff. Let it also get cold. Take of the boiled meal
as much as you think requisite, adding sufficient of the broth to liquefy
it. This is the cheapest town food. In the country during the summer,
skimmed milk, sour milk, buttermilk, or whey, may be used in place of the
soup. In the winter, it is as well to give soup occasionally for a change.
Never use new Indian flour. It scours the dogs dreadfully. Old does not.
The plan I adopt is, to buy Indian corn this year for use next, store it,
and send it to grind as I require it; and as the millers have no object in
boning the old meal, returning new for it, I insure by this means no
illness from feeding in my kennel. Although Indian corn has not either so
much albumen or saccharine matter in it as oats, it does tolerably well
with broth; but when the greatest amount of work is required in a certain
given time from a certain quantity of dogs, as in a week's, fortnight's,
or month's shooting excursion, I always use oatmeal, for two
reasons:--1st, it is far more nourishing in itself, a less bulk of it
going further than corn meal:--2nd, you cannot depend on getting old meal
in the country, nor yet meat always to make soup. The dogs fed on oatmeal
porridge and milk, which you always can get, do a vast deal of work, and
have good scenting powers. Using these different articles, I calculate
each dog to cost me one shilling York currency per week, and I pay fifty
cents per bushel for Indian corn, six dollars per barrel for oatmeal
(old), one York shilling for beef head, milk three cents per quart for
new, probably, one and a half for skim. In a house there are always bones,
pota