No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUKE. 291 



}tro\ided on the same general principle and for tlie same reason lliat 

 tlie winter gardener provides certain surroundings and artificialities 

 in imitation of the proper seasons, plant foods, etc., with this differ- 

 ence, however, that the preparation to keep hens for winter-laying 

 should not entail anything like the expense incident to winter gard- 

 ening. The latter requires artificial temperature and light, a con- 

 stant expense; but heating of this kind is not necessary with winter- 

 layers — in fact, is ratlier to be rigidly avoided. Many, very many, 

 utter failures in the general poultry business can be laid directly 

 to the use of artificial heat and glass. No greater mistake was ever 

 made as to general principles. 



The building of the houses is one of the most important things 

 in the poultry business to make poultry profitable. In my travels 

 among the poultrymeu I have seen houses of every shape and kind. 

 I have seen those that cost -fo for each fifty birds and those that 

 cost fnOO for the same number, homes that were almost palaces 

 and those that were hovels. There are extremes in everything. 

 We have found, in the inspection of these houses of different make, 

 that the low house, with little head room, is where we find the 

 healthiest and best plumaged birds. We have also found in the 

 inspection of different houses where the most were hooded, the birds 

 liave come through the winter of the north in best condition. A 

 very safe and practical house for general purposes, is one 20 feet 

 long and 10 feet wide and 3-|- feet at back and 7 feet in front, the 

 ends and back being of single ploughed and grooved pine boards, 

 with a hemlock board roof covered with tarred paper. In the front 

 is a board one foot wide on top and bottom, and the balance of the 

 front being frame covered with heavy ducking, and the frame, or 

 door is hinged at the top so as to be opened up on the inside. The 

 nests are at the back of the house and are hooded with heavy 

 ducking, and this hood should be dropped down every night. Do 

 not sell your foundation stock when once you gained a victory and 

 your stock is good; it is unwise to sell or dispose of the seat of suc- 

 cess. Do not sell your winning birds unless vou are sure vou 

 have a better one to take the place. 



FERTILE EGGS AND INCUBATORS. 



Eggs are seeds; seeds are eggs. Both are propagators of their 

 kind, producing an offspring identical to the parent; for the greater 

 is included in the less. If the parent be strong and healthy the off- 

 spring will have the same qualities, provided, in the case of the 

 artificially jn'oduced chick, that the conditions are proper for its 

 development. This much is generally known and recognized. But 

 most people fail to recognize the fact that weak, unhealthy parental 

 stock produces weak, unhealthy offspring, regardless of the incu- 

 bator, should it succeed in hatching, but generallj^ it has not 



