plentiful supply of loose straw is kept, to encourage the birds to 

 scratch and thereby get exercise. In August the straw is all cleaned 

 out ; and the sand, so far as it appears to be soiled, say, to a depth of 

 four or five inches, is all taken out, and fresh sand put in its place. 

 It is advisable to do this in August, so that the sand may become per- 

 fectly dry before the winter sets in. No straw is placed on top of 

 the sand until the time comes to close the birds up for the winter. 

 The windows of the hen-house proper are open every day. Of course, 

 when the weather is stormy or bitterly cold they are open only for 

 15 minutes or half an hour in the middle of the day. When the sun 

 is shining brightly they may be left open for some hours. This 

 thoroughly ventilates the hen-houses, dries up all moisture, and keeps 

 the place clean and sweet. The .screen in front of the scratching- 

 shed is let down only on very cold days, and when the weather is 

 cold and stormy, the idea being to keep the open shed dry where the 

 birds take exercise in the open air. 



This method of housing poultry keeps the stock in the most 

 vigorous health ; and this is the secret of Mr. Baldwin's success in 

 obtaining a plentiful supply of fertile eggs. He began incubating in 

 January last, and out of 1,100 White Wyandotte eggs set during the 

 season he obtained 66 per cent, of chicks. The runs of his hen-houses 

 extend to the north and west of his buildings, as it best suits the 

 shape of his lot. The runs are in most cases placed to the south of 

 the building ; and sometimes, where it is possible, they are extended 

 north and south, and are used alternately. From the practical exper- 

 ience of five years' use of the building, Mr. Baldwin's opinion is that 

 it is well adapted in this section of the country for keeping breeding 

 stock and maintaining it in most vigorous health, which is the 

 foundation of success. He keeps only White Wyandottes, and thinks 

 that the building would, perhaps, be too cold for the more delicate 

 breeds, although he at one time kept White Leghorns in it with con- 

 siderable success. In one phenomenal hatch of Leghorn eggrs he 

 secured fl5 chicks from 95 fertile eggs, out of a total setting of 100 

 eggs. This affords some idea of the vigor of the stock, and the fertility 

 of the eggs secured from birds kept in hen-houses erected on this 

 plan. Mr. Baldwin believes that many who have adopted the scratch- 

 ing-shed hen house have adjusted windows to the front of the scratch- 

 ing- shed in place of the screen ; and this might be an advantage, 

 especially in sections of the country where the weather is more severe 

 than in Toronto. 



Cost of the Building. 



He estimates the cost of his building at $250, allowing for his 

 own time ; but on account of the increased cost of lumber and labor, 

 a similar building would now cost about $300. The cost, of course, 

 depends upon the facilities for obtaining material and labor. He 



