2IO Bulletin 246. 



should be exercised in installing the heater as any loose fitting connec- 

 tions would cause leakage of gases into the hover. 



The hover is made of seven-eighths inch matched pine flooring, 

 planed both surfaces, and is held to the back of the house with detach- 

 able hinges as shown by Plate II, Fig. i, and Plate IV. It can be raised 

 and held up out of the way with a hook and eye or may be entirely 

 removed while cleaning the floor of the house. (Fig. 63.) The front 

 is supported by two pieces of broom stick serving as legs at each corner. 

 It is enclosed by a double curtain of table oilcloth, unfinished surfaces 

 together, reaching to within one inch of the floor. This is made into a 

 fringe by a series of vertical slits four inches apart, extending upward six 

 inches. The slits in the outer thickness of the curtain are made to break 

 joints with those of the inner. (Plate IV, Fig. 2.) Table oilcloth is 

 used in place of felt or woven cloth because the chicks eat the felt and 

 are likely to become entangled in the ravellings from the woven cloth. 

 It is also easier to keep clean. A hole is bored four and one-half inches 

 from the front of the hover and the thermometer inserted so that the bulb 

 is within three inches of the floor. (Plate IV, Fig. 2 and Figs. 63, 76 

 and ']'].') 



The gasoline tank is put in place by cutting a circular opening eight 

 and one-eighth inches in diameter through the rear gable of the house. 

 The inner end of the tank is supported by a piece of i x 6 inch board 

 hollowed out to fit the can and fastened to the rafters. (Plate I and 

 Plate II, Fig. 2, Plate III, Fig. i and Plate IV, Fig. 2.) It is secured 

 at the rear end by nailing the square galvanized iron collar to the outside 

 of the house (Plate II, Fig. 2 and Plate XV, Fig. 3), and at the inner 

 end by wiring to the 1x6 inch support. The iron piping is now fitted 

 together and the burner connected. (Plate III, Fig. i, and Plate II.) 

 All threads are well soaped over with soft soap before screwing together. 

 When the burner is in place is should be so located as to be directly 

 underneath the center of the stem. (Plate I.) 



Figs. 65 and 66 show the colony house completed. These types of 

 fronts seem to be the best, all things considered, that we have tested. 

 (Fig. 75 shows two other types of fronts used.) The runners, as shown, 

 are 12 inches high and are placed in the front and rear of the house. 

 Runners six inches high have been tried with satisfactory results. The 

 runners may be placed on the sides instead of the ends. This is some- 

 times advisable when the houses are to be used in orchards, because it 

 allows the house to be drawn between the rows of trees with less danger 

 of striking. Whatever the height of the runner, the burner box should 

 be taken out before moving the house. If left in it might be bent out of 

 shape by striking stones or uneven places in the land. To remove burner 



