Lice, Mites, and Cleanliness. 9 
should be kept short to prevent the bugs from breeding; also dust 
the birds occasionally with flowers of sulphur, rubbing it well into 
the feathers. Club members should also hatch their chickens as 
early in the season as possible, so that: when the hot weather comes 
on, when these bugs are most troublesome, the chicks will be old 
enough to resist their attacks. | 
DUST BATH. 
It is always advisable to provide a good dust bath in which the 
fowls and chickens can dust themselves whenever they wish, as in 
doing so they help to keep the lice under control and in some in- 
stances almost free themselves from them. 
WHITEWASH. 
Whitewash is also effective in killing mites and other vermin and 
may be used freely in spraying the houses, brood coops, roosts, etc. 
In badly infested places it is advisable to clean and spray, as 
already described, and in about 48 hours follow with a good spray or 
coating of whitewash. An effective whitewash for this purpose is 
made as follows: 
Slake half a peck of lime and dilute it with 20 gallons of water; add 
1 pound of salt previously dissolved in water; to this mixture add 2 
quarts of crude carbolic acid. Apply with a spray pump or brush. 
This mixture if properly put on not only kills the mites but destroys 
all eggs, and will make the house, or any building where it is used, 
fresh and clean. 
CLEANLINESS. 
Cleanliness is of the greatest importance in keeping lice and mites, 
fleas, and other insects under control, and should have the closest 
attention of every boy and girl. The poultry houses, roosts, dropping 
boards, brood coops, and all other places that the fowls or chickens 
occupy should be kept clean. An abundance of light and fresh air 
should also be provided. While these things can not be depended on 
to keep away lice and mites, yet they make it easier to determine when 
the pests are present and help to keep the fowls healthy and vigorous, 
making them better able to withstand and to fight off the attacks of 
lice and mites. Sick or diseased fowls are always the first victims of 
these parasites, which makes it important that the fowls be kept 
healthy. 
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