I88t 



(iLi^ANiNGs In bee cuLruitE 



861 



apartment, and you want to nail some cleats 

 on so tlie roosts can be laid across from one 

 side to the other. You can put in two roost- 

 ing-poles, or three, according to tlie size of 

 your hogshead or the size of your fowls. If 

 you have Brahmas, two roosting-poles will 

 probably be as many as are needed : if Leg- 

 horns, you can put in three very well. 



The barrel on the right-hand side is the 

 nest-room. Some leaves or straw inside of 

 it makes the nest. The two nail-kegs fac- 

 ing us are for entrances. We need two, be- 

 cause this opening is seldom or never closed; 

 and we want a good big heap of dry earth 

 over it, so the frost won't get in very far. 

 On the left is our box containing the water- 

 pail. Tins, also, is to be banked well with 

 soft fine soil ; all the other openings are to be 

 closed with bits of boards or shingles, or 

 whatever is handy. Now pack straw around 

 over the whole arrangement, between the 

 tubs, and anywhere that dirt might be like- 

 ly to sift through. Then get your spades 

 and shovels, and pitch on the dirt. You 

 want to get it on nicely, and in such a way 

 as to look, when finislied, like the picture 

 below. 



the end of the barrel, and held fast by a 

 stone or some other arrangement. Of 

 course, you gather the eggs from this open- 

 ing. The entrance to the box containing 

 the water-pail is fixed in a similar way 

 when the weather is very cold. The dining- 

 room is to be covered with any old window- 

 sash you can pick up. As the ground 

 slopes a little to the south, the tops of tlie 

 tubs will slope to the south enough to carry 

 off water. 



In the center of the dining-room is the 

 dining-table. It is a funny sort of table, 

 however, for it is made of a round tin can, 

 high enough up so rats and mice can not 

 jump into it. You can sink it into the 

 ground a little, if you want it tall enough to 

 liold a good supply of feed. Into this di- 

 ning-table (or dining-can, if you choose) 

 you are to put oats, corn, wheat, buckwheat, 

 if you have it, culled beans, boiled until 

 they are soft, scraps from the table, and as 

 much of a variety as you can afford for the 

 occupants. To make the dining-room pleas- 

 ant, you want nice things on the table. I 

 wonder if the boys and girls have ever dis- 

 covered this fact. Perhaps you have found 



on; AVINIKK 1'<»T'LTKV 



Now, please notice, you must dig down 

 all around imtil you get at least six inches 

 below the floor of the house inside ; then let 

 the entrance slope downward, so no wind or 

 water will be running into it. The opening 

 to the egg-apartment, also, should slant 

 dow'nward for the'same reason. When the 

 weather is so very cold there is great danger 

 of the eggs freezing, you can have a chaff 

 cushion put into this opening. The board 

 that lies right over it is to be placed against 



IXtLLAR. 



out already that my plan of feeding fowls 

 is to leave feed right by them, all the time. 

 I do like to see plump-looking '' biddies ; "' 

 and wiien I catch a young rooster, to be 

 prepared for dinner (so he will be nice 

 when we get liome from Sunday-school on 

 Sunday afternoon), I want one tliat is not 

 all skin and bones, and my plan of feeding 

 fills the bill exactly ; and I think the best 

 way to make hens lay is to give them plenty 

 to eat; that is. while they have unlimited 



