1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



647 



It has been reported, as you may know, that 

 somebody once asked Darwin if he believed that 

 the Creator had ever given us any revelation from 

 the future and spirit world, and he replied he 

 was unable to find any such evidence satisfactory 

 to himself. Some writers have claimed from 

 this that he rejected the Bible and its teachings. 

 I do not take it so. I have read over and over 

 what he said, and I think he intended to convey 

 the idea that, since the day of miracles, or aside 

 from the revelation of the Scriptures, he could 

 find no evidence of any reliable communication 

 from the spirit world. I heartily agree with him 

 in that. What I have just been telling you about 

 has no reference to spiritualism. I do not believe 

 I shall ever have any leaning in that direction; 

 but again and again have devoted Christians told 

 me that, after the death of one of the near and 

 dear ones, God had sent the comforting influences 

 of the Holy Spirit in a way that was just wonder- 

 ful. My own good mother frequently referred 

 to it after the death of my father. She said she 

 almost felt his presence near her, and so perhaps 

 I have inherited something of the same sort. 



In the 16th chapter of John you will notice 

 Jesus has much to say about sending the Com- 

 forter after his ascension. Now, can we not in 

 closing find additional happiness and comfort in 

 going over once more the words of our text.? 



"I am the resurrection and the life. He that 

 believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall 

 he live; and whoso liveth and believeth in me 

 shall never die. Belie^'est thou this?^^ 



CHICKENS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, AND FOR EL- 

 DERLY MEN AND WOMEN, ESPECIALLY THOSE 

 WHO LIVE IN CITIES AND TOWNS. 



I take great pleasure, friends, in showing you 

 a beautiful picture of one of Mr. Philo's houses 

 for six hens, see p. 638. These fowls are a strain of 

 White Orpingtons. They have been kept in 

 these little houses indoors for five generations. 

 They will not go out and run away, even if the door 

 is left open, or at least they did not when I was 

 there. This is the more remarkable because the 

 house is only 3 feet wide, 6 long, and 4 high — 5 

 feet to the peak of the roof. Of course, the pro- 

 prietor is not supposed to go inside of the house, 

 as the lower story is only 2 feet high, and he 

 might bump his head, although the chickens do 

 not. But the houses are so arranged that he can 

 easily reach every foot of space inside, keep it 

 clean, get the eggs, pat the biddies on the back, 

 give them a kind word, etc. The same building 

 will answer for chickens of all ages. 



Well, the first week or two such houses will 

 accommodate 50 or 100 chicks very nicely. 

 When they are too much crowded, just put half 

 of them in a similar house, and so on. Friend 

 Philo thinks one gets enough more eggs with only 

 six laying hens in a house to save the cost of the 

 extra house. If managed properly, one ought to 

 get six eggs a day a good deal of the time; but 

 if you had a house large enough to hold sixty, 

 how long would you have to wait before you got 

 sixty in a day.'' 



The picture is so plain that it almost explains 

 itself. There are doors to the lower story, both 

 front and back. These doors can be held open 

 with a hook so as to give shade when the fowls 



need it. Then the poultry-netting frame can be 

 moved out so as to make a little yard both sides 

 of the house. This is an advantage in giving 

 them green food, for lettuce, oats, rape, or other 

 vegetables may be planted in this ground for 

 their special entertainment. 



The front roof is in two parts so you can open 

 one to get the eggs without opening the wliole 

 roof. The two frames, one covered with cloth 

 and the other with poultry-netting, slide back out 

 of the way. The cloth gives them air without 

 two much of a draft; and it also shades them 

 from tke sun when too warm. It gives them 

 more light than when the roof is left on. The 

 gable in full view is also covered with cloth. In 

 winter time an extra cloth tacked on a frame is 

 put over this end, making a dead-air space, and 

 still giving them an abundance of air. The low- 

 er part is all used for scratching-pens. The wa- 

 ter and food are upstairs, as are the nests. While 

 in Florida I found it quite tiresome to stoop down 

 to the ground to gather the eggs, especially where 

 they were hidden in the bushes or inside of a bar- 

 rel or other like places. Now, with, this arrange- 

 ment you can get the eggs while standing up 

 straight. The roosts for six hens and a rooster 

 are placed over a light pan of galvanized iron. 

 There is a handle to this pan so you can take it 

 it in one hand and lift out the droppings in the 

 fraction of a minute. The bottom of the pan 

 is kept covered with a little dry dust, or, better 

 still, pulverized peat, or swamp muck, that will 

 make the droppings all come off from the pan 

 and leave it perfectly clean. 



Now, these buildings need not be expensive. 

 You will notice the front door where it is turned 

 up is cheap half-inch lumber. This lumber is 

 covered with a good quality of building-paper. 

 The whole thing is so light that it can be easi- 

 ly moved along so as to give the fowls fresh 

 ground once a week or oftener if you choose. 



Now, then, friends, what girl or boy would not 

 be captivated by such a handsome little poultry- 

 house containing laying hens or chickens of dif- 

 ferent ages, or all together if you choose.'' When 

 you live out in the country, where hens can 

 run out without annoying the neighbors, I think 

 you can keep a dozen or more in one of these lit- 

 tle houses. 



There are quite a few poultry-keepers nowa- 

 days who claim they get more eggs from fowls 

 in confinement, where properly supplied with all 

 their needs, than they do where the fowls run 

 loose. I suspect, however, that a small yard for 

 each little house will be better still. 



But one thing should impress itself upon all 

 who are keeping poultry. We who are followers 

 of the Lord Jesus Christ should not keep fowls 

 nor any thing else to the annoyance of our neigh- 

 bors. Years ago my good old friend "Aunt 

 Margaret "said in substance, " Mr. Root, if chick- 

 ens make my neighbor to offend, I will keep no 

 chickens while the world standeth. " Then she 

 promptly sold every last one, and kept no more. 

 I really felt ashamed of myself, and was sorry I 

 had complained, even if her poultry did get over 

 on to our flagstone walks and annoy us. With 

 the above little house, and fowls kept inside or in 

 a secure little yard, there is no danger of their 

 being troublesome to the neighbors or anybody 

 else. 



