FOR SOFT FEED. 211 



#, which runs the whole length of the feed trough, to 

 hold the feed and to keep the birds from wasting it. 

 The door is guided by passing between b and c. The 

 floor, a, is nailed to the crosspiece, o, which is spiked to 

 a short post. Of course, there are boards and wire net- 

 ting to keep the birds from getting under the floor, a, 

 and from flying above the slats; but as these do not 

 directly concern the feeding apparatus they were omitted 

 from the cut. The wire should be kept constantly taut 

 by a weight of one to three pounds attached to each 

 end, where the wire should pass over a pulley wheel 

 about six inches in diameter. The weight furthest from 

 the operator should meet a shelf and find rest at the 

 same instant the doors, d, strike the ground, the weight 

 remaining on this shelf until the operator pulls the wire 

 again. The weight near the operator should be only 

 just heavy enough to take up the slack of the wire. 



