10 



FARMERS BULLETIN 574. 



the house in the vicinity of Washington, D. 0. (latitude 40 N.), on 

 January 1, is given in the accompanying table. 



FLOOR. 



The best kind of a floor depends upon the soil and the use of the 

 house. On light, sandy, well-drained soils a dirt floor is satisfactory, 

 especially for small or colony henhouses. Such floors should be from 

 2 to 6 inches higher than the outside ground surface, and it is advisa- 

 ble to renew them each year by removing the 'contaminated surface 

 down to clean soil, and to refill with fresh sand or fine gravel and 

 earth. A board floor is generally used where the level of the floor 

 in the house is from 1 to 3 feet above the ground surface and in porta- 

 ble houses on land which is not well drained. Board floors harbor 

 rats and rot quickly, and should be raised some distance off the 

 ground so that cats or dogs can get under them, which also allows a 

 free circulation of air to prevent the wood from rotting. Cement 

 floors are adapted to long permanent buildings, brooder houses, 

 incubator cellars, and to all permanent houses where an artificial 

 floor is required and can be built on the ground level. These floors 

 are easy to clean, very sanitary, rat proof, and comparatively inex- 

 pensive, if one has a supply of gravel or sharp sand. 

 Bill of material for colony growing coop. 



PARTITIONS. 



The lower 3 feet of all partitions may be solid, entirely across the 

 pen, or solid partitions across the houses may be made every 30 or 35 

 feet, depending upon the length of the house. Solid partitions closer 

 than this are unnecessary and interfere with free circulation of air in 

 warm weather. 



ROOSTS AND DROPPING BOARDS. 



The interior fixtures of the pens should be simple, portable, and 

 inexpensive. Roosts are usually placed next to the end or back 



