98 Poultry' s Place in a Rotation. 



Johnson finds it cheaper to put the six feet under roof than to 

 make the hens run outdoors for some of the space. The 

 houses are made of one thickness of matched boarding with one 

 thickness of tarred paper inside. Abundant window-space is left 

 in the south side. Mr. Johnson likes a floor of concrete better 

 than any other material. The floors are kept well covered with 

 chopped marsh-hay in which the hens scratch and play con- 

 stantly. This hay must be changed every week at least, and the 

 whole floor swept off before new hay is put in. Directly under 

 the window is placed a large, shallow box containing dry road- 

 dust. In this the hens stretch and rub themselves every day with 

 great satisfaction. The roosts are arranged at each end of the 

 house, about as shown in figure A. They are about three 



feet from the 

 floor at the lowest 

 end. The sloping 

 platform is about 

 one foot below the 

 roosts. The drop- 

 pings fall on this 

 platform and roll 

 down into the gut- 

 ter. The platform 

 and gutter are 



FIG. A. sprinkled every day 



with road-dust, in 



which a little carbolic acid has been mixed. Twice a week 

 the platform is scraped off and the droppings are carried out 

 and put in a house by themselves where they are thoroughly 

 mixed with plaster. The inside of the house is frequently 

 whitewashed with a wash containing a little carbolic acid. 

 If the carbolic acid about the platform and roosts does not 

 keep lice away, the roosts are washed with kerosene and the 

 hens are caught and dusted with sulphur. The nests' are neat 

 and clean each one provided with a china nest-egg. They 

 are built under the manure-platform, the darkest place in the 



