108 The Business Hen. 



stirring. Have the caustic soda dissolved in water and stir it in with 

 the lime and sulphur. This makes a reddish brown mixture, and when 

 the proper amount of water is added it may be sprayed in the house or 

 scrubbed on with a brush or broom. It is a biting wash, and will burn 

 the skin where it touches, but it is sure death to lice, and will hold its 

 killing power for weeks. It is far better than common whitewash, either 

 lime alone or with carbolic acid. A few sprayings with this wash will 

 kill out the mites and give the hens comfort. 



BODY LICE. — These are larger insects that remain upon the hen, 

 the eggs being laid on the feathers. They are not so dangerous as the 

 mites, for a healthy hen provided with a good "dust bath" will get rid of 

 most of them. When hens become feeble or unable to dust, the body lice 

 do great damage. Some of the larger breeds do not use the dust bath 

 regularly, and their feathers are thick and heavy. In Winter some poultry- 

 men go so far as to warm the dusting box by using an iron bottom with 

 a lamp under it. Lime mixed with the dust helps destroy the lice, but 

 takes the gloss from the plumage. "Insect powder," tobacco dust or 

 sulphur dusted through the feathers destroy the lice. There are sev- 

 eral devices for dusting hens rapidly. One of them works like a barrel 

 churn. The hen is put inside with a quantity of powder and turned over 

 and over several times so that the powder works all through her feathers. 

 Grease or fat will destroy the lice. A mixture of lard and sulphur, or 

 equal parts of lard and kerosene smeared under the wings, around the 

 vent and on the head and neck will protect the hen. The head lice which 

 attack little chicks are overcome by smearing with lard and sulphur, butter 

 or even cream, but as is stated elsewhere, the chick may be killed if too 

 much grease is used. We give some space to the question of vermin, but 

 it is an important one. Lice are probably responsible for more poultry 

 failures than any other single trouble. With a fair use of insect powder 

 and the lime and sulphur wash this fearful loss may be prevented. 

 TONICS FOR POULTRY. 



When fowls are doing well it is not usually good policy to stimulate 

 them with drugs of any kind. A legion of nostrums in the way of "egg 

 foods" and "condition powders" has been offered poultry keepers from 

 time to time. While there may be a small measure of merit in some ot 

 them all probably do more harm than good in the long run. Good general 

 care, intelligent feeding and keen observation of the immediate needs of 

 each fowl are the keynotes of success in poultry culture. There are times, 

 however, when fowls, young and old, languish or lose the keen edge ot 

 their appetites and others when it seems advisable to force egg production 

 to the utmost that simple remedies, between food and medicine, in their 

 effects may be really useful. A few notes on the best of these tonics are 

 appended. 



