Poe iN Oh HOUSE TO BUILD: 39 
well elevated is better under such conditions. If, 
however, several inches of stones or cinders are 
placed under the boards, the result will be satis- 
factory. When there is an opening under the house, 
the floor will be cold unless double boarded. Of 
course, a layer of building paper between the boards 
will help. Rats may be kept from coming through 
a double-boarded floor by putting wire with a close 
mesh between the boards. 
Cement floors may be good or bad. If laid on 
the ground, moisture is very likely to rise through 
the cement. Some experiments of this kind have 
been most unsatisfactory. If the earth is dug out 
and replaced with a layer of stones or cinders a foot 
deep, this trouble will be avoided. Cement floors 
are cold to the feet and should be covered with sev- 
eral inches of sand, with a deep litter above. If well 
made, a cement floor is durable and rat-proof and 
the cost is not great. Whatever kind of floor is 
used, it should be several inches higher than the 
ground outside, that there may be no possibility of 
water collecting on it. 
The foundation walls for the permanent poultry 
house may be made of cement to advantage, al- 
though stones are often used. A cement wall is 
