96 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 
A spray pump is a great convenience as well as a 
saver of time. An air sprayer, which may be pur- 
chased for less than eight dollars, is especially de- 
sirable, for it may be charged with a few strokes of 
the plunger and then slung over the shoulder by a 
strap, while the operator guides the stream in any 
desired direction and regulates it with a thumb 
screw. Whitewash may be used in this machine, 
if it is mixed thin, and the amount of time needed 
to cover the walls greatly reduced. Incidentally, a 
spray pump may also be used to advantage in the 
garden when insect pests make their appearance. 
When the no-yard system is followed, the floor 
must be kept covered with litter at all times, for 
the hens must be induced to exercise. And of 
course there must be water always at hand, for 
each laying hen averages to drink half a pint a day 
when the weather is warm. The water dish ought 
to be refilled several times a day in Summer, if this 
is feasible, in order that the hens may find the water 
palatable. In Winter, the water is likely to freeze 
after a short exposure to the cold. Water as warm 
as the hand can be borne in it may be given, in 
order to lengthen the time which will elapse before 
it turns to ice. 
