120 Farm Poultry 



not so effective either as transmitters of light or 

 as ventilators. Their use, however, is to be com- 

 mended even though they may require somewhat fre- 

 quent renewals. Houses have been constructed 

 with a straw ceiling as an aid to ventilation. They 

 are constructed as follows: A gable-roofed house 

 is floored over with narrow boards placed a few inches 



FIG. 42. A combined muslin and open front house Cornell University. 



apart at the height of the plate or a little higher. 

 These boards are then covered with clean straw 

 to the depth of eight inches or a foot. The space 

 between the straw and the roof is ventilated by means 

 of open windows in the ends of the building. The 

 heated air of the building will pass up through the 

 straw and out at the windows. This may work 

 nicely under certain conditions but unless other 

 means are used for ventilating it will be found to 



