POULTRY HOUSES. 3 



quartering either on the ground, or still better, upon a 

 "footing" made by a row of bricks laid side by side, and 

 halve or mortise all the uprights into the sills. There must 

 be an upright at the corner of the house, and for a door- 

 post, and at the gate in the shed, and its corner, and 

 wherever else needed for strength. A horizontal timber 

 will run all along the top of the front, and on to this and 

 the back piece on the wall the rafters will be spiked down. 

 The boards may be either tongued, or must be caulked by 

 driving string into the chinks, or laths tacked over the 

 latter. Tongued boards are best, and look neatest. The 

 door must fit well, or rather, should be made so as to lap 

 over the timbers all round. 



Single boards are ample for ordinary English climate, 

 but are not enough for the north or for America. More 

 warmth can be got, when necessary, in several ways. 

 Matting can be tacked inside in winter, but unless re- 

 moved in warmer months, harbours vermin. Roofing felt 

 is better, the tarry smell repelling insects. But the best 

 plan of all, and which is also cool in hot weather, is to nail 

 a skin of thinner match-boarding on the inside of the 

 timbers both of walls and roof, leaving an air-space between. 

 This makes a very warm house. 



For roofing there are many materials. Loose tiles 

 answer for the southern half of England, and provide 

 ample ventilation ; but in high latitudes the house would 

 be far too cold, as is also the case with galvanised iron 

 used alone, and which does not ventilate. Boarded or ceiled 

 under, either makes a good roof. Wood alone also makes 

 a good roof. Feather-edge boards may be overlapped 

 horizontally, and tarred periodically, or thicker boards, 

 tongued or plain, may be laid edge to edge from the 

 highest point to the eaves. This should be coated with hot 

 gas tar in which a pound of pitch to the gallon is dissolved. 



