WITH 4200 HENS 51 



Laying Houses 



The laying houses are an adaptation of the Corning 

 house, 16x150 feet, shed roof, 6 feet high in back, 8 feet 

 5 inches in front. A concrete wall is used on the back 

 and on both ends, but not in front. The height of it is 

 governed by the slope of the land as suggested in the 

 chapter devoted to "Planning the Plant." The floor is of 

 3-inch concrete, medium rough finish, with a slope of 2 

 inches toward the front. The reason for this slope and 

 also for the absence of a wall in front is that the house 

 can be washed out with a hose when it is desired to 

 cleanse it thoroughly'. The front sill is raised 1 inch 

 above the concrete floor by inserting blocks under the 

 sill where the studs strike. One-half by 8-inch bolts are 

 set in the concrete both in the back wall and in the front 

 edge of the floor where the sill will rest. This fastens 

 the structure firmly in place. We use 2x3-inch stuff for 

 the sills, girth, plates, studs, and drop-board joist, and 

 2x6 inches for the rafters which are 18 feet long with a 

 6-inch eave in front and 12-inch in back. The wall 

 sheathing may be tongue and groove stuff or board and 

 batten, whichever is the cheapest. But sound lumber 

 should be used to avoid cracks. The girth (for the back 

 wall) is set 30 inches above the concrete floor, regardless 

 of where the sill strikes. This is done so that it may be 

 used for the rear joist of the drop board. 



A ventilator is set in the center of each 16 and 18-foot 

 compartment, in the back wall, under the dropboards. 

 They are 10x24 inches, covered with 2-inch netting, and 

 should have a slide or hinged door. These ventilators 

 are opened when the first hot weather comes on and re- 



