362 THE VILLA GARDENEE. 



is put into one of the lowei* tier of boxes for tlie hen to sit on ; and she should 

 be supplied with food and water in the house, to prevent her from leaving her 

 eggs for more than a few minutes at a time. Some authors direct the laying- 

 boxes to be always raised 3 ft. from the ground ; but this is unnecessary if 

 only a few fowls are kept, and the floor is quite dry, and where the hens have 

 a different house for laying in, from that in which they roost. As the floor of 

 the laying-house will not be so dirty as that of the roosting-house, and as a 

 moist floor would occasion cramp, and consequently death to the young 

 chickens, it should never be washed, but only strewed with clean sand every 

 day, the dirty sand of the previous day being first swept out. 



442. Warming the houses for common fotvls. — Wherever it is intended to 

 have an abundant svipply of eggs in the winter season, provision should be 

 made for supplying artificial heat to all the houses occupied by the common 

 fowls. The temperature required should not be less than 60", because in no 

 case do fowls lay more abundantly than in common cottages, where they may 

 be said to live with the family, and where the temperature vai-ies in the winter 

 season from 50° to 70°. The means of supplying heat may be a smoke flue 

 conducted along the back and sides of each of the houses (but not along the 

 front, as it would interfere with the entrance) ; or hot-water pipes may be 

 used in a similar manner ; or there may be a small stove in each house. By a 

 little contrivance one fire may be made to heat three or four houses. It may 

 also sometimes happen that the common fowl-houses may be built over a cow- 

 house, or over a dung-pit ; or what might frequently be the case, a lining of 

 dung might be heaped up, when the artificial heat was wanted, along the out- 

 side of the back wall of the fowl-houses. In general, the difficulty is not so 

 much in contriving means of heating, as in convincing persons who keep 

 fowls, that artificial heat is necessary to induce them to lay. Everybody 

 knows that eggs are cheaper at Midsummer than at Christmas ; though but 

 few people are aware that the only reason for this is, the increased warmth of 

 the former season. 



443. ^ fattening-hoiise for common fowls may be of the same dimensions 

 as the roosling-house and the laying-house Where the fowls are fattened in 

 coops, these should be placed round the walls ; but, as we recommend the free 

 method of fattening, that is allowing them to be at liberty, with plenty of food 

 to eat when they please, we consider no furniture necessary, farther than some 

 roosting-poles, which may be placed round the walls at the distance of 3 or 4 

 feet from the ground, and vessels for containing the food and water, which 

 may be set in the middle of the floor. In front of the fattening-house there 

 should be a space enclosed as a yard, for the fowls to take exercise in ; and in 

 this yard they may always be fed in mild weather. 



444. The turkey-house may very properly adjoin the common poultry- 

 house, and it need not differ from it in any particular, except that all the 

 details of fitting up may be one fourth part larger. The opening at the top 

 of the outside stair should be one-fourth higher, and one-fourth wider ; and 

 the roosting-poles should be 2 ft. apart. There should be a laying-house, in 

 which the boxes may be 2 ft. square, and also a feeding-house with a 

 feeding-yard. 



445. Houses for Guinea fowls and pea fowls are not wanted, as these birds 

 can seldom be brought either to roost or lay in any regular house. An open 

 shed or a tree will generally be found their roosting-placc, and if the poultry 



