39 



some kinds of litter the droppings cannot be allowed to accumu- 

 late. Dry leaves I have found better than anything else, if one 

 has them in sufficient quantity to keep the litter always deep on 

 the floor of the houses. In England many farmers use peat moss, 

 and allow droppings to accumulate in it for nearly a year. In 

 Rhode Island the colony-plan poultry farmers set a board on edge 

 on the floor just forward of the outer roost, and throw dry earth, 

 a few shovelfuls at a time, from the other side of the floor on the 

 accumulating droppings. This accumulation of earth and drop- 

 pings is removed once or twice a year. Poultry manure normally 

 is of such character that if one takes proper care of it where it 

 falls in the house it is not necessary that it should be promptly 

 removed; and the small farmer, taking advantage of this fact, 

 can arrange his roosts and their surroundings so that he can clean 

 when convenient. He is not required to choose between taking 

 time to clean the houses daily or having houses in condition to be 

 ashamed of. 



Poultry keeping ought to be an important feature on every farm, 

 and a pleasant feature of farm work. It may be, if the farmer 

 will only study to adapt his stock and his methods to the capacity 

 of the farm under conditions satisfactory to him. 



