90 FRUIT RAXCHIXG. 



by wire netting across the front, thus affords a dry 

 run and scratching-place for the pouhry during the 

 snowy weeks of winter. A shding door in the vertical 

 part of the floor and a ladder enable the fowls to go 

 from the upper to the lower storey, and at night it 

 is only necessary to close the sliding door, and they 

 are perfectly safe from every kind of vermin or other 

 enemy. Two doors in the end of the house give 

 access, one to the run underneath, the other by steps 

 to the upper storey. Room is found for the nests at 

 the end opposite to the upper door and between the 

 windows. 



I have said that the dwelling-house is connected 

 with Nelson by a waggon road. The last half-mile of 

 this at our end is at present a true mountain road; 

 that is to say, it runs up and down, and has several 

 steep gradients, while the watercourses, being uncon- 

 fined, have in many places worn the stones bare, so 

 that they stick up like big knuckles, or the joint-bones 

 of a skeleton of rock. All this proved very trying to 

 our vehicles during the first winter. Before the snow 

 came we used a light waggon ; after it came, we made 

 use of sleighs, one a big, heavy thing requiring both 

 horses to haul it, the other a light box, drawn by one 

 horse. Altogether, during that winter we had no fewer 

 than nine breakages with these vehicles. Even the light 

 " delivery sleigh," which I bought new-, broke on two 

 successive journeys. As soon as the snow had dis- 

 appeared, I w'as able to induce the Provincial Govern- 

 ment Agent to improve the road a little by filling in 

 the worst hollows and cutting back the track in places 

 where it had a dangerous outward slope. This road 

 is, however, to be very much further improved. 



