A SELF-SUPPORTING HOME 



martins and swallows often introduce it into 

 the .barn, where it is a great source of annoy- 

 ance to cattle and horses. When empty, 

 it is almost colorless; but having sucked 

 blood, it changes to bright red, then to almost 

 brown. So close to this comes the gray or 

 red mite, or poultry tick, that they are almost 

 identical, the only difference being that the 

 poultry tick is slightly larger, and usually 

 much more plentiful. Coops that have been 

 used year after year for brooding frequently 

 harbor such quantities that baby chicks are 

 tortured to death by them. They are pale 

 grayish in color, with darker patches showing 

 through the skin. When filled, they vary 

 from dark red to almost black. 



The necessity for fighting these minute 

 pests will be apparent when it is known that 

 Dr. Woods tried the experiment of keeping 

 a dozen of the latter in a box, and that in 

 two weeks they had increased to hundreds. 



Another general mistake which causes end- 

 less trouble is the idea that a house which 



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