AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 
makes it easier to get after lice and mites. Soap 
boxes or similar boxes, which any one can secure 
of the family grocer, cost little and are perfectly 
satisfactory. The nest boxes may be of any rea- 
sonable depth, but if more than six or eight inches 
deep it is best to have one side partially cut away 
so the hens can enter without jumping down upon 
the eggs which may be in the nest. A quiet, 
secluded place is very desirable for the nests; the 
hens prefer to deposit their eggs in apparent con- 
cealment, and in a rather dark place they are less 
likely to disturb the contents of the nest and break 
the eggs. One nest for every three or four hens is 
sufficient. 
Nesting Material. J like excelsior about the 
best of anything we have ever used for nesting 
material, and advise its use. Hay and straw 
(especially the former) are usually too coarse and 
unyielding to be comfortable to the body of the 
hen. Hay chaff makes a comfortable nest, but 
the hens are liable to scratch in it for the seeds 
it contains. Use cedar excelsior, as this has a 
tendency to keep down lice and mites. The old 
nesting material should be removed every few 
months and burned and replaced with fresh; this 
not only keeps the nests clean, but also destroys 
vermin, filth and vermin being detrimental to suc- 
cess with poultry business. 
Trap Nests. These are designed to distinguish 
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