THE SEASONS AS AFFECTING POULTRY 
ling the ground with water. A patch of sunflowers 
growing in the yard make good shade, and the 
seed will ripen at a time when especially valuable 
to feed to molting fowls. Shrubs or bushes in the 
yards also make good shade, while vines may be 
trained along the fences or on frames in the yards. 
Cleanliness always is a very important factor in 
successful poultry culture, and needs special atten- 
tion during hot weather. Not only the fixtures, but 
also the houses and yards must be kept free from 
filth and in a perfectly sanitary condition. The 
droppings had best be removed each morning, as 
they are smeary and make more foul odor in the 
house during warm weather than at any other 
time. The roosting quarters must be well venti- 
lated; fowls will thrive better and be more health- 
ful in warm weather sleeping out in the open, on 
trees or fences, than in a stuffy, ill-ventilated and 
foul-smelling poultry house; therefore, keep the 
doors and windows open as much as possible. 
In the yards, animal and vegetable matter will 
decompose rapidly, and should not be allowed to 
accumulate. Have a general clean-up of the prem- 
ises once a week, and burn or deeply bury all the 
decaying material; don’t rake it up in a pile in a 
corner of the yard and leave it to decay and rot, 
a breeding place for disease and vermin. All old 
litter, nesting material, etc., should also be burned 
as soon as removed from the house or coops. Most 
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