AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 
of the “ mysterious” diseases that attack poultry 
during the summer can be traced to filth and 
neglect. Spade or plow up the runs several times 
during the course of the summer; hard, dry, baked 
ground is not the most desirable kind for poultry to 
range over. In cases of disease, sprinkle the 
ground with air-slaked lime or a diluted disin- 
fectant before turning under. 
August and September mark the beginning of 
the molting season—the time when all mature 
The Molting fowls throw off their old, faded, 
Period wornout plumage and take on new. 
Usually from seventy-five to one hundred days 
elapse between the beginning and the completion 
of the molt. Most hens lay very irregularly and 
infrequently during the molt, for it is drain enough 
upon their vitality to produce new feathers with- 
out producing many eggs. The early molting hens, 
therefore, make the best winter layers, because they 
will not only have entirely completed the process, 
but will also have regained their normal and full 
strength and vitality before cold weather sets in. 
Hens that commence molting in August ought to 
be in laying shape again by November or Decem- 
ber, and, if conditions are favorable, should con- 
tinue laying until spring. Hens that do not com- 
mence to molt until late, say October, not only 
will not recuperate in time to lay many eggs during 
the season of highest prices, but may also suffer 
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