THE CARE OF POULTRY 39 



ration should be increased a third, and the fowls pro- 

 tected at night from drenching rains and severe 

 .storms. 



The Care of Poultry Manure — The dung of fowls 

 is a highly nitrogenous manure, and should be carefully 

 used and saved. Most of the nitrogen is in the form 

 of uric acid, and is very readily available to growing 

 plants. Weight for weight, the droppings of the hen 

 xoost are not nearly as valuable as guano, but are 

 worth much more than ordinary barn manure. Unless 

 properly preserved, the nitrogen is easily lost. Roosts 

 should have tight platforms under them, which should 

 be cleaned weekly, or oftener, and the accumulated 

 droppings mixed with a suitable absorbent and kept 

 ■under cover. By itself hen manure is a one-sided 

 nitrogenous fertilizer, and as usually managed half or 

 more of its nitrogen is lost. .As both acid phosphate 

 and kainit prevent the loss of nitrogen when mixed 

 with manure, it is possible to use them in connection 

 with sawdust or some other dry material, as an absorb- 

 ent, so as to make a well-balanced fertilizer. Good dry 

 loam will answer very nicely for this purpose. This 

 material should be spread freely on the roosting plat- 

 forms. For example, a mixture of thirty pounds hen 

 manure, ten pounds sawdust, sixteen pounds acid 

 phosphate and eight, pounds kainit would carry about 

 one and one-fourth per cent nitrogen, four and one- 

 half per cent phosphoric acid and two per cent potash. 

 Kainit or acid phosphate by itself makes the manure 

 quite sticky. 



Whitewash — Poultry houses and coops should be 

 whitewashed inside and out. All the nest boxes and 

 other fixtures should receive a coating. The ordinary 

 lime and water wash has the disadvantage of easily 

 washing off, and also sticking to and marking one's 

 clothes or whatever rubs against it. Here are some 



