FOR ALL CLIMATES 25 



H. H. Stoddard in The Poultry World for September, 1876, 

 said : 



"We cannot be over-mindful of the facts that clear fresh air 

 continuously, pure clean water for drink, and untainted food and 

 quarters, are highly promotive of the health of poultry, and at 

 all seasons. But we are constrained, again to affirm that of all 

 these, pure air for them to breathe is of the first and last import- 

 ance towards their continuous health and thrift." 



In 1910, in a personal letter to the author, H. H. Stoddard 

 wrote : 



"Shake, Doctor ! You are in it ! I don't know whether you stop 

 to pat yourself on the back very much or not, but it is fair to 

 presume that it is pleasant for you to reflect that now, and for 

 ages, thousands and millions and billions of pairs of lungs will 

 push and pull a volume of fresh air, minus carbon dioxide, that 

 will equal a volume of the atmosphere over an empire, and a wave 

 of good hearty animal happiness will roll, like the British drumbeat 

 encircling the earth and ceasing not so long as there is civilization 

 and the keeping of domestic animals ! 



"I write with some ardor on this fresh air biz for reasons I will 

 proceed to set down. For fifteen j^ears or more I read nothing on 

 poultry. Lost the run of things entirely. Then read E. P. J. files 

 through 1909. Learned more of importance, I can truthfully say, 

 from your pen than from all my previous reading of poultry 

 books and papers put together. 



"My interest in the anti-tuberculosis crusade, and the wonderful 

 vigor imparted by the open windows o'nights practice to well peo- 

 ple, made me read carefully your statements. I determined to 

 open two big doors to my poultry house. Now, here is an import- 

 ant thing. The oldest residents (about fifty yeBocs is the limit since 

 exclusive Pawnee occupation here in this part of Nebraska have 

 never experienced so severe a winter. Tor six weeks the cold had 

 no let-up. For twelve mornings in succession, by a very strange 

 uniformity, my thermometer said 5 degrees below, almost to a 

 hair. Previous to that, and afterwards, it was every morning 

 from zero to 18 degrees below, in the whole six weeks period. 

 My house doors stood open on the east and the perches were not 

 way back from the opening. House, a barn really, so wide, long 

 and high that animal heat couldn't warm it to amount to anything. 



"I expected frozen combs would compel me to stop the experi- 

 ment. Had very large, freezable combs. None froze ! Birds 

 very bright, active and healthy. Water left by mistake froze six 

 inches in one night. 



