152 THE BEGINNER IN POULTRY 



The West Virginia Experiment Station was one of 

 the earliest to show especial interest in poultry. For 

 many years, Professor Atwood has been working stead- 

 ily at poultry puzzles. I think he was the first to insist 

 that eggs should be weighed at intervals during incuba- 

 tion, in order to determine whether or not the air mois- 

 ture were sufficient. Although not much attention was 

 given his views at first, the general trend on the mois- 

 ture question is bringing the people who study these 

 questions in the direction of his thought, and they are 

 discussing it with more appreciation now than at any 

 previous time. The West Virginia Station has put out 

 a Bulletin of Poultry Housing, by Professor Atwood, 

 which consists largely of the description of an open- 

 front laying house, which, he says, is well adapted to 

 West Virginia conditions. It is really a multiplication 

 of the Tolman unit ; that is, several Tolman houses 

 under one roof, this being a long house, while the origi- 

 nal Tolman house is a colony, — or detached house. 

 The vital characteristic of this type of house is that, 

 having an open front, and discrediting the use of cur- 

 tains, it theoretically banks or traps the heat under the 

 ridge, and places the roosts so that the hens get the 

 benefit of this at night. This is attained by making 

 the roof of unequal double pitch, the front portion being 

 much the longer, and thus sloping to an unusually low 

 front plate. To offset the sunshine lost in this way, 

 windows are commonly placed in the east and west 

 walls. 



The photographs give a good idea of this "Tolman 

 Long House " if we may so call it ; this adapted Tolman 

 House. The front is of wire netting only. The house 



