August, 1912 
POULTRY. , 
ola 
PLANNING THE POULTRY HOUSE 
By E. I. FARRINGTON 
T is wise not only to plan but to build 
the poultry house early in the season, so 
that it will have time to dry out thoroughly 
before the coming of cold weather. It is 
more important that the house should be 
dry than that it should be warm. Indeed, 
experience has shown that houses with 
large openings in front which are never 
closed except in extremely cold or very 
stormy weather are preferable to any other 
kind, whether on a commercial plant or 
when used by an amateur. 
Houses built with an eye to profits 
should not cost over one dollar for each 
fowl to be confined in them. If that con- 
sideration does not enter into the plan, the 
poultry house may be made as elaborate 
architecturally as desired. On large es- 
tates it is customary to have all the out- 
buildings conform to a general design. 
Whatever embellishments the house may 
have, however, the interior arrangement 
should be made as simple as possible, with 
all the fixtures so constructed that they 
may be easily and quickly removed. In ne 
other way is it possible to keep a poultry 
house free from insect pests. Cracks, 
crevices and other hiding places for lice 
should be as few as possible and the walls 
should be smooth. One of the patent wall 
boards may be used to advantage in a well- 
made poultry house either for partitions or 
to sheath the interior. The expense is 
small and this material is effective in mak- 
ing a house tight and dry, while it offers no 
harboring place for lice or mites. 
The shed roof form of house is the most 
common and the most satisfactory, all 
things considered. Likewise, it is the cheap- 
est form to build. Only a slight slope of 
the roof is needed if a high grade roofing 
paper is used as a covering. If shingles are 
used, the slope must be greater. The front 
wall should be high enough so that the at- 
tendant can move about without stooping, 
and allowance must be made for a foot or 
more of sand and litter on the floor, which 
will bring the floor surface at least that 
much higher than the surface of the ground 
outside. A well-made concrete foundation 
is a great advantage, adding to the life of 
the house and keeping out rats if deep 
enough. Cement floors are often used, but 
require a deep layer of cinders, coal ashes 
or small stones under them, for otherwise 
moisture from the earth will come through 
the cement. Many cement floors have 
proved damp because not properly con- 
structed. A cement floor should always be 
covered with sand or a litter, for the sur- 
face is too hard for the feet of the birds 
to rest on it. 
If a board floor is used, it may be made 
very satisfactory by constructing it double 
with heavy tarred paper between. In lo- 
calities where the soil is light, an earth 
floor can hardly be improved upon, if it is 
built up a foot higher than the ground out- 
side, so that there will be perfect drainage. 
Protection against rats may be provided by 
using inch-mesh chicken wire all around 
the house. The wire should extend into 
the ground a foot and then away from the 
Hardware 
HE hardware is a small item in the total cost of a residence, 
hotel, school, apartment house or public building, but it is 
an important factor in an artistically harmonious ensemble. 
Beauty of finish, fitness of design and honesty of material and 
workmanship are the distinguishing features that have made 
Sargent Hardware the first choice of well informed architects. 
It affords the selection of true period designs that fit perfectly 
into each architectural and decorative scheme. 
We shall be pleased to send a copy 
of our Book of. Designs on request. 
We will also send our Special 
Colonial Book if you are interested 
in that period. 
This Colonial knob and key plate are 
rich in the simplicity of their design— 
they hark back to old Salem days. 
This is but one of our many pure de 
signs of the Colonial period. 
How to Make a 100-mile Wireless Telegraph Outfit 
In the following Scientific American Supplements, the well-known wireless 
telegraph expert, Mr. A. Frederick Coliins, describes clearly and simply, without 
the aid of mathematics, the construction of a 100-mile wireless telegraph outfit. 
Complete drawings accompany his descriptions. 
The design and construction of a 100-mile 
wireless telegraph set is described in Scientific 
American Supplement 1605. 
The location and erection of a 100-mile wire- 
less telegraph station is described in Scientific 
American Supplement 1622. 
In Scientific American Supplement 1623, 
tbe installation and adjustment of a 100-mile 
wireless telegraph station is fully explained. 
The adjustment and tuning of a 100-mile wire- 
less telegraph outfit is discussed in Scientific 
American Supplement 1624. 
The theory and action of a 100-mile wireless 
telegraph outfit is explained in Scientific Ameri- 
can Supplement 1625. 
The management and operation of ship and 
shore stations is clearly set forth in Scientific 
American Supplement 1628. 
These six articles constitute a splendid treatise on the construction, operation 
and theory of wireless telegraph instruments. The complete set will be mailed 
to any address for 60 cents. 
Single number will be mailed for 10 cents. 
Order from your newsdealer or from 
MUNN & COMPANY, Inc., 361 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 
