The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
foot or more wide made the upright parts; three 
pieces 8 in. wide made the front, and the same the 
backs of the nests; the bottoms rested on cleats 
nailed to the upright pieces. See preceding page, 
Fig. 592. 
I cleaned off the droppings once a week, then with 
a shovel scraped the surface of the floor and threw 
it on the droppings boards an inch deep. This dry 
earth absorbed the moist droppings, and there was 
hardly ever any perceptible odor in the house. The 
1365 
dark red and almost black color of the skin, and 
the fact that when it is cut open we find the flesh 
about as red as a blood orange. This red color, as 
is shown, is well distributed all through the fruit, 
and presents a curious appearance when the apple 
is cut open. The fruit is of good quality, either for 
eating out of the hand or for baking. It makes a 
dark-colored rich jelly which is quite attractive in 
appearance. We do not know whether an apple with 
red flesh would be attractive to the ordinary buyer. 
Most people are accustomed to a white or yellowish 
colored flesh. The red color is a novelty, but whether 
it would be permanently appreciated is quite a ques¬ 
tion. Mr. Gage claims that this is a new variety, 
quite distinct from anything else, and lie proposes 
to call it Knowles Blue Blood. The word Knowles 
comes from the homestead farm where the tree is 
growing, blue from the bloom on the outside, the 
blood from the inside color and blue blood for quality. 
Take-down Poultry Houses 
On page 1107 you published an article written by 
George A. Cosgrove answering the query of a “Railroad 
Man.” In this article lie mentioned a “take-down” 
poultry-house. I. for one. will be glad to see this de¬ 
scribed, and no doubt there ate many other readers 
who, being tired at night, will neglect to let you know 
their interest in the article. ' q, h. 
Norwich, Conn. 
T he picture tFig. 594) shows a row of my old 
slanting-front poultry-houses, set 10 ft. apart, 
and the space between them boarded up at back, 
roofed over, and a wire front made. This space was 
the scratching shed. The door of the poultry-house 
opened into this shed, which had a door in the wire 
Profits From Poultry Keeping 
We have had it impressed upon us in so many pre¬ 
vious articles rhar a living could not be made from 
poultry, that I am a bit curious as to C. A. X.'s article 
on page 1079. “A Heu Man’s Struggle," Are we to 
understand from his statement that his whole income 
was derived from his 500 birds, and that the various 
amounts of net profit mentioned were what was leit 
after his yearly living expenses were deducted? 
New Jersey. e. a. gilmour. 
A T the beginning of the year the poultry account 
was charged with the amount of the inventory 
of stock, feed and other material. During the year 
it was charged with the amounts paid for feed, ma¬ 
terial used in the business, eggs bought for hatching, 
eggs used in incubators, and stock bought: charged 
with everything used in the business, 
but was not charged with the labor. 
At the end of the year the account was 
charged with interest on the invest¬ 
ment and an amount to cover deterior¬ 
ation of buildings and equipment. 
During the year the account was 
credited each month with the amount 
received for eggs and stock, manure 
sold, eggs used for incubation and eggs 
and poultry used in the family. At 
the end of the year the account was 
credited with the amount of the in¬ 
ventory of stock, materials on hand, 
etc. The balance shown was the net 
profit from the business, but had noth¬ 
ing to do with the living expenses of 
the owner’s family. It would be load¬ 
ing 500 hens rather heavily to ask 
them to support a family and show a 
profit besides of $900 to $1.30*1. If a 
R merchant or manufacturer told Mr. 
Gilmour that his business paid him 
$5,000 last year. T hardly thiuk he 
would ask him if that was after de- 
his living expenses. Still, he might, at 
C. A. N. 
front if needed. At the highest point on the sides 
I cut away the boards above the scantling, making 
an opening 4 in. wide by 2 ft. long for ventilation 
when the windows and (he door into the shed were 
closed in cold weather. This opening at the peak 
had a sliding piece to close as much of the opening 
as desired on very cold nights. There were no 
foundations laid; the house rested on some fiat 
stones, as the picture shows. The houses were 4 ft. 
high at the back and 0 ft. 6 in. at tlie very peak. I 
sunk a chestnut board 10 ft. long and 14 in. wide 
into the ground at the front, just inside the coop, so 
as to keep out moisture and frost. Then I sifted 
loam into my farm wagon and put enough loads of 
it into each house f<> raise the ground 
inside 5 or 9 in. higher than the out- --- 
side. For droppings boards I made 
tables with four legs, and had strips 
3 in. high around the edges to prevent 
tile droppings from rolling off. Up¬ 
rights ou these tables supported the 
roosts. These tables did not touch the 
coop either at back or ends. The idea 
was that if the roosts and table got 
lousy, the house need not. The nests 
also were made so that they did not 
could bo moved .•mywhetv in the bouse 
or carried outside, taken it part and 
cleaned or scalded, if lousy. 
A> tin 1 houses all rested on the ends 
of the hoards, to proven! them from rot- I 
tirm the ends won' dipped in paint and 
left in it until the paint was well 
soaked into the bottom 2 in. of each 
board. These houses were used almost 
continuously for 25 years, and when 
torn down three years ago, to be re¬ 
placed by a long poultry-house, nearly 
all the boards were used again in making the new 
house. These houses were made in separate parts— 
back, front, sides ami roof were each a separate and 
independent part. They were held together by iron 
hooks and screw-eyes, such as can be got at any 
hardware store, across the corners. The roof was 
hooked down. 
Side of take-down henhouse. The 2x4 scantling to 
which boards were nailed were 4 in. below boards at 
top and G in. above bottom. 
droppings were stored in barrels or big boxes. I 
had one box that would hold three big wagon 
loads. The box was made specially to hold the lien 
manure, and had a sloping cover to shed off rain. 
The treatment of that hen manure deserves an 
article by itself: it would make this too long to aTld 
it here. For village renters who want to take their 
poultry-houses with them when they move to new 
A Flock of Take-down Henhouses. Fig. 59.' f 
places, these take-down houses would be very handy. 
They need not he slanting fronts; a perpendicular 
front could be made to take apart just the same. 
GEORGE A. COSGROVE. 
ductin 
that. 
A Cotton Crop in Michigan 
l‘< >X readin. 
Hope Farm Notes, page 1263, I 
decided to tell you of my experience in raising 
cotton. In the Winter of 1920 my grandmother, 
who was visiting in the South, sent me on request 
three cotton bolls. That Spring I ginned them and 
planted the seeds in a cigar box. When all danger 
of frost was over I transplanted them to my experi¬ 
mental plot in the garden, where I also had peanuts 
and sorghum growing. 
■ I After the roots got 
■ started it grew fast, and 
* ' in August it blossomed. 
, By September the bolls 
Bif were well filled. One 
day. after I had come > 
borne from school and 
A',' was walking around the 
garden, looking at the 
* A cotton, I happened on a 
*.*1 burst boll. I ran to the 
mother with much ex- 
citement. After that I 
regularly went to the 
garden as soon as I 
A Red Fleshed Apple 
Two men could take one of these coops apart and 'T'HE apple shown at Fig. 595 is a peculiar new 
load it on a wagon easily in five minutes. After the A variety sent us by E. E. Gage of Massachusetts, 
back, front and sides were made, set up and booked lie says the apple came from a tree which is known 
together, then three pieces of scantling 2x4 in. by to he at least GO years old. The tree is still sound. 
10 ft. were put on the scantling to which the sides aud gave 2V 2 barrels, or about seven bushels, of 
were nailed, and as that was 4 in. below the edge fruit this year. The peculiarity of this apple is the 
of the boards, the top of 
tin* scantling was just 
even with the top of the 
siding. A nail driven 
through the side into 
the scantling held them 
in place while the roof 
boards wore being nailed 
on: then the six nails 
which held the scant¬ 
ling in place were pulled 
out. and there was a 
roof which just nicely 
fitted into the top of the 
coop. The roof should 
overhang the front 3 
in., the sides 2 In., and 
the more it overhangs 
at the back the better, 
for the further is the 
rain shed away from 
the coop. 
A sketch of the nests 
shows how they were 
made. Five boards a 
The Knowles lilac Blafld Apple. .4 Vote One. Fig. 595 
