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FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 
391 

cats, dogs, etc., that might by chance get in the yard below; 
also, rats, skunks, weasles, and other like enemies to the 
feathered tribe will be unable to injure them. Again, on 
removal of ladder it would puzzle all pilfering-disposed 
persons to find out the roosting quarters, and if they should 
discover the location of such, would not understand how to 
get within reaching distance of them; and finally, in dimin- 
ishing the extent of ground occupied by the building, we 
are enabled to provide so much the larger run. 
Ventilation is of so much importance in poultry houses 
that it should by no means be overlooked. The openings 
for admitting fresh air should be so arranged as to be regu- 
lated at the discretion of the owner. The dormitory or 
roosting apartment should be well ventilated, and by 
making lattice work (B) in centre of roof it can be sufli- 
ciently done, and the same will improve the external ap- 
pearance of the building. 
The front or larger side of the house should have a south- 
ern exposure, as it will add to the comfort of the fowls in 
cold weather. 
Admission of light to roosting quarters is also important, 
and for which purpose a long glazed window should be 
made, and such would admit the light and heat of the sun 
the greater portion of the day. In the laying and sitting- 
room much light should not enter, as darkness contributes 
to quietness and satisfaction of the hen during laying and 
incubating season. 
By making a third floor, represented by line A in triangu- 
lar corner of building, say 18 inches from top, there will be 
sufficient space inclosed to shelter about fifty pigeons, and if 
it should be desirable to keep such birds, the means of accom- 
modating them can then be made without disadvantage to 
room FR. R. 
If it should be deemed necessary on the part of the owner 
of such a planned building to provide heat during the colder 
months, by means of a small stove placed at S, the whole 
building can be agreeably heated, which will stimulate the 
fowls to early laying and sitting, and add greatly to comfort 
and healthfulness. 
In making a floor for sitting and laying-rooms, I would 
recommend that such be made of what is known as a cement 
floor, for the following reasons: the surface will always be 
perfectly smooth ; afford opportunity to use water and brush 
when necessary to clean it; it will be the means of keeping 
the house cool and dry; the droppings can be easily removed 
and saved; the hard floor will not, like an earthy floor, 
become tainted by such excrement, nor be as a harbor for 
vermin; and furthermore, the cement floor, if rightly made, 
will be the means of keeping out of the building rats, 
moles, &c., which generally gain entrance by underground 
' passages. 
A hennery, built similar in size to the foregoing plan, 
would not be very expensive, when we consider the necessity 
for the same, and that it fully answers the purpose for which 
it is intended; it will last a lifetime, and, by an occasional 
coat of paint or whitewash, be an improvement on any 
country place. DELANOOo. 

TWO EGGS IN ONE DAY. 
I noricen in No. 6 of the Fanciers’ Gazette, a correspon- 
dent asserts that he has a hen which lays two eggs in one 
day. This will seem incredulous to some, but my own ex- 
perience verifies his statement. When living in the extreme 
South, I had a considerable flock of poultry. One hen en- 

deared herself to the “little ones’ by her extreme gentleness, 
was given the name Crese, When the laying season com- 
menced she selected the foot of the crib to deposit her eggs, 
and always chose the time when the infant was sleeping in 
it. Mrs. B. called my attention to the fact that Crese always 
laid two eggs at a time. They were examined and found to 
be identical in shade and shape, but still it was thought that 
there might be two hens of the same color on the place. This 
was proved not to be the case. We next determined to watch, 
and found that she invariably deposited two eggs before leav- 
ing the nest, but only laid on alternate days. 
Jamezs S. Barty, M.D. 
WILL GREASED EGGS HATCH? 
Mr. WADE. 
DEAR Sir: I receive your Journal regularly, and it is 
highly appreciated; I see by this weeks’ number, the in- 
quiry: ‘‘ Will eggs hatch after they have been greased ?”’ 
I say no—not for me; nor will they if daubed with the yolk 
of others, because the pores are closed. Eggs hatch well 
that are laid in the weeds or bushes; the dampness of the 
ground keeps the shell moist and the pores open. 
When sitting on dry litter, in warm weather, I wash them 
twice a week in warm water; by so doing nearly all are 
hatched. The life principle of an egg, if from a healthy 
hen and a vigorous cock, is, however, hard to destroy. I 
have had eggs two weeks old, which I put into a solution of 
one quart of salt and two of water, for thirty minutes, which 
was so cold that I could not bear my hand in it over three 
minutes; and out of the twelve eggs served in this way I 
hatched eleven chicks, fresh and hearty; but will add, that 
before sitting them I washed off the brine. The most deli- 
cate time with an egg is between the first twenty-four hours 
and three days of incubation; as the ‘chick is now forming 
and the small veins are easily broken, which is often done 
by the hen being disturbed by others, or in coming off care- 
lessly to feed, if one slips from under her foot and strikes 
another, nine times out of ten both are lost. 

THE TREAD OF AN EGG. 
Concerning Mr. Bicknell’s opinion of the thick white 
substance floating in the egg, or attached to the yolk, I 
would remark that this is not necessarily the life principle 
or tread. He says it can be seen in the egg laid by a hen 
that never was with acock. I will agree with him half-way, 
that is, when it can be seen attached to the yolk and next to 
the small end, the egg is all right so far as the hen is con- 
cerned, but if not seen at the big end the impregnation is 
not there, therefore it will not hatch, but if it can be seen 
at both ends, or if a hen lays eggs of this kind, they will 
hatch. 
The tread of the male bird is the first formation of the 
chick. This you can see with the naked eye by looking in 
the tread, at the big end of the yolk. If the cock has a 
black beak, it will show in the tread; if otherwise than 
black, it will require the aid of a glass. With the point of 
your penknife you can separate the upper from the lower 
half, and can see the turn atthe point very plainly. This 
is the first to harden, next the eyes, and between them the 
skull bone and the spine, &c. The yolk is of little or no conse- 
quence until the day it hatches. It is then drawn up into 
the belly by a fine network of blood veins, which supports 
the chick for the next twenty-four hours, as it will not eat 
before. Yours, &c., Wo. J. PYLE. 
May 23, 1874. 
