The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-13

Methods of Prcvenfi0n-Str1ct Cleanli-
 ness Must be Observed-some Ways
 to Counteract the Warm-Weather
 Pests.
 The novice in the poultry business, during the charming spring days, when nature is coming out in her blooming spring suit and the joyous chirps of the young chicks denote their content, as they stretch out in the life-promoting rays of the warm sunshine, is very en- thusiastic. He is charmed with the prospects, everything seems to indicate 'sperfect success'' in his chicken raising venture. The start has been a good one, and if all conditions that prevailed at the commencement are maintained success should crown his efforts. The great trouble with two many people who engage in poultry raising is that they lose their enthusiasm as the mer- cury goes up. When the hot days come, they slaeken in their attention, neglect many little details, which results in breeding trouble and vernin instead of chickens.
 It is during the hot months that every little thing necessary to poultry must be religiously observed. Large focks must be kept in quarters conspicuous 1 for cleanliness. The advice given by poultry papers to "clean out the hem house once a week. would not answer. Everyday cleaning should be the method. Whether the floor of the hem house is earth or boards, the accumula- ton of dropping for dne week will inn pregnate the floor and cause unpleasant odors. Cleaned out every morning and followed with the scattering of air. slaked lime dry road dust, the poultry house may be kept in clean, sweet con dition. vermin, injurious to poultry, will breed in poultry droppings.
 The body lice and the nocturnal mites are two pests that poultry raisers should prevent A dust bath is the hens natural bath for freeing herself of the body louse. Fine dust is death to these pests The farmer who complains that his hens will not dust in any place except in his specially prepared beds for onions or lettuce needs the object lesson lthe hens give him. He may conclude lthey will be satisfied with small space spaded up and left in a cloddy condi- ltion, but they know better. Therefore let the farmer spade up space in the chicken yard or wherever 1t Is desirable to have them dust and make it onion bed fine with the rake. It is a good plan to have the dust bath under shed so it can be available in all kinds of weather.
 | The mites cannot be reached by the dust bath, for when the hens take their bath the mites are not infesting their bodies. These little pests come out at night, from the cracks and crevies of the roosts and other hiding plaes and lprey upon the flock They are about the same color as the skin of the fowls when they are filled with blood they suck from the fowls they are black-red. As soon as there is a sign of daylight they leave the fowls and resort to their hiding places.
 1 To destroy mites it is necessary to use whitewash strongly impregnated with carbolic acid See that every crack or lcrevice is filled with the solution. Ex- pert poultrymen build their houses so that none of the inside fixtures are per- manent. The roosts are made all or one llevel, about two feet high from the floor, and the nest boxes are individual ones. l All these are taken not about every two weeks during the hot summer weather land gone over with a paint brush and coal oil in order to destroy the mites and nits.
 1 AS soon as the hens are through sit 1 ting all the old nest material Is burned | and the nest boxes are either coa1-oiled or fumigated with burning sulphur. All these precautions are necessary to keep down the vermin.
 Hens that are sitting should have ac- cess to a dust bath. Having the por- l ton of the nest material of tobacco stems will aid in checking the lice trou- ble. It Is also said that sprigs of grow ling tansy or red cedar are obnoxious to hen lice It is a good plan to take a lcommon dredge box (such as women use in bread making) and sprinkle tobacco i dust thoroughly through the feathers of 1.-the sitters when they are first put on | the nest of eggs.
 l At times, when every known remedy and precaution has been utilized, there will be vermin on the setting hens and, | of course, the young chicks will become infested. It requires the experience of | the expert to detect the lice on very young chicks. The novice will declare there is no lice on his chicks When the