The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-18
By MRS. JOHN c. MOSES, Missixsippi City, Miss

If you have ever led a horse down a long and tortuous lane to water and then had the animal repeatedly refuse to drink, you are in a position to ap- preciate the predicament of the poultry raiser who eQuips his poultry house with trap nests and then finds that some of the bullets will not use these ingenious devices. That latent instinct of the female fowl to deposit her eggs in secluded, remote spots, preferably in a nest which she personally con structs, may cause trouble to the chicken raiser who attempts to accus- tom the bullets to the artificial trap nest
 Usually as soon as the bullets are removed to winter quarters where trap nests are used the trouble begins, as some of the young females may lay their eggs on the floor in the straw and litter in the corners of the build ing, and often upons and under the dropping boards. In remedying such .misdemeanor on the part of the bullets, it is first essential to see that enough trap nests are provided. Usually the equipment should include one trap nest for each four bullets or hens in the flock. Having remedied any deficiency in the way of nest equipment the poul- tryman should next resort to handling as a means of curing the fowls of their undesirable habit Of laying their eggs anywhere mad everywhere about the house The owner or attendant should enter the house frequently throughout the day, and as often as he finds one of the bullets nesting in a secluded spot he should pick the bird up and place her in trap nest. After he does this several times the bullet become es accustomed to the artificial nests and seeks them intuitively wehn she is ready to lay eggs.
 Of course it is essential to make the nests as attractive and cozy as possi- hle, and this is accomplished by pro- viding them with plenty of clean litter, as often as new supply of straw is needed. Furthermore. in particularly objectionable cases it pays to clean all the litter from the floor of the house, in order to break the hens of laying promiscuously wherever they desire. By removing the straw and bedding, the floor of the house is not so attractive as a nesting spot for the hens and bullets, and hence they are forced to seek the trap nests.
 The purpose of trap nesting the flock is to ascertain which hens lay. either for determining what record they make or for identifying their eggs during the Hd dlCAAh6 otdSOib oO btldN pSOi5t0C ACS- ords are possible. Trap nesting re- quires a considerable amount of atten- ton, but is valuable aid in develop ing a flock of poultry along lines of breeding for egg production.
 PfAlting adds greatly both to the ap- peafance and service of all buildings and appliances One may buy ready mixed paints, or may purchase paste pigments and oil and mix them. All surfaces should be clean and dry be- fore they are painted. Use a priming coat made of equal parts of paint and linseed oil and cover with one or more coats of paint, which should be thor oughly brushed into the surface, says the United States department of agri- culture.
 Whitewash is the cheapest of all paints, and may be used either for ex- terior or interior surfaces. It can be made by slaking about 10 pounds Of quicklime in pail with 2 gallons of water, covering the ail with cloth or burlap and allowing it to slake for one hour. Water is then added to bring the whitewash to a consistency which may be applied readily. A weather proof whitewash for exterior surfaces may be made as follows: CD Stake bushel of quicglme in 12 gallons of hot water, CD dissolve 2 pounds of common salt and 1 pound of su1phaue