h Rocks and Wyandottes.
These, in addition to the Light Brahmas and Brown Leghorns that you
already have, will give you the four breeds that are the most popular,
and if you have good stock, and let people know that you have eggs to
sell for hatching, you will probably have orders for all the eggs that
you will care to sell.

* * * * *

Another correspondent wants to know the meaning of the word "strain," as
applied to fowls, and I don't wonder that he asks the question, for the
word is used "promiscuous like" by every tyro in poultry breeding.

When any poultry-raiser has bred fowls of any breed long enough to fix
his notion of what constitutes a standard fowl of that breed upon them
permanently, he may claim a "strain." For instance: Smith believes that
the Light Brahmas should have very short legs, and he breeds for short
legs until they are permanently fixed, and everybody who knows anything
about Light Brahmas knows one of Smith's short-legged Brahmas at sight;
then, but not before, Smith may claim a strain of his own, and it is
proper for others to speak of "Smith's strain" of Light Brahmas. But
Johnson, who buys of Smith, or of some one who has Light Brahmas of
Smith's strain, this year, should not next year talk about "my own
strain" of Light Brahmas. It takes years of steady, judicious breeding
after a certain type to establish what may truthfully be called a
strain, and it can only be done by breeders of rare skill and long
experience in mating fowls for breeding.

FANNY FIELD.

Chicken Houses.

I often read inquiries about the best plan for building hen houses. My
plan is, for 100 fowls, to build a house for them to roost in, eight or
even ten feet wide and sixteen feet long, one story high with tight
floor of yellow pine flooring. I prefer a tight floor because it is
easily cleaned out, and every time it is cleaned out and swept the floor
should be well covered with slaked lime; one cleaning a week is often
enough.

A building of the same size should be built with a dirt floor, or close
one, as preferred, about ten or fifteen feet from the roosting house for
the hens to lay and sit in. A petition may be made of laths dividing the
house into two compartments, the front arranged for the laying hens and
the back compartments for sitting hens; then the laying hens will not
disturb the sitting hens. A closed passway should be made, say one and
one half or two fe