padlocks. The stops should be on the doors, not on the frames, where they
would prove an obstruction in a somewhat narrow opening. Perches should be
of 2 by 1 inch wood, rounded off at the top, and supported in sockets at
each end so as to be removable for cleaning; and be all on the same level,
to avoid fighting for the "upper seats" among the fowls. A loose floor,
made in two pieces for convenience of moving, will help to keep the fowls
warm and make cleaning easier, but will add a few shillings to the cost.
The inside of the house should be well whitewashed before fowls are
admitted. To prevent draughts the triangular spaces between the roof boards
and rafters should be plugged, but ample ventilation must be provided for
by holes bored in the ends of the house at several elevations, the lowest 2
feet above the base. Handles for lifting may be screwed to the faces of b
and b2 halfway between the door frame and the corners.



VII. A SHED FOR YOUR BICYCLE.

The problem, how to house one or more cycles, often gives trouble to the
occupiers of small premises. The hall-way, which in many cases has to serve
as stable, is sadly obstructed by the handles of a machine; and if one is
kept there, the reason generally is that no other storage is available.

If accommodation is needed permanently for two or three cycles belonging to
the house, and occasionally for the machine of a visitor, and if room is
obtainable in a backyard or garden in direct communication with the road,
the question of constructing a really durable and practical cycle shed is
well worth consideration. I say constructing, because, in the first place,
a bought shed costing the same money would probably not be of such good
quality as a home-made one; and secondly, because the actual construction,