We have been breeding some grade hounds, which make a rather more ferocious animal than the pure breed, so far as natural disposition goes. The nose quality, however, is all retained, thus enabling these grades to become perfect trailers. [Illustration: SOCRATES II AND DIOGENES Sons of the Great Socrates] [Illustration: BUSTER, AMERICA’S GREATEST RATTER] It is well on any egg farm to establish a reputation for being in a position to always place a marauder behind the bars, and nothing so insures protection as the knowledge that on the Farm there are carried dogs which are capable of trailing a trespasser wherever he may go. CHAPTER XIV The Necessity for Pure Water--An Egg is Chemically 80% Water Eighty per cent. of an egg is water. If a sanitary egg is to be produced it is most essential that pure water should be accessible to the hens at all times, and not only should the water be pure, but the drinking fountains must be of such a nature that they can readily be kept in a pure state, and that the cups, into which the water flows from the main fountain, cannot be fouled by the birds. Automatic Fountains Essential On The Corning Egg Farm the supply of water is placed before the birds in automatic fountains, which work on air pressure, and contain five gallons each. The water feeds down through a pipe into the cups, the feeding pipe shutting off by the turning of a small cock, thus permitting the removal of the cup, so that it can be thoroughly cleansed each day at the time of filling the fountain, by the use of a small brush, or swab. Once a week a quarter of a teaspoonful of Potassium Permanganate is put into each fountain, just enough to give the water a slight coloring. It is a mistake to have the color so deep that it verges on the purple. This purifies the fountain and acts as a preventive of colds. [Illustration: CORNING AUTOMATIC DRINKING FOUNTAIN] It is a very good practice also to occasionally put a few drops of Kerosene oil into the bottom of the cup and then allow the water to run in. The Kerosene will run over the entire surface of the cup and then rise to the top of the water. As the birds dip their bills to drink a small amount of the Kerosene is taken up on the bill, and, when the head is thrown back to swallow it runs into the nostrils. The drinking fountains are occasionally thoroughly cleansed with a strong solution of Washing Soda. This, of course, is carefully washed out of the fountains before they are filled up and placed in the Laying Houses. Hot Water in Cold Weather In the Breeding and Laying Houses during the cold months, hot water is placed in the fountains. On The Corning Egg Farm a large boiler, with a hot water attachment, is maintained for this purpose, and water is taken to the Laying Houses at as close to boiling point as it is possible to get it there. Hens Drink More in Afternoon