At first the watering was done early in the morning, but now the watering hour has been changed to the first hour of the afternoon. The reason for this is because, by sitting in the Laying Houses and watching the birds, it was discovered that from one o’clock to roosting time more water is consumed than at any other hours of the day. At first it was thought that Biddy, on leaving her roost, immediately sought the drinking fountain, but we find the first act, generally speaking, is to endeavor to fill the crop with grain, and she vigorously starts to work in the litter. By placing the hot water in the fountains during the hour after noon, we find that with the closing of the house for the night, the water retains its temperature to a remarkable degree, and it is not at all chilling to the birds in the morning of ordinary cold weather. If the night has been an extremely cold one we make it a practice of going through the Houses with boiling water, emptying out what may be in the cups, and refilling them from the hot water can, thus giving any bird which may desire a large quantity, warm water to drink at this time in the morning. The supply of water for all the stock on The Corning Egg Farm comes from the deep well, already described in the chapter on “Building the Farm.” CHAPTER XV Hard Coal Ashes, Oyster Shell, and Grit As stated in the chapter on “Anthracite Coal Ashes,” ashes have entirely taken the place of charcoal on The Corning Egg Farm. They are fed in hoppers with the Grit and Oyster Shell. These hoppers are divided into three compartments, and are automatic in feeding down the ingredients, in small quantities at a time, for Biddy’s use. It is very essential to supply the hen with the proper grinding material for operation in her mill, for, from the crop, what she takes into her system in the way of grain, etc., is passed into the gizzard, where she places a certain amount of hard, sharp stones, to use as mill stones, and this great muscular organ then puts the food into the proper condition for her to assimilate it. The Grit placed in the hoppers is hard and sharp. Ordinary pebbles are of no use to Biddy in preparing her food for digestion. There are a great many different grits on the market sold through Poultry Supply Houses, and by the manufacturers themselves. Where it is possible to procure Grit having the essentials as already described, and carrying a good percentage of lime, it adds very materially to the desirability of the Grit.