It requires the loss of but one season's seeds by mice to convince the experimenter that tin seed-boxes are a necessity. Fig.

6 represents a box which we find exceedingly useful. It is 9 inches long, 7½ inches wide and 5 inches deep. The cover slides back. There is a little rim or elevation on the front end of this cover, made by turning up the tin, which serves two or three good purposes. This rim strikes the pigeon-hole when the box is shoved in, causing the box to close tightly. It also prevents the box from going in too far, in case the pigeon-hole is too deep. Then when the box is shut and shoved in, the thumb is pressed against this lid while the box is drawn out, so that the box is self-opening and self-closing. These boxes are placed loosely in a pigeon-hole case, and may be taken out entirely if occasion requires. On the front of the box is a slot into which a label is dropped, and this label can be changed at any time. I have one case containing a smaller size of boxes, but we do not find them so useful as the sire here described.

This smaller size is 4½ inches wide and 4 inches deep.