New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-19
snuba the theorists and geographers before
DO JNCUBATORS INCUBATE7

al
of the North American Poultry Association.
Otherwise they do not,-not to any extent. In
fact, il is with ncubators as it is with the SUI
pcrb patent cements that are pcddlcd from
house to house. "Thcse Ccments,' celebrated
philosopher bears witness, "mend crockery
first rate so long as the agent is about, but
have never succeeded in buying any which
would mend my crOckery after the agent had
gone away The incubator cOaxes eggs into
chickens so long as the patentee or the gentle
man who has county rights to dispose of has it
in hand. But once let it pass into the posses
sion OF the mere layman-the person who sold 1t
to him having in the meanwhile driven on to
the next farmland so far as its ability to de-
vclop the poultry interest of the country is
concerned t might as well be the Binomial
Thcorem OF The Blue Glass Cure.
We exceedingly dislike to mingle poultry and
politics together. But we cannot help remark
ing that the incubator serves the same purpose
in the hen-hOuse that the Democratic party
docs in government of the people, by the peo-
ple for the people. Now and then, as our
readers may have observed the voters permit
the Democracy to come into power in Congress
OF a State Legislature. And why Not be-
cause they believe that the Democracy possesses
superior intelligence or patriotism. but rather
for the purpose of Chastisng and therefore
improving the Republican party, and of teach
ing the country how infinitely Republican is
to be preferred to Democratic rule. just so 1t Is
with your incubators Their value lies in the
demonstration which their use affords that how
ever it may be in thcOIy-and in theory an i'll
cubator is as promising as a Democratic plat
fOrm-when it comes 10 practical incubation
hen has no equals aud precisely the same num-
Der of supcriors. But good hen, like the Re-
publican party, now and then fails to respond
to the demand Of the hour. AT such a time it
is well to bring out the incubator, that
at the sight of it and at the thought
of the supcrscdure which it suggests the
hen may feel the necessity of abandoning
the primrose path Of daiance and OF rcsumlng
strict attention to business. Wishing to be
perfectly fair in our treatment OF the incubator,
we must add that, apart from these cOnSidera-
lions, it is of substantial value to its
posscssor. We once knew an honest old farmer
in Orange County who happened to be on the
top of his barn one day with an incubator which
be had purchased the week before. What he
was doing with it there we never heard-per-
haps he took it up there to store it, At all
events happening to look over the edge of the
barn, he saw fox creeping slyly toward some
chickens. WhereupOn he promptly hurled the
incubator Mt the thief, and his aim being good
the fox was laid out cold. The farmer said
afterward that he considered the incubator
worth twice what it cost him, and that he would
never be without one, on top of his barn, i'll the
future.
1t might not have occurred to us to express
ouI views on incubatOrs at this time had 1t not
been for the note which j. NJ. Balm has just adj
dressed to sundry newspapers. Mr.. Balm
writes in his official capacity as Secretary OF
the North American Poultry Association" and
disseminates considerable of statement con
corning the incubator. In the opinion OF Mr..
Balm the hen is nowhere in comparison with an
incubator that can be made at home at Il cost
less than So" Carried away by his enthusiasm
for the incubator, he remarks that " the only way
to raise chickens with certainty for early market
is by the use OF incubatOrs.' The only way,
Mr. Balm 2 Isn't that cruelty, unnecessarily,
fundamentally rough on the Woodworking
hens of North America The picture which
Mr. Balm paints of the career which must re-
ward those who are well equipped with incu-
bators is simply ravshing Listen to Balm
d" People living in cities who have not room to
| 8" keep hens can use incubators successfully,
getting eggs from grocers or farmers near by.
With special care POO chickens may be raised
to market size in a room fifteen feet square
The business of raising poultry is particularly
"adapted to ladies and intirm people, both in
the city and country. Live chickens from eight
to twelve weeks old will sell in the East III
April, May, June and July at from 40 to -
cents pound, OF from 81 to ~ 50 each, ac-
"cording to variety and condition. What do
ladies and iniirm people" say to that 7 Is
there n lady or an infrm person in NcwYo
that will allow the sun of to-day to 90 down
without sending to the Secretary OF the North
American Poultry Association for Il score OF so
| of incubat0rs We think not. There is n tide
| in the affairs of Indies and ntlrm people which
| taken ut the flood leads on to fortune. For
them to buy plenty of ncubators OF Balm is, it
is evident, to take it at the flood.
We may hurt Bain's feelings by reproducing
it, but here is a remark in regard to pou TRY
which has just been made by an expert in an
swer to an inquiry Z" We do not know" says
! this expert, of any parties who are keeping
"poultry on scientific principles with financial
success except the fanccrs who gctlarge prices
" for both eggs and fowls" Not word from
this expert touching incubators! Unwilling to
see Balm and this expert drawn into heated
controversy, we propose compromise. Let
| them shake hands over this toast: The thcO-
retical incubator and the practical hen, the
| former for ornament and the latter for usc are
the true pillars of the North American poultry
market.
4 DANGER FOR CRAMPS.