The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-07-04
THE OLD HEN sEsr.

In these days OF wofnen's rights, OF
feeding calves, OF artificial rearing Of
plants, of budding and grating fruit
trees, OF the revelation that brings en-
siiage and thousand and one other
radical innovations OF the old fash.
Dned manners, II IL little rash TO get
on the conservative side of any question
for one may easily get run over. OF
Knocked out OF the way and left way
behind, for the world won't wait, or
rather the people in it viii not.
Months ago, smarting under the
recollection Of failure In the attempt
10 use Che incubator, that had raised
expectations and hopes. only TO result
IN failure and disappointment, we
wrote under the above caption, what
might be termed TRADE against in
eubators In general. and this certain
one in particular. whcreupon some
correspondent, subscriber, picked
Us up and with rap over the
knuckies In fairly polite way, inti-
mated that We were writing about
something. perhaps that we did not
know so much about as We thought
We did --in a word. said he had had
success In using an incubator.
since We know that nearly two
hundred million dollars year results
from the old hens efiorts-m more than
twice the vaIue OF the wool raised in
United States that we hear so much
talk about protecting, or nearly as
mtich a. the great cotton crop that
caused such struggle on the slavery
question. and SO near the destruction
ct the government, we have n greater
respect for the old lady and her brood
and incline to look farther into the
matter OF her rights, and the methods
IT,
Under the heading of "Incubators
and brooders" la the Farm and Eiresids
an Ohio correspondent. +. II. Jacobs
writes
1.-THE only true way of engaging in
the broiicr business Il by the NE oi
ineuhatnrs ard breeders. Ii Is the
wholesale mode. InenbatorS have
been wonderfully improved within the
past five years, and our individual cx'
pericnee i that they are more certain
than hens. The sgrsat advantage oi
the incubator Is that 10 can be made 70
hatch at any time, and that Is where
the 'old hen gets left behind. for she
vii. not begin until she is ready. She
does not get her chicks in market IN
time 10 secure the high prices, hut the
Incubator is always ready
Now, we may yet protest that the
wholesale mode" Is not what the
good housewives of the farm may
want 10 engage In, and assert that Il
her ''old hen gets left" In the start,
she viii finally catch up in the race be
fose the year is up, yet there Is no de-
nsins the fact that Il the incubator i
"aiwavs ready" ~ the correspondent
qaoted says. there Is a field for enter
prise 10 meet market demand that
otherwise goes only partly supplied
for Il the old hen won't set, she won Z,
and that's the end OF IL. and no
amount Of eoaxing or driving viii dc
any good, and we must need wait and
hlie her own good time. On the other
hand, there is no danger OF OVERRIDING
the business, no miserable, cheap sub
stitnte for eggs can appear yet awhile
until science has advanced beyond
present possibilities; no combine og
trusts can advance or destroy prices
no earthly power can make the old
hen lay more eggs when prices arr
high 10 break the market. In word
4 is conservative business not easily
upset and safe any day or year for :
sair return.
So. II "incahators have been won
derfully improved within the last five
years" land We do not see why they
may not have beenl. then why moi
hunt them up and try Il again on ths
wholesale mode" and again start Ia
The race with the old hen. which We
have always thought was best.