The Grenada sentinel., 1889-03-02
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Care Of Valuable Eggs.

Now that the season for setting ana
Matching eggs has fairly opened, 1t IS
well for us to consider what we should
do in order to attain the greatest sue
cess.
The person who sells fine eggs, and
the person who buys them, are equally
anxious for them to hatch well. A
GOOD hatch makes them feel kindly to-
wards each other. but bad hatch
causes them both to think that some
thing was wrong.
While it is the duty of the breeder
to mate his fowls so that he will be
reasonably certain that all his eggs
are fertile, and to ship out none OF In
ferior quality, yet the full accom-
plishment of his duty as breeder and
shipper does not insure all his eggs to
hatch. In fact, In the usual order OF
things, very few eggs are un1ertlie'
"Bad" eggs, which do not hatch, are
fertilized eggs in which the germs, in
stead of budding into life and activity,
died from some local cause in the nest,
and decayed.
Eggs which have received no I'M
press from the male, are usually as
clear and fresh looking, and if there
are no decayed eggs in the nest, quite
as sweet as when fresh laid. This is
good way to tell where some OF the
fault lies, when valuable eggs do not
hatch. If, after being sat on three
weeks, they are clean and fresh look
ing, when broken, the shipper sent
out unfertile eggs. But If. on the
other hand, they are discolored and OF
bad odor when broken after trial Of
three weeks, then the breeder sent
fertile eggs, and they were ruined ii
the nest where they were set.
How important them that we shoulc
know how to handle eggs from abroad
after receiving them, in order to ac
complish the best results. We
do not believe it Injuries egg
to ship them any distance by ex
press, if they are properly packed
and handled judiciously after arriva
at destination. In the first place, the.
must be put up so as to prevent con
cussion. To accomplish this the.
should be wrapped in paper and pack
ed close together Qittle end down
ward) in basket lined on the bottom
and sides, to a depth of two inches
with soft hay or straw. Then the
should be covered to tho same dept
on top, and a stout piece OF llgh
domestic sewed tightly down over tn
hay on top. In this condition the
will go safely any distance, unles
} crushed through carelessness by
heavy substance. Upon arrival
destination they should not be set
once, but unpacked and placed in
+ cool spot for twenty-four hours, res
ing upon their large ends, in order
, recover their equilibrium after ha'
ing been shook up by the journey.
:, set at once they are much more llkel
/ | 10 rOU Lldu IL udlultu do ouE ECe1SN'
J, 1t is well, always, to have the hen
i readiness before the arrival OF til
eggs. 1t is really best to have the he
e on hand before the eggs are ordered
r, She will set all right on common eg
# or two, and it does not matter II ST
l has to set week or two extra. 81
y will not desert the nest If it is clea
u and free of parasites, and it will nj
y y hurt her to set a little overtime, if ST
e is fed daily.
If Another point. We must never p'
$ fine eggs under hen whose nest tt
general flock has access to. If
~ should, loss of several fine egi
" would certainly result. A pen six fe
1t square, with waterproof cover, wi
1t the nest box in one corner and Il
1t dust box in another, is the best pla'
% in which to domesticate our hen al
20 20 her valuable charge. There she wou
be apart from her enemies, with not
g ing whatever to molest her, and und
y such circumstances she would not
- - likely to disappoint us as to results.
n H. B. Geer, in Southern Cultivator.
u -&N
lu1 Tobacco Culture.