The Forrest City times., 1891-02-20
THE FARMERS HOUR.
0IsT OF THE INCUBATOR BUSI-
 NESS.
Thoroughly Investigated by an Inquiring Farm sr-Points on Fruit Raising Valuable Pointers Tersely Given--Intsr-
 esting Dairy Notes.
Tho Gist of the Incubator Business.

Tho Gist of the Incubator Business.
 have at various times tried num- Der of incubators, says practical New York farmer. and have seen many more in operation. There are hundreds of them in Hammonton, x. J.. both in use and out Of use, and there is the place to learn something about them and their uso and useful ness, l found the people there by no means unanimous in their opinion concerning the comparative merits of the different styles and perhaps even not in harmony about the merits of the machine or idea as an incubatiug device. There is one thing l have learned to my satisfaction. namely, that the hatch is an uncertain quan- tity at best There are great many more people who buy iucuba- tors, than who use them or continue to use them. The uncertainties and vacations of the business disgust the great ma jority of those who engage in the chicken business as means of earning a living. This Is fact that can not be controverted. Usually the enthusiasm soon gets cooled off Few of the many who go in. reach any kind of success. 1 have known beginners at the very first start to have first rate hatch 75 or 80 per cent with Ja rh na bNr ( they had certain thing, and went in heavier, all at once to make failure after failure. 1 have known exports fail in getting even a satisfactory hatch. without being able to assign reason for it.
 It should be understood that hatch- ing eggs per incubator, is something that has to be learned There are many fine points about it, that even the expert is often puzzled about. Yet with study and perseverance, success is within reach. and for people who raise chickens and eggs by the thou sand, incubators are an absolute ne- cessity. Where operations are re- stricted to hundreds of fowls only, however, l think we might use safer and simpler way Of matching. For some time l have had it in my mind, to try the virtues of turkey hens as incuhators. We all know them to be steady setters, and usually very tract able ones besides. Less generally known it is, however, that turkey hens can easily be made to set at any de- sired time. All that is needed, Is to arrange some nest boxes. say two feet long, one foot wide and Il feet deep along the wall Of a dark room, put some litter in the nests and here set tho turkey hens upon a few glass or wooden eggs. Keep them confined by covering the boxes with q cover Of wire netting or slats Nests made in barrels laid up- on the ground and screen door fixed before the opening will also answer Of course the bird does not take to the nest at once She will struggle and try to get out for a day or two; soon, however, she will settle down to business and become broody. Then the eggs to the number of 20 if hens eggs, or Is if duck eggs, may be placed under her. She may lay right along while setting on eggs, and if so, the nest should be examined every day, ard the fresh laid eggs removed This may be done while the bird is off the nest feeding, for of course, a chance should be given her to do so once day.
 When the chicks hatch. they should be taken out and a new lot of eggs put under tho old hen, or she may be allowed to take care of her brood If the business is carried on extensively enough, a regular brooder of any of the styles now advertised or a home made one, will come very handy. This IS my plan. l know 1t is practicable. even if have never tried it. on an ex- tenslee scale. At any rate, for smaller operations, it is safer. simpler. and N'aSt put not leastl cheaper than tne method of matching by means of the ''seli-regulatngn incubator, costing SIS or sl00 each. The turkey hen needs next to no watching. but even the best selt-regulating. self-ad just able incubator. with patent egg turner. snd all sorts of safety" alarms and contrivances, electric or otherwise, needs no end of watching.