The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-05-30
GLOWING OSTRICH EGGS
An Interesting Experiment in Pro-
gress at Washington.
Attempting to hatch the Great Birds
Eggs in an Ordinary Incuba-
tor ---- Prospects Seem
Good for Success.

amer OF the National Museum per-
formed a rare and dangerous scientific
operation yesterday four times over
with remarkable and highly gratifying
success. Some time in March Mr.. Ed
ward Schmid sent to the Norwalk os-
trich farm at Norwalk, Cal, and bought
nVe ostrich eggs at a cost of IS each.
In due time they came, and o u We're
put In an incubator and kept at a uni
form temperature for fourteen days.
n fifth was sent to Arthur Gardner
OF Springfield. Nd. an expert poultry
man, who set it under a big Brahma hen.
At the end of the second week the eggs
should have not Only begun the process
of incubation. but have been consider
ably advanced in 1t. 1t takes forty-two
days for an ostrich egg to hatch. BY
the eighth or tenth day the germ should
be distinctly visible. Yet none of the
eggs were thus far advanced. The
method of testing is precisely the same
as for hens eggs. In a darkened room
the egg is held up before the egg tester.
which Is simply a tin lamp chimney
with a hole in one side to let out a bar
of flight. When held before this tes-
ter light 1t was as easily possible to see
through the huge ~three-pound ostrich
q 49, NNaAA AaNS oSStA
through a sparrow's egg. At the end
of the fourteen days the eggs We're per-
fectly clear. There was practically no
air cell, and the contents had not begun
to dry down as they should In a fertile,
egg. Mr.. A. +. Cooper OF the Prairie,
State Incubator company happened to
come to Washington just then, and he
also tested the ostrich eggs. He is rec
ognized everywhere as an expert incu-
Dator manager, and was not likely to
make a mistake. He pronounced the
eggs infertile. Mr.. Schmid telegraphed
to California, and the Norwalk manag-
er promptly sent on another set of egg
n asked that the infertile ones be
blown" and old
Yesterday DR.. Palmer blew" the big
eggs. They were as big and bald as a
baby's head and weighed none of them
less than three pounds. There Is a good
deal of danger in such big eggs when
they have been incubated for any length
OF time. especially II they are fertile
enough to start the germ and get SO
weak that 1t dies in the shell. The egg
vs. likely to explode very much as in the
old laboratory experiment the soap bub-
bles filled with sulphuretted hydrogen
break loose. DIR. Palmer was loath to
tackle Mr.. Schmid's eggs. Only the
other day a a up IN Connecticut was
knocked over by one and covered with
a quart of arrested ostrich germ, to the
disgust of himself and all who came
near him for q fortnight. Yet DR.. Palm
err Is a brave nan and he went at his
task bravely.
A big tub of water was set out in the
middle of the floor, where there was a
good chance for instantaneous flight.
Then. placing the egg under water, he
drilled a small hole on the under side,
Inserted a small pump within a long,
slender tube that passed up into the
egg above the contents, and with a gem
tie pressure forced air gradually Into the
shell. which In turn drove the white and
yolk out. In this way three eggs were
safely emptied of their contents. BY
this time DR.. Palmer's faith in the In
tegrlty of these egg was somewhat re-
lnforced and he ventured to blow" the
last one out of water The contents
were caught in q two-quart cup. The
shells We're then rlnsed within and
cleansed on HI outside and are now
ready to be placed in the collectors
cabinet. They are beautiful In their
symmetry, their curves being simply
faultless. Little stipple marks or pores
are scattered over them to permit air to
enter. a feature absent from most other
eggs.
MI. Gardner has not yet reported on
the egg sent to him.
He made a nest Of nice, clean sand and
half buried the eggs, then put a vener-
able old hen on 1t and awaited results.
In all probability it, like the others, is
infertile.
The second set OF eggs have been in
the Incubator now for over a week, and
seem to be fertile. They rest on cotton.
and a thermometer Is laid by them on a
small frame, SO that the bulb constantly
touches an egg. 1t Is necessary to turn
them every twelve hours. and MI. Cug-
ley, who has charge Of the incubators.
has put a big E on one side Of each egg,
and a big M on the other. II this way
he knows every morning or evening
which sid of the eggs should be upper
nos The eggs now show an increas.
Ing air cell, and the yelks are moro
Opaque than In infertile eggs. Tier
hAso seems to be an opaque dot. which
appears where the germ is usually seen.
None Of the blood-red veins, seen in a
ge2d live hens g at the seventh or
eighth day, have yet developed. They
are due to hatch June 20. Mr.. Schmid
says he Will be satisfied IL he is fortu-
nate enough to hatch even one bird. He
thinks he can rear one If Matched. In
~Icubators are commonly used now in os-
ltrich Matching in this country. The
birds, when successfully reared, are
very valuable.