The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1902-12-24
EXPERIMENT FARM NOTES.
New and Improved Brooder
House For Chickens.

Experiment to Increase Flavor of Eggs
Electric Regulator for Brooder-
800 Mature Fowls sKept- December
Wet Month "A 1-2 Inches of Rain
fall.
Chicken farming at the West Va.
Experiment farm is receiving special
attention during the winter season.
while experieDts cannot be carried on
out doors. Three hundred mature
fowls are being kept at the station
and superintendent Dy Mr.. Atwood
who has charge OF experiments at the
station farm.
Mr.. Atwood IS conducting some
very interesting experiments now,
looking toward the improvement OF the
flavor of eggs. So far the experiment.
has been most gratifying and be hopes
to achieve some practicable and re-
markable suits by the time the exper-
iment iscompleted. The flavor of the
hen egg is expected to be very appre-
ciably increased.
A new brooder house has just been
erected on the farm with incubating
cellar and top story for rearing young
chicks up to five weeks old. The
building is 10 by 40 feet, two story,
with cement basement. Mr.. Atwood
is perfecting hot water system of
supplying warmth TO the young chick
ems. The heat is to be controlled by
an electric radiator, which he is now
Installing. This is an entirely new
feature in the incubator chicken
breeding business here, and the re-
suits will be watched with much in
terest. The Incubator will soon be
more perfect than Russell Conwell's
hen, which he said many people were
too self important TO notice Perhaps
they will be willing TO study an cleo
| trio incubator
Beside this brooder house there are
ten colony houses 10 which the young
fowls SPEND their chickenhood days.
| The poor little orphans having no
| mother to hover over them have to be
sheltered by little houses erected for
their accommodation.
The record OF monthly rainfall kept
by Prof Atwood at the station show
a remarkable condition of affairs for
December.
| During the first thirteen days of
the month there was only one fair day
recorded That was Monday, the
first. Up to the present time there
have been only three fair days the lst
l4th and 18th.
The precipitation during the first
half of the month including rain and
| snow is AZ inches, while the norma
precipitation for the month of De-
cember is only 81 inches for the whole
month. Snow is of course computed
as to the depth of water it will make
when melted. This record shows that
Jupiter Pluvius has been running
his rain factory full time for the last
two weeks as the rural mail carriers
who travel the roads and ford the
streams every day had noticed.
The total normal rainfall for the
whole year is found to be 40} inches
for this county as determined by a
series of records covering ten years OF
more. The precipitation in December
last year was over 81 inches, two in-
ches above the normal for the month.
| The records of weather are kept
very accurately at the experiment
farm, and will be of much intere.t In
future years.
| Prof Atwood is preparing to con-
duct a great many practical and
valuable experiments with grain and
seeds on the Experiment farm next
year, under the direction of Jas. II
Stewart who supervises the work Of
the Station farm. Many new things
valuable to the farmers of the state is
learned and published in bulletins
leyery year.