The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-01-17
SECRETS
Of An EGG
Local Expert Tells Sex
and if Fertile
or Not.

| Hawaii has in the past harbored
MANY geniuses, but the stellar, king
min genius Of the Territory has just
made his presence manifest Some
geniuses do things with a pen, others
| perform marveIs with a brush ana
others there be whose claim to fame
| is based on a phenomenal expertness
in the musical arts. Honolulu's latest
genius is neither painter, writer or md-
sician; his peculiar forte is eggs, just
ordinary. plain. common or garden hen
fruit.
The gentleman in question is c. w
weatherwax, the right-hand bower of
]. ]. Williams, the photographer, and
what he doesn't know about eggs
wouldn't make much custard.
Weatherwax has been experimenting
with eggs since 1894 and is now i'll
position to give the results of his in
vestigations to the world. He has used
thousands of eggs in his experiments
and from February, 1904, to June, 1908.
had two fifty-egg incubators going al
the time. The soil round his residence
is mostly egg shells.
The experimenter claims that he is
able to tell if eggs are fertile or other
a cock or a hen fowl and if the chick
will have a fair chance of lusty life
or is likely to become a dead chick soon
after Matching.
II am willing to make a test of
hundred eggs said Weatherwax 10 an
Advertiser man yesterday, ''in order 10
prove that I know what I am talking
about. L prefer to use my own incu
bator, but will conduct the test in some
one else's machine if it be insisted up
on. The eggs may be marked accord
ing to my prediction with an indelible
pencil, in order that everything may
be straight and above board, before
being put into the incubator. OF
course, 1 am liable to miss an egg or
two, but in nine cases out of ten it
will be found that I am right
MI. " CdIitI WI CldllHS THAT he IL
the first white man to possess this re-
markable knowledge. The poultry pa
pers of the mainland are unanimous in
declaring that there is no way to tell
a fertile egg before putting it in the
incubator. They maintain that even
if the egg be broken, the germ can not
be seen with the naked eye.
II have worked long and hard in
this connection said Mr.. Weather
wax, but the results are more than
worth the trouble entailed in secur-
ing them. 1 intend to keep on working
until can prognOSticate the destiny of
an egg beyond a shadow of doubt,
until I have got my labors down to the
gnats heel stage
The egg fancier intends to incorpor-
ate his knowledge in order that the
poultry people of the mainland and the
dominions over the sea may share with
him his marvellous secret and be able
to tell to a nicely what their patches
of eggs will bring forth. Weatherwax
thinks that there's big money in the
scheme and expects to be more than
repaid for the trouble and expense to
which he has been put.
Til teach anyone the whole thing in
five minutes-what is has taken me
years and years to discover There
is no mechanical device involved and
no chemicals are used. The whole
thing is done with the fingers
Asked as to how he could determine
whether an egg was strong or weak,
the experimental said:
You stand a 200-pound athlete be-
fore me and also a 100-pound weakling
and then ask me which in my opinion
has the best chance of a long life. It
is the same with an egg, the strength
of a chick can be told from the egg
Just as the stronger and healthier of
two men can be determined. In fact,
the chances of life of a chick are more
patent in the egg than in the bird"
Weatherwax has much other inter-
estfng information at his fingers ends
pertaining to eggs and their habits and
mode of life. He has satisfied himself
that non-fertile egg after being in an
incubator five or six days is Just as
good to eat as a fresh-laid egg. On
the other hand. a fertile egg after be-
ing in hatchery for a similar period
of time is spoiled
The egg specialist. until a year ago.
was wont to place his unfertile eggs
on the fence and smash them with an
aT-Sun. Today he makes them into
cakes or occasionally, when the even
ing is chilly, concocts an eggnog
The inventor of the method of tell
ing live eggs from dead eggs, cock
eggs from hen eggs, and whether the
ch1ck viii celebrate the anniversary of
its birth, throws out his 1O0-egg test
challenge to the community and is
prepared to demonstrate whenever call
ed upon to do so, that he knows where
of he speaks.