Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-03-24
FARMERS WIVES ARE
RAISING CHICKENS NOW

| Inc uuEly ~ WhANu W ~rS --'e
requires contrIvances Of all kinds fol
the saving Of physical energy, 30 that
Iit may be kept for uses where machin-
cry will not answer. Not only q
this true In factories and offices, but
| in the home life--in the cities ana
on the farms.
In this day when 1t seems %
though the farmer has the controll-
ling hand, all eyes are turned country
ward, to see how the farmer man
ages.
| Farmers who wish to be good pro-
leressive up to date farmers, do not
| care much for expenses. They 80
ahead and get what they see they
need, knowing full well that they
can pay the price later.
The men folks on the farms are
not the only ones who are ambitious
The wives and daughters have also
70 be considered. A few years ago
some one got an idea that 1t was all
foolishness to have a large number
| Of hens setting in order to raise
chickens, When the hens were busy
with their families, where we're the
eggs to come from? Then a new
plan was tried, The hens were al
lowed to set but as soon as the eggs
were hatched, the chickens OF three
hens were all given to one hen. The
other two hens were penned up and
Ihalf starved for week. After that
time they were ready to think about
laying eggs instead Of raising famii-
les.
But even this did not satisfy the
women folks. 1t still seemed tha'
too much time and money was peine
wasted.
An enterprlsing man who though,
| that he might easily win fame anC
fortune. II he could manufacture
some machine that would take tn
place Of the hens for Matching pur
noses. set to work and finally evolved
what we now call an incubator. Ate
the first man succeeded so well othe
manufacturers set to work and a
the present time we have many difiei
ent kinds Of incubators.
When the chicks come out OF tn
Iincubators what will they do Withou
} q mother? Breeders are made fc
this purpose. The wooden mother
the brooder the help OF a tao
full woman three or four times "a
does the work of the live mothe
= Those who do not use the brood
generally set four hens at the san
z time the incubator is set. Wht
the eggs are Matched each mother b
\ about thirty five little ones to CO
, for, The hen teaches the bal
chicks how to scratch and care Z
themselves. She has a much larg
family to attend to than ii she ju
had her own babies, but she doesl
u mind. She takes care OF the chic
three or four weeks and then 8
leaves them to hustle for theTnselv'
and she goes on about the egg layil
=, business.
y People who know nothing aDo
incubators would likely think that
is so easy and such time and ener
y saved that they will Just get an
cubator and raise chickens too
A very wise idea to get an inc
bator, but they must remember tn
A lin the first place there are ineubatc
W and incubators. In the second pla
that even the best one requires
tention. In the third place, u
while it is full Of eggs, It must ?
be forgotten for even a half d.
Everything might go well until t
~ last day and then If the one "
was caring for the incubator shou
forget and the temperature be rails
or lowered the chicks would all
. killed.
An incubator is great labor-sf
y ing device for the busy housewi
I and with two or three matches 6
can have a large flock Of chicke
and without having to run after
setting hens for three or four mont
as our mothers used to do.
In Dickinson county there is 0
woman who is connoisseur In
Ter art Of Matching chickens by mea
vo- Of an incubator and she has OF
pa been in the work two summers. II
- - woman is Mrs. Ella Knerr who III
%. four miles south Of Abilene. T
years ago she bought an ineuba'