The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-08

unsatisfactory results are-in great ma- | Jority of cases-due to the use of poor l eggs or to poor management. The opera | tor should satisfy himself that these | factors are right before cohdemning any of the standard machines.
 {! The three factors which bear upon the | problem of artificial incubation are tenn perature, ventilation and humidity. In virtually all incubators the formr is auto tnatically regulated tc a fraction of a degree, but the others are, of necessity, [ largely determined by the operator Where suspended thermometers are
 chamber is 103 degrees. Many operators
 run their machines steadily at this tem- perature during the entire period of in- cubation The writer prefers to secure an average of 103 degrees running the machine at 1021a degrees the first week, | 103 the second weeK and 103h the third | week.
 Use Good Oil
 1 Of course the lamp should burn stead | fly, as this has a decided bearing upon | the matter of temperature Use nothing but high-grade oil, which gives a steady l flame. Oil which burns poorly is the cause of crusted wicks and deposits of soot in the heater. Use new wick for
 each hatch.- Fill and trim the lamp late l in the afternoon. This insures a fresh | flame and an ample supply of oil for the i1lduy hours uuT1nS WHICH the fndcu1ne IS not under observation.
 Ventilation is necessary in order that the developing embrycs may receive the required oxygen and the dangerous car lon dioXide be driven from the egg cham Der. Ventilation and moisture are closely associated. If the former is right, the latter will usually be also.
 In the process Of incubation the egg naturally loses considerable moisture through tp a rapid-moving current of heated air, the aggs lose so much moisture that they hatch poorly. 1f on the other hand, the air current is too sluggish, the embryos fail to receive the required amount of oxygen, and this also causes poor hatches At present we do not know of any def mite method whereby one can accurately determine whether the ventilation Is ab- solutely correct. However, certain experi- | ments in weighing eggs have brought out some interesting facts which the alert poulsryman can use to advantage. It has been found that the best results are se- cured when each 100 eggs of average size | kept at incubating temperature lose | weight at the rate of 10 ounces every six days.
 Using this as basis, one may regulate the ventilation If the loss in weight Is | too rapid, check the ventilation; if too slow, increase the ventilation. This re- quires some detail work and attention, but 1t usually pays to spend the time necessary to get things right.
 The eggs should be placed in the ma l chine in the morning. This gives ample 1 time for them to get heated up, and the incubator nicely adjusted before the final. 1 After 4S hours, the eggs should be | turned twice each day until they begin | to pip. Usually the last turning will l be on the nineteenth day. The best meth | o1 nf ic ha ho- | ing rolled around in the tray, those from | the center brought ito the outer edge. l This not only changes the position of l each egg. but helps to equalize the tenn | perature in machines wEere the center 1 of the tray is warmer than its edges. | In properly ventilated incupators it is l not necessary to leave the eggs outside | of the machine for cooling. If, however, l the movement of air within the egg l chamber Is sluggish. as often happens | during spells of extremely not weather, it is necessary to leave the egg trays out | in the room for considerable time each 1 day in order to give the embryos more air Also. if the temperature rises too | high the trays should be taken out and | the eggs slightly cooled
 White shelled eggs may be tested on l the fifth day. brown shelled on the sev-
 enth. Infertile eggs will appear perfect
 | ly clear, and these are suitable for cook
 Ing purposes Ine i've germs m fertile
 eggs look much like red spiders. Dead
 '! germs are mere dark spots, frequently
 encircled by a red ring. None but the 1 eggs containing live germs should be left
 1 in the machine The testing process may
 be repeated on the fifteenth and seven
 teenth day. in order that the eggs con-
 taining germs which have died since the
 l first test may be thrown out
 At matching time the temperature nat
 uraly rises somewhat. It may safely be
 permitted to go to 105 degrees but not
 higher Leave the machine closed from
 the time the first chick appears until the
 | hatch is completed. Hang thick cloth
 over the glass In the Incubator door e