Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-14
HOW TO CONSTRUCT
AN INCUBATOR CELLAR

ground is preferable. 1t is well, also
to consider the location of the cellar
in relation to the brooder house, dwell
ing and other conveniences. Remem-
Der that it will be visited often, from
early in the morning until late at
night and in every kind of weather,
which means some very bad weather,
consequently it should be built with
the idea of accessibility.
The cellar may be erected in con-
junction with a brooder house, laying
house, granary or other building. or ii
may be built as shown in the accom-
panying sketch, as a separate unit
with a gable roof. For the convent
ence of this article we will consider
it as an independent building, though
it is easily converted into any other
modification.
The cellar should be large enough
to allow the attendant to work around
the machine conveniently. If small
machines are being used at the time
Of building the cellar, it is best to pro-
vide for the installation of a NAM
moth machine at some future time,
that is, to make the cellar wide
enough to accommodate one of the
large, coal-burning types. Mammoth
machines require a cellar width of
about twelve feet, and ceiling height
of seven feet. Eight feet is. better.
Most machines are of the two-sided
type-with compartments on both
sides. Passageways at least three feet
wide should be allowed for the hand
ling of egg trays. Two mammoth
machines may be set up side by side
in a cellar twenty feet wide, with
plenty of room for convenient opera
ton. A 1,20O-egg machine requires a
cellar length of eighteen feet, and
each additional section of about 800
/ eggs requires four extra feet.
Construction in Detail
In order to save on the labor of eX-
cavating, we recommend making the
| finished floor level about three feet be-
! low the natural grade, and using what
earth is removed from the hole to
throw up an embanSment around the
/ cellar This will secure the desired
depth by low ground at the least eX-
/ pense. The walls should be built OF
stone, brick or concrete, and the floor
should be made of cement, also the
entrance steps and areaway. In the
| accompanying diagram we present a
design for cellar of concrete, 40 feet
! long and ! 4 feet wide, outside meas
urements, with a ceiling height of Z 1a
! feet in the clear. The structure is
made of concrete. because this mate
/ rial has come into general farm use
and may be erected by the poultry
man himself with the assistance of or
dinary farm labor. Anyone who can
handle a hatchet and saw and build a
wooden form, can execute u satisfac-
tory concrete job. whereas a certain
amount of skill is required to lay up
stone or brick masonry.
The work of keeping the floor water
proof should be taken up in connec-
ton with the excavation. EXcavate to
a depth of nine inches below the fin
ished floor level, and fill it in with six
: inches of broken stone. cinders, broken
tile, brick bats or any other hard
porous material that will obtain per-
feet drainage. Never use ashes. TamI
this foundation material to solid bed
and it is then ready for the concrete
/ floor slab, which should be about
three inches thick. The floor should
I be pitched to drain. for cleaning pur-
| poses. And If the cellar is located in
! particularly wet ground. n line of agri-
cultural tile may be laid through the
foundation material and led away
from the building to lower ground OF
to a dry well. We would use a finish
ing coat of cement on the floor. or else
trowel the concrete to a smooth sur
! face.
The walls should be about eight