The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13

more than likely she enters the mott The mott keeps her busy for another three or four months, and then winte. weather is at hand.
 Ihls IS the way of the average farm hen. It is the natural way. And it Is the reason why the farm hen seldom produces over 60 eggs a year. Five dozen eggs a year, unless they are pro- duced as by-product, with little or no expense to the keeper, will not show profit. Hence farmers aver that chickens do not pay.
 or course, chickens do not pay un- der such circumstances. Neither would cows pay if they were allowed to fol- low their own inclinations It is doubtful if any farm crop would pay if it was neglected so much as chick ems are ignored on the average farm. SAVE THE HENS TIME The single blow was superseded by the double blow; the double blow was replaced by the three and four-h horse gang blow the gang blow has been re- placed by the tractor which hauls a number of gang blows. Why? Be- cause too many men and too many horses were required by the old meth ods. It was too expensive; it did not pay The draft animals and the mems
 
 were more productive in other lines of work. The machine was made to take their place. And so it is with the hen.
 The incubator hatches hundreds or thousands of eggs, which the hen matches 8 dozen or fifteen. The ma chine is attended by one man, and only a portion of the mans time, while the hens required to hatch an equal num-
 Der of eggs would require the atten tiOn of fhrep n follr The incI1- bator can be run on few gallons of oil or ton of coal while the hen s energy measured in the eggs she fails to lay by reason of her being on the nest would run into hundreds of dol lars.
 There is still another factor, and a highly important one. When you deal with hens, you deal with mighty per- verse creatures. You may want to bring off some early hatches in order to have early bullets for fall laying, but if there are no broody hens you are helpless. Again. you may find some broody hens, sitting on nests in some obscure place, and when you try to make them sit on setting of eggs in the place you provide for them they will have none of it. or, they may accept the proffered eggs and sit on them for week. then abandon them. If there is no other hen to take the eggs promptly, the partly matched eggs must spoil. Anyone who has had any experience with chickens knows only too well how exasperating broody hen can be- She is the last word in obstinacy. She will sit when it pleases her, where it pleases her, and as long as it pleases her. and no amount of coaxing will alter her views in the matter.
 MACHINE MEANS CONTROL The incubator is the reverse of the foregoing troubles It can be started ir late winter in order to produce early pull lets. perhaps months before the hens would even think of becoming broody, and it can be run as long as desired, and wherever it is desired. It is always under perfect control of the operator. Give it reasonable care and good eggs and it is the most obligng thing in the world. Use it once and you will aban- don the perversity of the hen for all time
 To the inexperienced mind the incuba- tor appears as an intricate machine re- oirng special training for it's operation. It is mistake to assume that they are difficult to manage. Reliable incuba-
 tors are made almost automatic and
 fool-proof these days and previous ex-