The Question Box. 1S3 



Question. — Would you risk high priced eggs in the incubator? 



Mr. Eice. — Certainly; why not? We are risking them and 

 have been ever since we began keeping poultry in any considerable 

 numbers. Indeed, we could not get along without an incubator. 



Question. — Is the incubator a success? Are those heated by 

 hot water better than those heated by hot air? 



Mr. Eice. — The incubator is certainly a success. Moreover it 

 is almost a necessity. The hens do not want to " set " early 

 enough to give us chicks for fall and winter layers. I know of no 

 advantage of the hot water over the hot air incubator; we have; 

 had experience with a half dozen different patterns — all very 

 good, and most of them have some advantage that others do not. 

 We now use the " Prairie State " and " Cyphers/' If you are 

 going to invest in an incubator follow the directions closely and 

 do not let several members of the family run it; if you do, somer 

 body will make a mistake and upset the whole affair and will be 

 sure to charge it to the other fellow. Select some one in the family 

 to look after the machine, and allow no one else to go near, it. 

 The incubator is a success, when one has many eggs to hatch. If 

 onlv a few, if you can get a c;ood old Plymouth Eock hen, I should 

 rather have the egffs under her than in any incubator ever made. 

 But we cannot trust every hen, particularly the Leghorns. The 

 Plymouth Eock and Wyandottes, however, will stick to the nest 

 all summer. 



Question. — When is the best time to start the incubator for 

 exhibition fowl \ 



Mr. McGrew.— For all Asiatic and American breeds, as soon 

 after December 15th as you can have the eggs; for the smaller 

 breeds, after March 1st. 



Question. — Do you prefer brooders to hens in rearing chickens? 

 Why? 



Mr. Van Dreser. — We have never lost nearly as many chicks 

 by disease with brooders as we did with hens. Wo prefer brood- 

 ers: First, because they save labor; second, because they always 

 tend to business and the chicks are brooded any time that they 

 want to be without having to wait the notion of a fussy hen. 



Mr. Jennin. — Hens for small flocks, where only a Limited num- 

 ber of chickens are wanted, as it requires loss attention and chick- 

 ens are given more range. Brooders where one intends to make it 

 a business and large numbers of chicks are wanted for early broil- 

 ers. 



