464 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



ters placed in tlae groin. By the first method the I'eadings ranged from 101.5 to 

 106° F., and by the second method, in which the hens were distnrbed and the 

 temperature was consequently somewhat higher than normal, from 102 to 

 107.4°. 



The temperature of eggs during incubation was also measured, special pre- 

 cautions being taken to insure the maintenance of constant temperature. The 

 range in temperature noted was from 08 to 103°. " These observations show 

 that the proper incubating temperature of the egg is about 100° for the first 

 week, 101° for the second, and 102-103° for the final week." 



From tests of temperature of incubators and eggs, the author is of the opin- 

 ion that the most favorable temperature within the egg chamber of an incu- 

 bator is close to 102-103° in the first half of the incubating period and 103- 

 104° for the latter half. 



"In any consideration of temperature the fact must be kept in mind that as 

 the chick grows it gives off more and more heat, so that if an incubator of 200- 

 egg capacity were entirely without artificial heating, the temperature would be 

 much higher than that of the surrounding atmosphere; it consequently follows 

 that less artificial heat is necessary dtiring the later stages of incubation. The 

 102-103° in the earlier stages is largely artificial heat, while the 103-104° in 

 the later stages would be the combined animal heat given off by the egg and the 

 artificial heat supplied by the heat radiator." 



In natural incubation the hens lea\e the nests from time to time for food and 

 in this way the eggs are, of course, cooled. "It may be stated with a fair de- 

 gree of certainty that the cooling of the eggs is due to the necessity of obtain- 

 ing food, and in no way fundamentally affects the growth of the chick when 

 there is an abundant supply of fresh air. There is not the least doubt, however, 

 but what it has a beneficial infiuence in cases of poor ventilation, and since no 

 incubator is supplied with too much, it probably is best to adopt the common 

 practice of cooling the eggs. In so doing it would not seem advisable to cool 

 the eggs for more than 20 to 30 minutes each day for the first 15 or 18 days." 



In tests of the effect of ventilation on eggs it was found that in an incubator 

 with special ventilation 85.7 per cent of the fertile eggs hatched and in an incu- 

 bator without ventilation 44.3 per cent. The amount of ventilation necessarily 

 involves a consideration of the moisture content of the air and daily hygrometer 

 tests were made with a view to ascertaining the amount of moisture which 

 exists in the nests. " It was found on the average that the egg during natural 

 incubation loses about 13 per cent of its original weight. It was also found by 

 experiment that the evaporation could be lessened until the egg lost but per 

 cent of its original weight and still give a healthy chick. It was likewise learned 

 that evaporation coidd be increased up to about 20 per cent and the eggs give 

 rise to perfect chicks. It would thus appear that the moisture in the incubator 

 should be so controlled that it will allow the evaporation of about 13 per cent 

 of the orginal weight of the egg." 



Condimental stock foods, F. W. WoLL (Wisconsin Sta. Bui. Jot, pp. .'lO)- — 

 Analyses were made of 30 samples of condimental stock feeds. The author calls 

 attention to the fact that in most of the samples the ash content was high, ran- 

 ging from 5 to nesirlj' 50 per cent, owing to the presence of large quantities of 

 inorganic materials, like common salt, Epsom and Glauber salts, lime carbon- 

 ate, lime sulphate, iron sulphate, etc., counnon salt being present in the largest 

 quantities. The protein content ranged from 2.25 to 52.38 per cent. 



" Most of the stock foods do not contain more valuable feed materials than 

 oil meal or even wheat bran, and many contain less, as might be expected 

 when we consider the character of the materials entering into the composition 



