ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION. 71 



of the incubator must be packed also. The incubator 

 should be raised from the floor about an inch, when com- 

 pleted, to allow the air to pass under and thence into 

 the ventilator tubes. 



The incubator being complete, the tank is filled with 

 boiling water. It must remain untouched for twenty- 

 four hours, as it requires time during which to heat 

 completely through. As it will heat slowly, it will also 

 cool slowly. Let it cool down to 110, and then put in 

 the eggs, or, what is better, run it without eggs for a 

 day or two in order to learn it, and notice its variation. 

 When the eggs are put in, the drawer will cool down 

 some. All that is required then is to add about a 

 bucket or so of hot water once or twice a day, but be 

 careful about endeavoring to get up heat suddenly, as 

 the heat does not rise for five hours after the additional 

 bucket of water is added. The tank radiates the heat 

 down on the eggs, there being nothing between the iron 

 bottom of the tank and the eggs, for the wood over and 

 around the tank does not extend across the bottom of 

 the tank. The cool air comes from below in the ven- 

 tilator pipes, passing through the muslin bottom of the 

 egg-drawer to the eggs. The 15x30 inch tank incuba- 

 tor holds 100 eggs. Lay the eggs in, the same as in a 

 nest, promiscuously. 



In regard to the sawdust packing. The bottom board 

 is wider than the ventilator. Each corner of this bottom 

 board should be 2 x 3 well-fitted posts, the posts being 

 six inches (or whatever height desired), higher than the 

 three compartments (ventilator, egg-drawer, and tank) 

 when the three are in position. To these posts fasten 

 tongued and grooved boards, and you will then have 

 the compartments enclosed with a larger box. Now fill 

 in your sawdust (sides and top), covering the top saw- 

 dust with the same kinds of boards, first boring a hole 

 for the tube on top, or fitting the boards around it by 



