282 AN" EGG FARM. 



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noticed, is impossible in natural incubation, will ruin 

 them. Stories are told of the heat in the incubator 

 reaching 110 or 112 for a brief period without percepti- 

 ble injury, but the air might reach that degree, and 

 some portions of some of the eggs reach it nearly or 

 quite ; yet some of the germs in some of the eggs might 

 be heated not more than 106 or thereabouts, not quite 

 reaching the point of danger, since it ordinarily takes 

 hours to equalize heat thoroughly between the air and 

 the eggs. 



It must not, however, be understood from what 

 has been said that chilling, resulting in delayed hatch- 

 ing, carries no injury whatever to the chicks, for they 

 are never quite perfect when brought out either ahead of 

 or behind time. The eggs will endure greater variations 

 of temperature in the air around them after the twelfth 

 day than before. When eggs have been overheated they 

 may be sprinkled with moderately cool water so that 

 evaporation may check the heat without delay. If 

 through any accident the temperature has been for 

 hours a degree or two below 102 or 103, the machine 

 should be run an equal length of time as much above, so 

 that the chicks may appear when due. 



SHOULD EGGS BE COOLED? 



The question of cooling the eggs for a short time daily, 

 merits attention. Referring to our teacher, we find that 

 the hen leaves her nest for two principal things, of 

 which it is hard to tell which is the more important. 

 She must have food and drink, and she must run, and if 

 of an active, wingy kind, like the Games, she must jump 

 and fly also, that blood circulation and a good head of 

 vitality may be kept up, and the bowels may not fail of 

 regular action. Food and exercise are what she leaves 

 her nest for, and not to cool the eggs. Whatever cool- 



