POULTRY KEEPING 549 



and tension, and should fasten the wick cap firmly to the burner. 

 Every detail should be examined before the burner is sold. The 

 following questions should be settled before the lamp is packed 

 for shipment: Does it leak? Does it fit? Does the elevator turn 

 easily and accurately? Is the wick tube perfect? Is the top of the 

 wick tube level and smooth? Can the wick be trimmed nicely? 

 Has the burner a chimney that has been made to fit? Does the 

 screw or snap that fastens the chimney work easily and properly? 

 Does the thread of the burner fit the thread in the socket of the 

 lamp? This last question may seem unnecessary, but the writer 

 has purchased incubators having burners which could not be turned 

 into the lamp. All these little matters count and have much to do 

 with the success or failure of the hatch. While some of the imper- 

 fections of a lamp are visible, others can not be discovered until 

 an attempt is made to use the lamp in heating an incubator, or to 

 clean, trim, and fill it. 



Chimney. The chimneys of different makes of incubators 

 vary greatly in form. Few are well made, whatever their shape. 

 The base or lower circumference should be smooth and level. The 

 spiral or bevel of conical chimneys should be so cut that the chim- 

 ney stands plumb when on the lamp. The top circumference 

 should be smooth and without slivers upon the edge to cut the 

 hands or catch the cloth in cleaning. The mica front should be 

 large enough to show the full width and height of the flame, and 

 this mica should be fastened neatly and securely. Allowance should 

 be made for contraction and expansion. Referring again to the 

 forms of chimneys, the most satisfaction is derived from those of 

 a cylindrical outline. They are preferred to those of a conical out- 

 line, although those of the inverted-cone form are convenient to 

 handle and, because of their wide, open tops and short canal, very 

 easy to clean. 



Nearly every incubator catalogue describes its lamp in glowing 

 terms, but a large number of the lamps sold are useless and dis- 

 credit their manufacturers. It would cost but little more to make 

 them better, and, if they were properly inspected and tested before 

 shipment, it would hardly be necessary to devote so much space to 

 this subject. 



Wick. Nothing has been found yet that takes the place of the 

 plain cotton wick. Other materials have been tried in the so-called 

 "wickless machines," but while wicks of these new materials are 

 more durable than cotton, they need about the same attention in 

 cleaning if not in trimming. The wick should be of medium 

 weave and some firmness and be made to fit the burner in which it 

 is to be used. 



Body of the Incubator. The body of an incubator should be 

 mounted upon good strong legs and at a reasonable height from 

 the floor. If too high or too low, the machine is very inconvenient 

 to operate. The writer prefers that the top of the incubator be 

 about 36 inches from the floor. Manufacturers of incubators 

 should remember that these machines are moved about and are 



