POULTRY KEEPING 559 



should be dry-trimmed with a pair of sharp shears before it is 

 inserted in the burner. Then after being passed up and down the 

 tube a few times it should be trimmed again and its corners slightly 

 nicked or rounded. Now is the time to prove whether the burner is 

 in perfect order and that the wick works freely and easily. The 

 wiok should now be moistened in kerosene and drawn back to its 

 proper position for lighting. All dust and moisture should be 

 wiped from the burner. Especially important is it that the start be 

 made with a clean tube and sieve. The lamp should be filled within 

 one-fourth of an inch of the top, arid then after the burner is at- 

 tached to the lamp the whole should be cleaned with a dry, clean 

 cloth. The chimney also should be carefully cleaned with a dry 

 cloth. It should be free from dirt, dust, or grease. If the chimney 

 is not kept perfectly clean the lamp will smoke, and a smoky lamp 

 means a poor hatch. Dry cleaning cloths should be set apart for 

 this purpose. All these details looked after, the lamp can be lighted 

 and placed in position if the machine is a hot-air machine ; but if it 

 is a hot-water machine the lamp must not be lighted until the tank 

 is filled with water in accordance with the instructions that accom- 

 pany the machine. Study the structure of your lamp and exercise 

 great care in putting it together as well as cleaning and filling it 

 the first time. Familiarity gained and habits formed will be of 

 value to the operator in the future management. Accuracy and 

 thoroughness are important. 



Use nothing but the best grade of oil. No incubator will do 

 good work with poor kerosene. The best will cost less in the end. 

 It will give more heat, less smoke, and make less dirt and less work. 

 If oil is bought by the barrel do not accept it in an old barrel. It 

 may be short in measure or it may contain water and rubbish in the 

 bottom of the barrel. 



With the incubator in its place, all parts adjusted, the tank, if 

 any, filled with water, and the lamp lighted and wick turned up so 

 as to give a clear, white flame just high enough, but not too high 

 we are ready to balance the machine or to establish the ratio between 

 the thermometer, the regulator, and the lamp. 



Adjusting the Incubator. The incubator should be run with 

 the trays empty for at least twenty-four hours before the eggs are 

 placed in the egg chamber. This gives it a chance to get well warmed 

 throughout, and it also gives the operator time and practice in adjust- 

 ing the regulator so that it will keep the egg chamber at the proper 

 temperature. This temperature should be exactly 100 F. for several 

 hours before the eggs are put into the egg chamber. All this time 

 the lamp should be kept in order and made to burn with a clear, 

 white flame, so that it does not smolce and so that it can be turned a 

 little either up or down without smoking. This is essential. The 

 blaze must be good from the start and the regulator balanced to a 

 good flame, and this must be done before the eggs go into the egg 

 chamber. It is easier and safer to experiment with the lamp and the 

 regulator when the egg chamber is empty than when the machine is 

 full of eggs. A few hours spent in adjustment will be time saved 



