560 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



later on. Nearly every machine is accompanied by a card of direc- 

 tions for operating it, which should be studied and followed. 



It is not the province of this article to explain the individual 

 peculiarities of the regulators of different makes, but rather to show 

 what results are to be sought. The damper over the top of the chim- 

 ney should be kept free from the chimney, say about one-eighth of 

 an inch of space being left between or around the margin of the 

 damper. If you are using a hot-water machine, allowance must be 

 made accordingly and leakage looked for before setting the eggs. 

 The general principle, so far as the regulator and the lamp are con- 

 cerned, is the same in all machines. At the end of the experimental 

 twenty-four hours, again fill the lamp and trim the wick, and with 

 the machine running steadily at 100 F. the egg tray, loaded accord- 

 ing to directions given below, can be placed in the egg chamber. 

 The eggs should be clean and dry and should have been prepared 

 and balanced as suggested in the early part of this article. 



Filling the Trays. When filling the trays put in eggs enough 

 to fill completely every space, with every egg lying upon it side. 

 Do not stand the eggs upon end nor pile them one upon another. 

 The filled tray being now placed in the egg chamber, close the door, 

 being careful not to slam it and so disturb the regulator or the lamp. 

 The machine can now be left by itself an hour. At the end of that 

 time visit it, and if the thermometer still stands at 100 leave it 

 again for another hour. At the third visit it may be necessary to 

 turn the regulator thumbscrew, or the wick may need raising or low- 

 ering a little. It will be a matter of judgment at first whether you 

 change the wick or the regulator. In most cases, if the blaze is about 

 right, it is best to leave it so and to more completely balance the ma- 

 chine by a slight manipulation of the regulator, for if this is nicely 

 done upon the start the temperature can be controlled during the 

 entire period of incubation by slightly turning the wick. Note the 

 repetition : Have your flame to suit you at the outset, leave it so ; -and 

 adjust the regulator accordingly. 



It takes twenty-four hours properly to test the lamp and adjust 

 the regulator. During this time the eggs are gradually warming up, 

 and the operator is supposed to be watching the machine and study- 

 ing his instruction book. If a hot-water machine is used, some allow- 

 ance must be made for the time occupied in warming the tank, unless 

 it is filled with water already warmed. Let the operator bear in 

 mind that each incubator has its own peculiarities and must be 

 learned and managed accordingly. Another thing to note is that 

 the manufacturer of an incubator is likely to understand its manage- 

 ment and the operator is quite safe in following the printed direc- 

 tions for setting up and starting the machine ; but, while the manu- 

 facturer understands the mechanical details of the construction and 

 adjustment of his goods, his notions about the future management 

 of his or any other machine may not be at all like, nor at all superior 

 to, those of some other manufacturer. This is illustrated in natural 

 incubation. One farmer sets all his hens in straw nests, another sets 

 them all in chaff nests, another sets them all upon the ground and in 



