THE PEOPLE S PRACTICAL POULTRY BOOK. 155 



neath. The water tank is made of tin, and a little smaller than the box, so 

 as to allow half an inch free passage of air all round. The floating vessel is 

 made of tin, and is a trifle smaller than the water tank, so as to allow of its 

 floating in it. The center of this vessel has an oval opening, in which a 

 registering thermometer is kept to show at all times the temperature of the 

 water. The bottom of this vessel is covered about one inch deep with silver 

 sand, on which the eggs are placed. By means of the central opening, and 

 that between the tank, the temperature is kept in a constantly moist state. 

 The lamp can be for oil or gas, but gas is certainly preferable. The manage- 

 ment of the apparatus is so simple that it can be attended to by a child, and 

 only a very few directions will be necessary : 1. Fill the tank with hot water 

 till the floating vessel reaches the top level, then see that the water has a 

 temperature of about one hundred and twelve degrees, after which light the 

 lamp, and should the heat of the water increase, reduce the flame ; but if the 

 temperature rises or decreases but slowly, it can be regulated by admitting 

 more or less air through the door of the box. 2. The principal point, how- 

 ever, is, that the temperature on the sand should not vary much from one 

 hundred and five degrees, and it will be found that with water-heat of one 

 hundred and twelve degrees, the sand will be one hundred and five, and on 

 the eggs ninety-eight degrees. For beginners, however, it is always best to 

 put the apparatus in action a day or two before placing eggs in it. 3. Turn 

 the eggs once or twice a day, and keep the water replenished as it evap- 

 orates. 



The only incubators that are considered at all practicable are those of M. 

 CARBONNIER, Mr. BRINDLEY and Mr. F. SCHRODER. 



was quite a simply constructed machine. The heating apparatus consisted of 

 a tin or copper cistern or boiler of any desired size made with a flat bottom 

 and heated by a lamp, for which a chamber was provided in one end. The 

 lamp was so constructed as to burn for a certain length of time without at- 

 tention, and it was essential that the lamp chamber should be in the end of 

 the cistern that there might be a regular circulation of the water. The cistern 

 was kept nearly filled ; and the constant immersion of the thermometer was 

 necessary to show the temperature. The eggs were placed in a drawer under 

 the cistern on a little hay. They were not exposed to the direct heat of the 

 cistern, but were covered with a piece of canvas, on which is spread a layer 

 of sawdust half an inch thick. The sawdust became warmed by the heat of 

 the cistern and resting gently upon the eggs warms them in a more natural 

 way than any preceeding incubator we know of. In the egg drawer should be 

 a second thermometer to indicate the heat the eggs were subjected to. The 

 temperature of the sawdust may be kept at a standard of one hundred and 

 two or one hundred and three degrees Fahrenheit, and regular attention was 

 necessary to insure this. The eggs were withdrawn every day and exposed 

 to the cold air for about twenty minutes, and turned over as often, and the 



