334 ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION 



mitting the action of the thermostat to the lamp ; (c) arrangements 

 for easy adjustment or regulation; (d) mechanism that will not 

 get out of order with use. 



It is well to look into the mechanical construction of the 

 machine if great and permanent efficiency is to be expected. A 

 good incubator should be built of well-seasoned, kiln-dry lumber, 

 and well put together, so that it will not swell or warp, or the joints 

 come apart when subjected to heat, or rack and come apart when 

 moved. It should be substantial, both in appearance and detailed 

 construction. 



It should be of plain design, well finished, with several coats 

 of varnish, making it as nearly waterproof as possible, so that 

 the great humidity often present will not affect the wood. 



The past record of the machine should be investigated, not 

 only the advertisements, but also the practical results attained 

 by those who have owned and used one. The reputation which a 

 machine has made is usually its best recommendation and the 

 safest one to rely upon. 



The machine bought should be of not less than one hundred 

 eggs capacity or, better still, two or three hundred, since a small 

 machine requires as much time and labor to operate it, and nearly 

 as much fuel ; it is also harder to keep it at a uniform temperature, 

 because, owing to its small size, it is more easily influenced by 

 changes in weather. In most cases the poultryman intends to 

 increase the amount of hatching at some future time; the larger 

 machine can be run at one-half capacity the first year or two, if 

 desired, and the number of eggs increased when necessary without 

 extra investment. 



Summary. It is well to emphasize the fact that an incubator 

 should never be placed in a damp, dark, musty cellar in a dwelling 

 house, for proper conditions cannot be maintained nor can it 

 be well ventilated. Nor should it be put in an upstairs room in a 

 dwelling house, owing to the great variations in temperature day 

 and night, and the certain increase in insurance rates. 



The room selected should be well ventilated, free from drafts, 

 and of an even temperature day and night. The air should con- 

 tain a moderate amount of moisture, and it should be possible to 

 increase this humidity if desirable. The machine should be so 

 ^et as to eliminate all danger of fire; the lamp box should be at 

 least four or five feet from any combustible material, such as a 

 wooden partition. It should be shielded from the direct rays of 



