60 



STRUCTURE OF THE EGG NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL 



HATCHING. 



(Dr. A. A. Brigham, Brookings, S. D.) 



I will first dwell on the structure of the egg and just how the 

 little chick starts. In the first place, we have the white and the yolk 

 of the egg, but neither the white or yolk furnishes the chicken. If 

 you place an egg on its side and break it open, you notice that the 

 yolk comes near the shell and you observe a little white spot about 

 one-eighth of an inch in diameter on the yolk. That little white spot 

 contains the germ of life in the egg. All else furnishes food for the 

 development of the chick. 



As you move the egg slightly to one side before an egg tester, you 

 notice that the yolk moves. That comes out more conspicuously after 

 the egg has been under the influence of incubation for some time. 

 Turn a white-shelled egg sidewise before an egg tester and you will 

 see that the yolk of the egg moves around when at rest. It always 

 floats on top, because it is the lightest part. 



That little white spot contains the germ of the future chick. Place 

 an egg under a hen for twenty-four hours and a wonderful change 

 will take place; the little white spot develops into a number of cells. 

 One cell has divided into two and two have again divided, and so on 

 until we have hundreds of cells formed. Every part of the chicken 

 is made up of these cells. They are compressed and elongated into 

 bone, brain and the beginning of the feathers. If after twenty-four 

 hours you hold the egg up before the light you will notice that there 

 is a rosy circle about the size of a dime at the top of the yolk. The 

 rosy tint is due to the blood vessels formed there. If you look again 



at the egg after another twenty- 

 four hours you will notice that 

 the circle has increased to the 

 size of a quarter of a dollar. By 

 the end of the third day it will 

 have increased to the size of a half 

 dollar, and so on, until it com- 

 pletely surrounds the yolk. That 

 system of blood vessels is for the 

 purpose of gathering food for the 

 chick. By the end of the fifth 

 day, if you hold up a good, fertile 

 egg before a bright light, you will 

 find that you have a network of 

 veins almost scarlet in tint, and in 

 the center of this network of 

 veins is a clear spot, within which 

 is our embryo chick. You will notice that it looks like a little grub. 

 At one end there is a black spot ; this is the eye, perfectly formed, in 

 five days. It is a perfect lens. Another series of veins start out about 

 the fourth day and surround the albumen of the egg; this is for the 

 purpose of gathering food and also to take the place of the lungs, 

 which are not yet formed. 



"It matters not if you are from Mis- 

 souri, if you will give us a chance, we 

 will convince you that money can be 

 made from poultry." 



