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is something to be said on both sides. In favor of the natural 

 method there is first of all economy. It costs at least $25 to 

 install an outfit for artificial incubation, and this is an expense 

 that many can ill afford, thickens brooded by hens have more 

 stamina and are subject to fewer diseases than chickens 

 brooded in any other way. There is no mother for a brood of 

 , young chickens than can equal an old hen. Some of the most 

 progressive poultrymen in the country use hens exclusively, 

 setting hundreds of them at a time. 



The disadvantage of the natural method is that it is never 

 completely under one's control. Whatever mental qualities a 

 hen may or may not possess, she has a full-grown, large-sized 

 will ; and no method has yet been discovered to make a hen sit 

 when she does not want to. To realize the largest profits in 

 poultry, chickens must be hatched early and kept growing 

 from the day they leave the shell. It is not always possible to 

 have a supply of sitting hens on hand. The sitting hen is liable 

 to leave her nest before her task is done, and no amount of per- 

 suasion will induce her to return. Sometimes she crushes eggs 

 or young chicks under her clumsy feet. At the best she can 

 bring out but a few chickens at a time. After a while the up- 

 to-date poultryman is almost certain to come to the conclusion 

 that he must have an incubator. 



The advantage of the artificial method is that it is so com- 

 pletely under one's control. The incubator may be started at 

 any time. The best machines are so adjusted that the element 

 of chance is practically eliminated, and every fertile egg may 

 be incubated. The trouble comes in rearing the chickens. 

 Brooder chickens require much more attention and are more 

 subject to disease than chickens brooded under hens. The 

 per cent of loss is greater. Especially among beginners there 

 is sometimes a "slaughter of the innocents" that is frightful. 



To sum up : If one wants early chickens and wants them 

 in quantities and has the time to give to them, he should by all 

 means get an incubator. Otherwise he would best stick to the 

 hen. 



GET A GOOD INCUBATOR OR NONE. 



In purchasing an incubator remember that the best is the 

 cheapest. A poor machine is dear at any price. Beware of the 

 home-made incubator. Sometimes they work satisfactorily, 

 but oftener they do not. I know a young man of more than 

 ordinary ingenuity who constructed an incubator from plans 

 that he found in a paper. By visiting the machine at intervals 



