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283 OBSERVATIONS concerning ' 



can never hatch an egg. I alfo remember a lady, curious 



in turkeys, in order to produce a forward brood, fet her 



hens in her fmoke-houfe, whilft her meat was hanging, 



but the eggs did not produce one pout; and it was difco-- 



vered that the hens had been greafed by the accidental 



drippings of the meat. 



As thefe difcoveries fquared with the French methodof 



preferving eggs, by tallowing them over, founded certain- 

 ly upon the principle of keeping out the air, which would 

 otherwife give them, in long voyages, a noxious and dif- 



agreeable taftc of ftalenefs; I thought I might conclude, 

 that befides warmth, air was effential to the vivifying or 

 hatching an egg; and the hen-houfe wives confirm me in it, 

 by their conflant obfervation, that hens, &c. not only 

 turn their eggs, but leave their nefts, at proper periods j 

 and thofe that hatch well, cool themfelves frequently with 

 water, whilft others perpetually brooding (if they do not 



die themfelves) addle their eggs. 



Upon thefe two principles then of heat and air, I thought 

 myfelf pretty certain of effeding the deflrudion of thefe 

 eggs in the grain; and therefore I endeavoured to hit up- 

 on fuch a method for their deftrudion, which fhould be 

 attended with the leaft labour and expence. Too much 

 warmth, or too little, or an entire exclufion of the air, 



muft do the bufinefs — Could it be confiftent with the pru- 

 dence of a farmer to thrafh out his grain as foon as reap- 

 ed, to be fure a drying kiln might be fo conflruded as to 



deftroy thefe eggs, by communicating too much warmth; 

 but as there are many reafons for a farmer (befides his o- 

 ther neceffary bufinefs) not to thrafli out his grain fo foon, 

 left he introduce the other inconveniency to his crop of 

 muftincfs and bad fcent, 1 was obliged to bend my thoughts 

 wholly to the exclufion of the air ; for wheat, I know, will 

 contract a degree of warmth in the mow, which is often- 

 times of great fervice to plump out the grain, byfomething 

 like an after circulation intheftraw; and to increafe that de- 

 gree of warmth, fo as to deftroy the eggs of the weevij, 



might 



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