A GUIDE FOR KEEPERS OF POULTRY ?11 
machine has fewer fully formed chicks dead in the shell, 
it hatches more chicks, a higher per cent of the fertile 
eggs as well as a higher per cent of all the eggs set. 
There is a difference of 10.9 per cent of the eggs set or 
13.1 per cent of the fertile eggs in favor of moisture. If 
a comparison be made between the two methods of oper- 
ating as to percentage of live chicks to the eggs set, we 
find that all moisture machines average 35.9 per cent, or 
if we eliminate those in which tarry compounds were 
used we have an average of 32.3 per cent, whereas all dry 
machines give but 13.4 per cent, or eliminating one in 
which the tarry compound was used they then average 
12.1 per cent. In other words, 100 eggs hatched in the 
machine with moisture gave us 30.3 chicks alive at the 
end of four weeks.’ 
“Speaking of evaporation and moisture, Prof. Dryden, 
now of the Oregon Experiment Station, says: ‘Tests 
were started in March, 1907, with a view to determining 
whether applied moisture in the incubator is necessary. 
Nine incubators were used in the first test. The ma- 
chines were all of the same make and size. Six were 
operated in the basement and three in the room upstairs. 
They were run in three sets, three machines in a set. In 
each set one machine was with no moisture, one with a 
medium amount of moisture and one with a large amount 
of moisture, or double the amount of the one getting a 
medium amount. In this way each machine was checked 
by two others. Great pains were taken to make the con- 
ditions in each set the same except in point of moisture. 
Each set of three machines had the same kind of eggs. 
The eggs were from different flocks, but the same num- 
ber from each flock or pen was put in each machine. They 
were also divided equally as to ages. The moisture was 
