POULTRY SECRETS REVEALED. 39 



breeders wlio do not undertand the art; weak stock, shown by 

 narrow breasts, thin legs, dull eyes and pinched heads; cheap eggs 

 bought from cheap men; stock purchased from unknown breeders 

 with no knowledge of its blood lines; all these lead to poor hatches. 

 If you want to succeed, and save money while doing it, buy the 

 best — the best from an honest man. A half dozen eggs from Lester 

 Tompkins' best pen at four dollars per egg would be much cheaper 

 than a hundred cull eggs at four cents each. And the same truth 

 applies to all our really great breeders — men of honor and intelUgence, 

 who grew into the business from boyhood. 



When it comes to hatching by incubators we face other problems. 



We may buy the best incubator made — if there is a "best." We 

 may use the best oil and follow directions to the letter. We can 

 regulate the heat, and supply plenty of moisture. We may fill the 

 incubator with the very best eggs obtainable. We may start two 

 machines at the same time and test out so that one may be filled 

 with fertile eggs. And when the chicks come we may get a hundred 

 from a hundred eggs or we may not get one. Every chick may 

 live, or every chick may die. 



What causes this wide range? 



Many things. 



First, and most important: 



Lack of oxygen! 



Remember that. 



LACK OP OXYGEN. 



The "heavy" air of the cellar; the burned out air of a small 

 room; the breathed out air of a living room; in all of these the 

 eggs are deprived of the life-giving oxygen to a greater or less extent, 

 and the hatch suffers accordingly. 



