RANKIN'S ■ DUCK; ®0OK 



ef freezing outside. • How can the eggs at the extreme : cor- 

 .irers -and the 'thin told sides of that- machine -be as wartnas 

 those in the center ? Oi course 1 that' 'difference: does not 1 'exist 

 iti warm weather, • but that is 'thfe" tinte ; 'when incubators 'are 

 usually let alone and' trie business' is gfv'en'upVtb the bid'heri. 

 Now, I say this I rarikly,' : as mucjv' : f0r ,'the 'b'eWe.fit 6 ; f. inciibator 

 manufaeturers as for .'..their 'customers.' ^ruse'd/to have letters 

 every day from parties saying \nat.:they : *ii^cl'.use.d. from one 

 to three machines of different .m^es/.denoun'cing the machines 

 and their makers in the most empHatfc Verms, as, frauds, ./Now, 

 this was all wrong; one-half of tH^/time* yo,u; will find/that, it 

 is ,tbe purchasers, not the makers, • who are at fault. \ Therje 

 are probably just as .many honest jncub'ator makers as there 

 are in any other branch of business.".'.. But there is such a 

 thing as a man being honest and yet ignorant. 



Many of the manufacturers of incubators know very 

 little about the first principles of artificial incubation. They 

 have the idea that a simple heat regulator is all that is neces- 

 sary to insure the success of an incubator, when in reality 

 it is only one of the many requirements. I will enumerate 

 some of the most essential points, viz.: heat regulation; uni- 

 formity of heat in egg-chamber; absolute control of heat by 

 the operator on any given egg-tray ; automatic moisture sup- 

 ply; accurate thermometers; thorough construction and good 

 material to avoid warping amd shrinkage, together with a safe 

 lamp adjustment. 



There are many other minor points which will come 

 up with care of machines. I was often asked, "Why do so 

 many fail to hatch with incubators?" I answered by saying: 

 "Not because it is difficult; for I have always found it a far 

 more difficult thing to grow ducks and chicks successfully 

 after they are hatched, than it is to hatch them." Doubtless 

 everyone knows that an incubator, .different from other ma- 

 chines, must run three weeks continually, night and day, (and 

 when filled with duck eggs, four weeks), and preserve an 

 even temperature all the while. : 



Some machines as described above, are not adapted to 

 this business, and some men are not adapted to the use of 

 machines even when they are good ones. They are not will- 

 ing to bestow the little but intelligent and regular care re- 

 quired, and many times during the four weeks they will for- 

 get some of the most essential points, such as replenishing 

 their lamps, or forget to attach the extinguishers, thus depriv- 

 ing the machine of all self-control, or they neglect to trim 

 the lamps for days, and perhaps a week, allowing the wick 



