ON A TOWN LOT 25 



other different varieties. I had decided to try out several different breeds 

 before deciding upon any one. None of the eggs were left standing on 

 end — all were lying flat in the incubator. Since that time I was away 

 on the road a considerable part of the time, I drafted the services of my 

 faithful servant to run the incubator during my absence. 



Like all beginners, we were very much interested in the development 

 from day to day, and I received frequent "bulletins," reaching me at 

 various stops on my route. 



Well, at the end of the third day of this first hatch, the eggs received 

 their first turning and the next morning were turned again and cooled for 

 about ten minutes. The tendency was for the temperature to rise the 

 third week, when the chick had commenced to throw off animal heat. By 

 slight adjustment of the regulator, we had no trouble in keeping the de- 

 sired temperature. It is very important to maintain as nearly uniform 

 temperature as possible. Every day the lamp was filled and the wick 

 trimmed. Eggs must never be piled on top of one another, but always laid 

 flat in the incubator. 



Much better results will be secured by operating the machine in the 

 basement, because it is easier to maintain the necessary uniform temper- 

 ature. If the basement or cellar is too dry, then place a pan of water 

 under your machine to furnish sufficient moisture. 



I have said something about cooling eggs. This is done by allowing 

 the eggs to remain out of the machine until they are cooled. If the 

 weather is severe and the room is cool, it will not take them long to 

 reach the desired coolness. A good way to tell when they are sufficiently 

 cooled off, is to place the eggs to the lid of your eye, and if they feel 

 neither warm nor cold, they are at the proper temperature to return to 

 the machine. This "eye lid" test is a good one! 



This scheme was followed until the nineteenth day when the eggs 

 began to pip. When we saw the first egg pip we closed the door and did 

 not open it again until we saw the hatch was well over. The first week 

 we ran the machine at a temperature of 102j/^ degrees, and the second 

 week 103 degrees. At the end of the third week the temperature went up 

 to 104 degrees or a little more, but under no condition did we allow it to 

 go above 105 degrees. 



What causes the hatch to go over the twenty-first day? The machine 

 has been run a little too cold or the eggs have been cooled a little too 

 long. If the hatch comes off before the twenty-first day, it is because the 

 lamp has been run with the blaze a little too high. At the end of the 



