LESSON THIRTY-TWO. 
INCUBATION AND BROODING. 
1. Hens for hatching.—The natural method of incu- 
bating or hatching eggs is by hens. Hens have the nat- 
ural instinct of perpetuating their species, and after lay- 
ing for a time they desire to raise a brood of their kind. 
Before breed specialization became an art and science, 
the hen laid a number of eggs and then was ready to sit 
and hatch them. But this system meant few eggs and 
many mothers. By breeding and selection the egg-lay- 
ing habit has been fostered, and the egg-hatching instinct 
lessened. As a consequence some breeds of fowls have 
been developed in which the mother desire has been 
largely eliminated. This is an advantage where hens are 
raised largely for eggs. Where only a few chicks are 
raised each year, hatching by hens is a popular custom; 
on farms it is the most common. 
2. Artificial incubation.—When it is necessary to hatch 
on a large scale and as rapidly and as economically as 
possible, the system is very different. To realize good 
ComMMON METHOD OF HATCHING ON THE FARM 
341 
