Money in Broilers and Squabs. 27 



egg chamber, trays and turning rack, if they are soiled or musty, to 

 use hot water, into which a liberal amount of baking soda has been 

 mixed. 



The same journal gives this method for keeping eggs for hatch- 

 ing: Pkck the eggs in boxes containing oats, bran or dry sawdust, 

 filling the box full and screwing on the cover. You can now turn 

 the eggs by simply turning the box half way over. The common 

 way is to stand the eggs on end when placing them ; it does not make 

 any difference which end. 



J. L. Campbell gives this method for determining the moisture 

 in eggs. Try them in warm water at the end of two weeks. If they 

 sink they are too moist. If they just float they are a little too moist. 

 If they float high they are too dry ; but if they float with a space 

 which could be covered with a silver twenty-five cent piece, they 

 are about right. This will be the average only, as some will be 

 less and some a little more. Less is better than more. This is a 

 reliable test in all case^ and one can prove it by trying it long 

 enough and often enough. If the eggs float as stated, and a poor 

 hatch results, the trouble must be looked for elsewhere. It will 

 usually be found in the temperature. 



Fasten a card to each incubator, stating when the hatch was 

 started, when the tests were made, number of infertile eggs, num- 

 ber of chicks hatched, number dead in the shell, and a general de- 

 scription of the conduct of the machine during the entire three 

 weeks. 



In selecting eggs for hatching, do not use those undersized, 

 neither extra large ones. As a rule double-yolked eggs will not 

 hatch, while the extra small ones will give weak, puny chicks, if 

 any. A rough-shelled or a thin-shelled egg should also be rejected, 

 iiggs having a bad shape, or which have ridges around them, are 

 very unreliable. 



It is a good plan to shift the trays each day from one section 

 of the machine to the other. 



Have the regulator adjusted at one hundred degrees before put- 

 ting in the eggs. 



A chick too weak to free itself from the shell, will be too weak 

 to amount to anything afterwards. Better leave it alone. 



If the temperature of the machine runs down while the eggs 

 are hatching, the chicks are apt to stick fast to the shell. 



A. F. Cooper says the four points of success with incubators 

 are, first, even temperature of 103 degrees; second, fresh air; third, 

 air-cell one-fourth to one-fifth the contents of the shell ; fourth, 



cooling. . 



H S. Thompson, in "Farm-Poultry, gives this pomter: Cut 

 two narrow cardboard strips for. each of your egg trays. Write or 

 print "Night" on one, and "Morning" on the other. Tack each one 

 to the sides of the tray that show through the glass door. When 

 turning your eggs see that the trays are shifted around so that the 

 sign "Night" shows at night, and "Morning" in the morning. This 

 will insure the even application of heat, which is so important. 



