8 Money in Broilers and Sqtiabs. 



Neglect of small details cbmes to the man who puts them off be- 

 cause he feels lazy to-day and "to-morrow will do just as well. 

 Take all the rest you need, but let there be time for work and 2 

 time for rest. Do business during business hours. 



We could still further enumerate, but we have said enough to 

 point out why the failures in Hammonton, and why the failures m 

 this line generally. . 



One lesson taught in particular by the experiences of Ham- 

 monton, was that no broiler plant can be operated by an inexperi- 

 enced person. It is not reasonable to suppose that any business 

 can be run by "greenhorns." Operating incubators and brooders 

 calls for knowledge, born of experience. Books are invaluable in 

 pointing out the way, but it remains for us to work the problem. 

 Experience is often a dear teacher, but it is a valuable and thorough 

 instructor. For that reason it is necessary to begin in a small way 

 and gradually work to the front. 



The early broiler raisers of Hammonton realized as much as 

 eighty cents a pound for plump broilers weighing about a pound 

 and a half each. We do not get such prices at the present day. 

 At that time they were considered a luxury, and only the rich could 

 enjoy them. Broilers are now offered at such figures that all can 

 have a taste of them. The demand is growing, but I do not believe 

 we will ever reach the high prices of twenty or more years ago. 



With all that, however, I believe the broiler raisers of to-day 

 are making more money with the present prices, than they realized 

 at any time before. In the days of eighty-cents-a-pound the incu- 

 bators were crude affairs, large boxes with galvanized iron tanks in 

 them, which were kept full of boiling hot water during incubation. 

 Each day a certain amount of this water had to be drawn off, and an 

 equal amount of hot boiling water added. This regulated the tem- 

 perature. The eggs were kept in a large drawer in the machine, 

 and when the operator wished to know the temperature he had to 

 pull open this drawer, thus giving a chill to the eggs, as well as 

 greatly reduce the temperature. Ventilation in the machine was 

 very poorly furnished, about the best provision was by pipes in the 

 bottom of the machine, which took in air near the floor of the incu- 

 bator room, and conveyed it to the egg chamber. Moisture was 

 handled by means of wet sponges, and this was liberally given. We 

 saw hatches where the chicks looked as if they had been drawn 

 through a stream of water. Once in a while hatches would come off 

 on time, but the majority of them were a week or so late, produc- 

 ing weak, puny stock. The brooders were still worse — crude boxes 

 with a strong bottom heat furnished by lamps. 



July 1st, 1903, we furnished Farm-Poultry, of Boston, Mass., 

 with facts of early-day work, and from this article we make the fol- 

 lowing extracts : 



"Poorly hatched and poorly brooded chicks furnished good 

 grounds for the belief that artificially hatched chickens were not 

 as strong and vigorous as those brought out under the hen. And 

 they were not. 



