82 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ January 27 , issi. 
Secondly. During the first ten days keep the atmosphere of the 
incubator as close and moist as possible, and aim at a temperature 
of 202°. Take out the egg-drawer night and morning, and turn 
the eggs ; but do not keep the drawer out longer than is necessary 
for this purpose. 
Thirdly. During the remainder of the period of incubation keep 
the drawer thoroughly ventilated and fairly moist, and aim at a 
temperature of 104°. The egg-drawer may now be left out for 
ten minutes once a day to air the eggs, and the eggs turned twice 
a day as before. If the room be very cold cover the eggs with 
flannel when being aired. Where one drawer only is used, and 
the eggs are put in from day to day, those added each day should 
be put into a small box made to fit inside the drawer of the in¬ 
cubator for twenty-four hours until thoroughly warm, and the 
temperature should be kept about 103° throughout. 
Fourthly. Test the eggs at about the sixth day, and remove the 
unfertile ones. Test them again a week later, and remove any 
which may have been passed over before, or which have not duly 
progressed. If you notice any foul smell in the drawer search for 
any eggs with moisture exuding and remove them. 
Fifthly. As a precaution against damage from carbonic acid 
gas generated by decomposed eggs keep a small box or saucer full 
of quicklime in the drawer ; cover this with fine wire netting or 
muslin to prevent the chickens getting into it. If. chickens are 
constantly hatching out, a small cage made of very fine wire 
netting to fit in part of the drawer may with advantage be used 
for putting the eggs due to hatch under, and thus preventing the 
newly hatched chicks from running over the other eggs. 
Sixthly. If any eggs due to hatch do not chip, they may be 
opened at the large end, and the portion of the shell covering the 
air vesicle removed. IE the chick be alive put a drop of warm 
water on the membrane surrounding it, and this will render the 
membrane transparent. If there be blood circulating through the 
veins in this membrane nothing further must be done for some 
hours ; but if there be no blood visible the entire upper part 
of the shell may be removed, the membrane may be torn off, and 
t the head of the chick released. The chick should be then re¬ 
placed in the drawer and allowed to get rid of the lower portion 
of the shell itself. If any blood flows from the ruptured mem¬ 
brane the process of releasing the chick must be postponed. 
Chicks which chip the shell at the small end of the egg generally 
require some assistance. 
Seventhly. Allow the chicks to remain in the drawer of the 
incubator until dry, and indeed they may with advantage be left 
there or put in some equally warm place for twenty-four hours 
after hatching. If during the first few days of its life a chick 
shows signs of weakness, a few hours in the incubator will gene¬ 
rally work wonders in the way of restoring it. It must be borne 
in mind that we assume that the hatching drawer is thoroughly 
ventilated. 
Eighthly. After the first twenty-four hours the chicks should 
be transferred to the artificial mother. If chicks are constantly 
being hatched two mothers are necessary—one for the very small 
ones, the other for those over a week old. The best mothers are 
those in which the outer air is freely admitted, and the chick 
merely derives its heat from the under surface of the hot tank 
against which it can put its back. This surface, whether of metal 
or flannel, should be rigid or nearly so, and be of such a tempe¬ 
rature that a thermometer left in actual contact with it for some 
time will register from 75° to 85°. The height of this surface 
from the ground should be such that the chicks can easily put 
their backs against it. A mother which gets filled with a hot 
vitiated atmosphere is most in]urious, as it renders the chicks 
liable to a chill. A mother with an under surface which the 
chicks can raise by pressure is also bad, because in the struggle 
to reach the heat the smaller chicks get trampled on. We prefer 
a mother with a sloping under surface, as in it the chicks of 
various sizes can each find a spot to suit their height, and crowding 
is avoided. 
Ninthly. It follows from what we have last said, that any great 
variations of the atmospheric heat to which the chicks are exposed 
should be avoided. Do not put the chicks into a greenhouse or 
room with a very high temperature unless you are prepared to 
maintain this temperature until they are reared. Indeed, any 
coddling is most unwise, and it is better to accustom the chicks 
to the ordinary temperature at once. 
Tenthly. Let the chicks have as much exercise as possible, and 
keep them on dry clay, sand, or ashes, not on a wooden or stone 
floor. A sod for them to scratch will afford them green food and 
exercise. Do not confine them indoors except when it is un¬ 
avoidable. 
Eleventhly. Just at first you must pay rather close attention 
to the youngsters to see that they do not remain out too long and 
perish from cold. They will soon get accustomed to run in and 
out from the mother, and then will be so far independent; but 
until they do, you must drive them in when they cry through cold, 
and if necessary keep them shut in for an hour or so several times 
in the day. 
Twelfthly. Feed regularly, and give a little animal food. 
Lastly. Pay scrupulous attention to cleanliness. Rake over the 
clay, &c., with a fine-toothed rake every day, and renew such 
portions of it as are at all foul when necessary. 
With close attention to these rules w’e know that even highly 
bred delicate breeds can be hatched and reared artificially with 
as great a measure of success as under hens. It is contended by 
some authorities that artificial incubation is only suited to strong 
hardy birds and not to finely-bred stock. We have come to the 
conclusion that while the hardier sorts will stand greater vari¬ 
ations in temperature during hatching than the highly bred varie¬ 
ties, yet that with treatment such as we have described almost any 
egg that would hatch under a good sitting hen can be hatched in 
a good incubator. 
A PLEA FOR POULTRY-KEEPING. 
Noticing the remarks in the Journal of Horticulture on page 
603 of your last volume alluding to the dislike some gardeners have 
to keep poultry, I may say there are others who would be glad if 
allowed the privilege of keeping fowls at their own cottages, but 
many employers do not allow it to be done on their estates in the 
country. I am of opinion that it is highly desirable that much 
more attention should he given to the keeping and rearing of 
poultry, not only by farmers who should have poultry yards and 
allow the birds liberty to roam about, hut by cottiers in their more 
contracted spaces or outhouses. Even if the birds were partly 
wired in it would be a pleasing sight to see them more generally 
kept in every village, their eggs being so useful and nutritious, and 
a six or eight-months fowl cooked so splendid for the table. 
Successful Poultry-keeping. —A word of encouragement in 
your Journal at the present time might induce many people to 
begin poultry-keeping. The flocks of sheep have been much re¬ 
duced-in 1880 throughout the country, and now there is disease 
among cattle in some districts ; add to this the prospect of Rabbits 
being diminished now that farmers are allowed to kill them on the 
land they occupy. So that every extra new-laid egg produced and 
every fowl brought to table may help in a small way to mitigate the 
evil of a scarcity of food ; and thus if the flocks and the herds fail 
we may have, like the Chinese, the domestic fowl to fall hack upon. 
I will now record an instance of success attending poultry-keep¬ 
ing in 1880, the breed being the White Dorking. On January 1st, 
1880, *'L. D.” was the owner of a cock, two hens, and ten pullets. 
During the year the number of eggs produced was 1984, a correct 
register having been kept; six hens were set on twelve eggs each, 
thus reducing the number to 1912; the value of these at 8.?. per 
hundred would be £7 13.?. The chickens produced and reared were 
forty-two; and eleven couple of these have been killed for table. 
They were fine young birds, their average weight per couple being 
8 lbs. The restare fine pullets. The market value of the twenty- 
one couple, at 6s. per couple, would be £6 6,s\—total value, eggs and 
fowls, £13 195. Against this is the cost of their food as follows :— 
£ s. d. 
Four bushels of Maize. 1 0 0 
One ditto of Barleymeal. 0 3 6 
One ditto of Oats. 0 3 0 
Ten bushels Wheat offal cuttings at Is. 6ii. per bushel. 0 15 0 
Befuse vegetables, &c., from dinner table at l.s. 6 d. per week .. 3 18 0 
Total for food .£5 19 6 
Balance, entire profit . 7 19 6 
£13 19 0 
The fowls have the run of a park, and roost in two sheds opposite 
each other. The backs are formed of walls. The east and west 
sides are partly wired in, about 1 yard being covered in by slates. 
The fronts are boarded half way near the wall where their nests 
are, the rest being wire. Doors open cast and west in the yard in 
front of a cottage where the manager resides. The truth of the 
above statement can be verified by the manager, also by the owner 
from whom I obtained the information. I hope many may see then- 
way to make a beginning in so important, useful, and profitable 
undertaking as poultry keeping and rearing, and that it may become 
more a national pursuit to the benefit of all engaged in it. 
A Poultry Village. —I will now refer to an example of poultry¬ 
keeping on a large scale—in this case, show poultry. I was on a 
visit last au'umn to the north of England, a few miles from Man¬ 
chester, where I had the opportunity of going through what I may 
term a poultry village. The enclosure was two or three acres in 
extent. The poultry pens were arranged in streets, lanes, alleys, and 
