AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
171 
stated that 30,000 to 40,000 chickens were brought 
into existence by a single machine, which was 
constructed to contain 2,000 eggs at one time. 
The '* Potolokian,” was a similar contrivance 
for hatching chickens by means of heated air, es¬ 
tablished a few years since, on a large scale, in the 
City of Brooklyn, N. Y., by Mr. E. Bayer, who suc¬ 
ceeded well, as far as the production ol chickens 
was concerned, in the process of hatching, at a 
loss of not over 20 to 25 percent of the eggs. 
The best temperature for the process he found to 
be 102° Fahrenheit. 
Mr. Cantelo, a few years since, established near 
London, what he termed a “ Model Poultry Farm.” 
By means of the “ Hydro-Incubator,” in this in¬ 
stitution, numbers of chickens, guinea fowls and 
ducks have been raised by artificial heat most in¬ 
geniously applied by top-contact, so as to produce 
the same effect on the vitalized germ, as the heat 
of the incubating hen. This heat has been proved 
by Mr. Cantelo to be as high as 106° Farenheit. 
The “ Hydro-Incubator ” itself is very simple ; 
it consists of a tank or cistern of water, heated by 
a peculiar stove, the heat of which is shown by 
the thermometer. The water is heated to 109° 
Fahrenheit, and flows over a surface of vulcan¬ 
ized caoutchouc, the lower surface of which is in 
contact with a tray or nest of eggs and maintains 
a heat of 106°. The tray is open at the sides, the 
bottom is made of wire gauze, lined with cotton 
cloth, and is raised or lowered by wedges ; thus 
merely presenting a small surface to the bottom 
of the caoutchouc, which represents the breast of 
the parent fowl, and thus only a lop-contact heat is 
communicated to the egg. 
It has hitherto been believed that the blood- 
heat of the feathered tribe was the same as that 
of the human race, viz., 98°. Mr. Cantelo asserts 
that it is 106°, and he considers this an over¬ 
looked fact. 
The system of hatching eggs artificially, and an 
improvement on the old plans, has recently re¬ 
ceived a new impulse from the exertions of Mr. 
Manasi, of London, who has labored hard to dis¬ 
pel the notion that “ top' contact,” as with the 
natural hen-mother, was absolutely essential for 
successful hatching by artificial agents. It is this 
view which has so long retarded the progress of 
this curious art, as great complication of mechan¬ 
ical.details was necessary under such a system, 
in addition to the constant attendance of a watch¬ 
er to keep the temperature at the right point. 
This was the great objection to all previously 
constructed hatching machines. As it requires 
much less attendance during the process of incu¬ 
bation, it may go three days without attention ; 
formerly it could be left only three hours. 
This machine is a very simple contrivance, and 
can consequently be constructed at about one- 
fourth of the expense formerly required. The 
necessary heat is obtained from a naphtha lamp 
without a wick, which is so arranged that it may 
be left to itself for two or three days together, 
and yet the process of hatching goes on with due 
regularity and certainty. 
it consists of a water-tight platform or tray of 
metal, with a corrugated bottom, and filled with 
warm water at such a heat as will keep a layer of 
sand thereon up to a temperature of 104° F. 
This sand-layer holds the eggs, which are screened 
by a glass-cover. The sand which is of the sil¬ 
ver kind, is a quarter c-f an inch deep, and the 
eggs when deposited in it, are covered with a 
blanket, another blanket being employed to en¬ 
velop the whole of the glass-frame. Under the 
tray is placed a mass of chopped hay, mixed with 
sand, this being changed daily. The heating 
lamp, which is on a novel principle, is placed 
with its flame about three inches from the bottom 
of the boiler or water-holder. When the proper 
heat has been obtained, the eggs, with their op¬ 
posite sides marked, are placed in the sand, and 
left for twenty-four hours, after which time they 
are reversed, to expose the other side. 
A hatching machine has been invented in France 
by M. Vallee, which is described as follows : A 
drum, inclosing a warming cylinder, forms the 
basis of his system. He introduces warm air into 
the drum where the eggs are deposited, and by cir¬ 
cular openings gives access to currents of cold 
air. It is by a careful, rational combination 
of warm and cold air that he obtains that 
dampish temperature in which lies the secret of 
incubation, from which results the development 
of the embryo in the egg. By this instrument 
artificial hatching is necessarily carried on in 
every state of the atmosphere, and at all seasons. 
But after the chicken is hatched, a mother must 
be provided. M. Vallee’s ingenuity thus pro¬ 
vides for this emergency : A lamb-skin is fasten¬ 
ed by one extremity to a board, and made to open 
at the other end like a pair of bellows. This af¬ 
fords a cover for the little ones, and keeps them 
as warm as would a veritable mother hen. The 
degree of heat required is from 104° to 106° F. 
Some ten or twelve years ago, a machine for the 
purpose of hatching chickens by artificial heat, was 
putin operation by L. G. Hoffman, Albany, and so 
far as the hatching of chickens was concerned, 
proved equal to the task, producing from 70 to 
75 chickens from every hundred eggs. 
It is made of tin, with the hatching chamber 
surrounded with -water, and kept at a proper 
temperature by means of a lamp. On the left of 
the machine is a small conical-shaped cistern of 
water, connected at top and bottom with the wa¬ 
ter surrounding the egg-chamber; by means of 
these connections at top and bottom, a constant 
circulation of the water is kept up. The cistern 
of water is heated by a lamp, the heat passing up 
into a cone reaching nearly to the top. 
Beautiful as a hrood of chickens always are, un¬ 
der any circumstances, the interest excited is 
greatly increased by the artificial system of hatch¬ 
ing and rearing. It seems by no means so diffi¬ 
cult to succeed in hatching chickens artificially as 
to rear them after they are hatched. Notwith¬ 
standing the ease and certainty with which birds 
can be hatched with artificial heat, for some rea¬ 
son the machines do not seem to be regarded 
with favor. C. N. Bement. 
Large Turkies—Weight of Common Kinds. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
I give you the weight of a two-year gobbler tur¬ 
key, which, on account of his partially losing his 
sight, I had fattened and strangled during the 
Winter. He w r as of the “large ” breed, of which 
I obtained a cock and two hens from my friend 
John Giles, of Windham Co., Ct., three years ago : 
Live weight at the time of killing.28| lbs. 
Marketable when dressed (undrawn).25£ lbs. 
Inside loose fat around the heart and liver. 2 lbs. 
Dressed weight of flesh, including do... 22£ lbs. 
A few weeks before, we killed a yearling gobbler, 
a cross of the large breed with a common turkey 
hen, which weighed, when dressed, (entrails un¬ 
drawn,) 22£ lbs. The live weight of the sire of 
these birds, when in full flesh, was 33 lbs., as Mr. 
Giles assured me, though he did not weigh over 
30 lbs. when I got him, or in ordinary condition. 
The two hens I procured of Mr. G. weighed alive 
a trifle over 18 lbs. each, when I first received 
them, at 18 months old. 
The usual weight of a fair sized gobbler of the 
common breed, at 24 years old, full grown of 
course, is about 20 lbs.; that of a hen 12 lbs.—say 
17 lbs., and 10 lbs, marketable (undrawn) weight. 
My turkeys are silver grey and brown bronze in 
color—the latter very showy and beautiful in 
plumage. I saw a few days since, in one ot the 
agricultural papers, a statement by W. H. Noble. 
Bridgeport, Ct., that he has a gobbler weighing 35 
pounds, and hens 19£ lbs. Will he please to name 
the colors of those turkeys 1 If he can really beat 
mine in weight and plumage, I should like to know 
the fact. L. F. Allen. 
Black Rock, N. Y. 
P. S. To save inquiries for “ seed,” and avoid 
the appearance of ax-grinding, I wish to add that 
I have no turkeys to sell. 
- —®=aa3-^-CB=»- - - ■ 
Instinct op the Hen.—A friend has just re¬ 
lated the following amusing incident which oc¬ 
curred in his fowl-house in Brooklyn, showing 
more perceptive power in the hen than she is 
usually credited with. The family, when boiling 
eggs for breakfast found a cracked one in the 
water, which upon examination proved to be bad. 
It was taken to use for a nest egg, but a hen 
when about going to lay, spied it, and at once 
with feet and bill threw it out upon the floor, and 
proceeded to demolish it by pecking and scratch¬ 
ing, not eating it however. She then resumed 
her place and after very carefully looking over a 
new egg, placed in the nest, proceeded to busi¬ 
ness and was soon cackling over her success. 
Horsa Racing at Fairs. 
We were glad to notice the following resolution, 
introduced and ptassed by the Ohio State Board of 
Agriculture, at its last Annual Meeting, viz.: 
Resolved, That paying premiums by Agricultural 
Societies, for speed of horses, simply as such, 
without due reference to qualifications for pur¬ 
poses of general utility, is a perversion of the 
original design. 
Resolved, That such trials of speed have a great 
tendency to divert attention from everything else ; 
and what seem to be their inseparable accompa¬ 
niments, are defrauding and demoralizing; and, 
therefore, we will not offer such premiums, and 
will discourage their being offered by County and 
District Societies.” 
This is a move in the right direction, and is the 
more gratifying from having been introduced and 
warmly advocated by a breeder of fast horses, 
who, rather than encourage such exhibitions— 
turning our Fairs into horse-races, would sacrifice 
his entire stable. 
—-——— - 
Cut Feed for Stock- 
Much has been written on this subject: the ar¬ 
gument in favor of cutting up feed for stock may 
be stated in a few words. If a farmer has no fod¬ 
der to be disposed of, except fine, “ merchantable 
hay,” there will be little need of cutting it. But 
most persons have cornstalks, and hay and straw 
a little damaged, which if fed out unprepared 
would be much wasted. Now, let this be run 
through a straw-cutter, then mixed with a little 
meal and moistened, and it will be a vastly more 
palatable dish, little or none will be wasted, and 
what is eaten will be well digested. 
Our good housewives hash up odds and ends of 
meat, to save them, and to make them more ac¬ 
ceptable to their families: why should not the 
same principle of economy rule in the farmer’s 
barn! Besides, if cornstalks are not cut up, they 
find their way into the manure-heap in a rough 
state, they are very slow to decay, and are 
troublesome in the shoveling of the manure— 
whereas, if they are cut, these objections are ob¬ 
viated. 
