be corrected 
333 
MOOSE’S SURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE 2© 
tflu' |3cultt[g |at[d. 
ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION. 
Editor M oork’h Rural New-Yorker : « 
Here is the description of an artificial incu¬ 
bator, which T have had to produce a large t 
number of chicks. It is of my own origina- a 
tion and its great recommendation lieB m i 
its extreme cheapness-* 1-2*0 will purchase l 
all the materials. Electricity doesn’t run « 
this machine, nor does it depend on spirit, or t 
mercury floats. Kerosene is the motor, and 1 
the next requisite 21 days’ patience and at- 4 
tention. 
From a cheese box 15 or 16 inches in diam¬ 
eter remove the bottom, and then to the 
hoop fasten 4 legs made of pine board ; let 
them be about 2 feet in length and fi inches 
wide ; take 2 tin pans 7 or 8 inches deep and 
about 15 inches in diameter at the rim, and 
have one of them more beveled than the 
other, the handles or “ears” of the latter 
resting on the rim of the former; set the 
pans in the hoop frame, cutting notches m 
the hoop for the ears of the lower basin. 
Next take a couple of newspapers, folded 
several thicknesses, and paste them around 
the frame from the bottom of the legs to tin- 
top of the pans, folding the paper over the 
top and bonding it over into the pan an inch 
or two, the object being to make the affair 
as tight as possible, to retain and utilize tin- 
heat of a small lamp placed under the center 
of the pans. With a sharp, round-pointed 
instrument, punch a hole in the inside of the 
upper pan about <1 inches from the top and 
not over a quarter of an inch in diameter. 
Take a small funnel, and inserting it in this 
hole, All the cavity between the pans with 
water till you can see the water level wit h 
the orifice ; plug up the hole with a wooden 
or rubber stopper. Put a small thermometer 
inside the pan in such a position as will in¬ 
sure its recording the greatest, heat, should 
there be Any difference in this respect. 
The bottom of the cheese box, with an 
aperture cut iu the center, over which is 
pasted a piece of window glass for the pur¬ 
pose of admitting light for observation, will 
now serve ns a cover to the machine, and is 
better to be fitted inside a little, as it will not 
then be easily shoved. Light your lamp, 
place under the pans through a door which 
should be arranged in the newspaper casing, 
turn on a pretty good fiame, and in about 20 
minutes the thermometer will indicate about 
90’. Now turn down the flame gradually, as 
the mercury aseends, till you have such a 
light as will cause the mercury to stand at 
100°. Put iu ono layer of eggs, (about SO,) 
marking them with pen and ink with the 
day of entry. In 2 days more put in another 
layer . mark date on each as before, lln 
object in doing this is to have a part of them 
to hatch out a day or two sooner than the 
rest, so that about the 20th day these earlier 
eggs may all be placed uppermost, thus 
avoiding pressure on eggs that are “peck¬ 
ed.” So place the thermometer that the 
lower end will rest on the pan where the bot¬ 
tom joins the side, as here 1 think there may 
be a degree or so greater heat at times. 
The water, when once raised to 78° or 100 ", 
will change very slowly ; and, with a burner 
that is easily turned, the fiame and resultant, 
heat are so easily regulated that the mercury 
will not show a degree’s variation in 8 or 10 
hours, provided the machine is kept in a 
place not affected by sudden changes of the 
atmosphere ; a closet; or unused room serves 
the purpose ; 65 or 70 eggs will hatch nicely 
in this way, and the trouble is pot much. 
After the ’fifth day, turn the eggs every 
morning and sprinkle them with tepid water 
thrown on them with a whisk broom. The 
cover should be taken off and tin- light re¬ 
moved for 20 minutes in the middle of the 
day to air them, 
1 have not had to attend to my incubator 
during the night at all ; but 1 generally allow 
a degree or two for falling of the mercury 
before morning. If 1 arrange tlie light at 9 
P. M. for 100°, at 6 A. M. I usually find the 
mercury at 90° or 97°. I do not allow a higher 
temperature than 102°, and from that on 
down to 95°. “ Blood heat," or 0S°, I find to 
be the average 1 leaf of my sitting hens. A 
small, shallow vessel of water, placed on the 
eggs insures moisture in a gentle way. If 
attended to with the reasonable patienr • that 
it merits, (say looking at three times a day 
or so, and not allowing the heat to exceed 
100° nor falling below 94°,) 90 per cent, of the 
eggs placed in the incubator which is made 
after the above manner will hatch and do 
well. Fill the cavity between the pans with 
lukewarm water once a week. 
I feed my chicks the yelk of hard boiled 
eggs as soon as they will eat, and continue | 
this food for about 5 days, when they will 
eat almost any kind of food for birds. To 
keep the chicks warm the first few nights, I 
put them in an old tin basin with a small 
lamp under it, a layer or two of some woolen 
material tinder the chicks for a nest. 
By the 15th day after putting the eggs in 
the incubator uny addled egg, or one in which 
an embryo chick has perished, will make its 
presence known to the olfactories and may 
be removed. A good plan is to put several 
eggs in with those designed for hatching, for 
the purpose of observing the progress in 
hatching. If one egg be opened on the fid or 
4th day, if good and alive, the veins will ba 
commence at the beginning near the nostrils, 
cover nil the face, and re-unite behind the 
head by a continuation of fiesh of the same 
nature, but covered with feathers. 6. The 
nostrilB, which are at the beginning of the 
beak. 7. The beak, of which the two parts, 
the upper and the lower mandible, arc horny. 
The comb is straight or drooping. Tt is 
single when it i- composed of only one piece; 
double when there are two alike united or 
near together; it is triple when it is formed 
of two alike and one in the middle; it is friz¬ 
zled when full of granulations more or less 
deep, and erect excrescences; it is a crown 
when it is circular, hollow and indented ; it is 
goblet-shaped when hollow, vascular and not 
indented. There are other forms, but they 
are composed of parts or unions of those 
particularized. 
SIGNS OF THE QUALITY OF THE FLESH. 
The principal points by which to discern 
the quality of the flesh in a fowl are the 
color of the feet and the kind of skin. The 
yellow foot generally indicates a fowl with 
tough fiesh, heavy bones and yellow fat. It 
is very rare that this color doeR Dot show 
itself in the skin. However, it does not ex¬ 
clude certain qualities of the flesh in the 
pure descendants of the two exotic races, 
Cochin-China and Bramft Pootra. 
With the exception of yellow and green, 
which can never be recommended, all other 
colors from black to white are equally indi¬ 
cations of an excellent flesh. When the 
skin and, above all, that of the sides and 
^ l breast, is of a fine tissue, delicate, and easily 
,' extended, also having a rosy-pearled color, 
one may be certain tliat the flesh is good 
and will fatten rapidly. 
Anatomy of the Head. 
found radiating from a throbbing center of 
blood and tissue which forms the heart. At 
the 4th the chick’s head, eyes and backbone 
are quite well advanced in development. If 
on opening the egg it be found watery and 
and the yelk mixed with the white, too much 
heat has been attained, and the vital power 
will be destroyed in a few days, even if the 
heart be throbbing when the egg is opened. 
I tried different devices to hatch eggs at 
first, and made mistakes, of course, before 
fixing upon a Rteady system that was suc¬ 
cessful ; and many a dozen eggs have I de¬ 
stroyed in order to observe the different 
stages of development, nud 1 may modestly 
assert that 1 know a little of artificial incu¬ 
bation in a plain and homely fashion. 1 
would have bought a patented, elaborate in¬ 
cubator long ago, but I thought them too 
high-priced, and was convinced that the life- 
evolving principle of heat could be applied 
in a loss costly manner to the hatching of 
eggs. lam now convinced of it, us I can 
batch more eggs at once in two tin basins, 
costing less than a dollar, than can be hatch¬ 
ed at one time in a patented incubator cost¬ 
ing *60, and get as high or a higher per cert, 
of clucks from them. 
Should any of your readers try my simply- 
constructed style of instrument, I would like 
to hear through the Rural, New-Yorker as 
to their success. I uin sure, if they use ordi¬ 
nary care, t hey must succeed, as I know eggs 
treated as I have said are sure to hatch. Try 
it and see ; but don’t get your eggs from a 
store. Almost all the eggs iu my last setting 
produced chicks, R- H- Clayton. 
Hopewell, Mercer Co., N. J. 
--- 
THE POULTRY-KEEPER.—No. 2. 
THE ANATOMY OF THE HEAD. 
The head of the cock, as well as of the 
hen, is composed of two principal parts—1st, 
the skull is a firm union of bones, which in¬ 
clude the upper part, or mandible, of the 
beak; 2d, the lower part or mandible, of 
the beak being the lower jaw-bone, formed 
by a Kingle piece. In the skull are the sock¬ 
ets or cavities which contain the eye; the 
nostrils are in front of the eye; the auditory 
organ, or ear, is behind the eye. The head, 
excepting the beak, is entirely covered by a 
fleshy covering, round which may be seen 
several appendages or caruncles, which are 
the crest, the two ear-lobes, and the two 
ear-wattles. This covering forms the chec-ks. 
The color, the size, the form of each of 
these parts is variable, according to the var 
riety. and often servos to characterize each. 
A tuft of short feathers, and called “the 
tuft,” covers the auditory organ. The dif¬ 
ferent parts of the head are shown in Fig. 5. 
1. The comb, which surmounts the skull. 
2. The wattles, which bang underneath and 
on each side of the beak. 3. The ear-wattles, 
which hang under the cheek. 4. The tufts 
of little feathers which cover and protect 
the auditory organ. 5. The cheeks, which 
POULTRY ON A LARGE SCALE. 
J. G. McKeen, Sullivan Co., N. H., writes 
the Country Gentleman :—C. E, Hayward 
of Potciboro, N. 11., has a large establish¬ 
ment for breeding poultry for profit and 
fancy stock. He keeps over 800 fowls, of 
sixteen varieties; of which, about 450 are 
common grade fowls for sitting, &c. He also 
has eight varieties of pigeons, seven of rab¬ 
bits, besides other pet stock. Most of his 
stock was obtained of the best breeders in 
the country'. He scatters Ills fowls over his 
farm in small, cheap houses ; most of them 
are built 9 by lfi feet, of rough boards. From 
25 to 50 fowls are kept in one flock. Many 
of his houses are located in the apple or¬ 
chards. The fowls have unlimited range 
and oii.* healthy and pay a large profit. He 
thinks the fowls are a great benefit to the 
apple trees, as he had over 400 barrels of ap¬ 
ples the past season. Eggs sent out for 
hatching by him do remarkably well, in 
some cases every egg hatching after travel¬ 
ing over 1,000 miles by express. I think it is 
owing, in a great measure, to the fowls hav¬ 
ing a large range. 
Most of our breeders keep their fowls con¬ 
fined to small yards in the breeding season. 
I think that is one reason why we hear so 
much complaint about eggs not hatching. 
This is tlie only large establishment I know 
of that has proved a success. Mr, Hayward 
intends to build more poultry houses and 
keep more fowls. He has plenty of room on 
his 400 acres of land. 
DANGEROUS STOCK FEEDING. 
I wonder how many cattle and horses and 
sheep are destroyed annually by mistakes in 
feeding ! I know of so many, even in this 
limited neighborhood, that the total must be 
alarming. Mr. So-and-so, wishing to get his 
horse “well up” for the show-yard, gives 
him wheat meal, so one morning he is found 
dead. Another Mr. -loses half a score 
of valuable, fat bullocks and some horses 
from nearly the same cause. The food is too 
nitrogenous and glutinous. The same remark 
applies in degree to bean meal. Horses get¬ 
ting at a heap of dressed wheat are almost 
sure to die. If beans and wheat were given 
iu the same condition in which they grew—I 
mean with the same proportion of straw, 
pod, and chaff—there would be no danger, 
for who ever saw a horse injured at harvest 
time by helping himself to wheat with its 
straw' and chaff ( Animals will seldom go 
wrong if they have plenty of chaff, pollard, 
&c., with their rich diet. Why are oats so 
safe for feeding compared with beans ? Be¬ 
cause they have a thick, chaffy jacket, not 
like the rich bean or dressed wheat. Au old 
farmer, with a long or clear head, mixes liis 
bean meal with linseed oil made into balls. 
No fear of wind or blowing in such a case. 
Whenever T am short of green food in July 
and August, when the beans are well podded, 
I pass them, stems and all, through a chaff- 
cutter, and they make the best of food for 
all farm animals ; in winter, the beanstalks, 
as hard as sticks, afterwards moistened with 
hot water, become soft and most acceptable 
food. No bean straw should ever go under 
foot. See its analysis, second only to hay. 
Italian rye grass forced to rapid growth by 
guano, with its excess of ammonia, would 
kill our lambs, and even some of the older 
sheep ; not so when manured abundantly 
with animal excrement. The same remark 
applies in degree to ammonia-forced roots.. 
Depend upon it, mixture of straw chaff with 
mixture of food is a very profitable safe¬ 
guard. Ho mauy cattle are lost by flat ulence 
(distention or blowing) that my stockman 
and I often talk over the matter, especially 
as we never lost* one from that cause ; and 
he is of opinion with myself that our freedom 
from these losses arises from a pulping of 
the roots and their admixture with dry and 
fine cut hay and straw chaff, and with bean 
meal, bran, malt combs (culms), and cake. 
The food thus lies compactly in the stomach, 
but yet is free to receive the permeation of 
the gastric juices. It is easy to imagine that 
a mass of pulpy, adhesive, glutinous wheat 
or bean meal is by no means readily permea¬ 
ble. We know, by the old-fashioned use of 
the choke-rope, that some animals are apt 
to bolt their food in musses. 1 am a firm 
believer that the mechanical or physical 
condition of fine cut straw in the stomach 
has much to do with digestion and health, as 
well as by its chemical composition. After 
thirty years of close observation and prac¬ 
tice, both I and my men have eoine to a de¬ 
cided conviction that the turning out and 
roaming at large system is a dangerous and 
unprofitable practice, and that it. pays better 
to bring the food to the cattle, than the cub 
tie to the food, and that in the ease of sheep 
close folding and a removal of the fold (iron 
hurdles on wheels) every twelve hours is 
the true and most profitable practice. Tlie 
waste of food and loss of s.ock by the roarn- 
* ing-at-large plan is something fearful; be¬ 
sides the animals do not progress so well. 
5 J. J. Mechi. 
TEACHING CALVES TO DRINK. 
Daily Rural Life’s pen picture of cows 
and calves making such hideous noises, 
makes me suggest to him a way to get rid 
of such annoyances, though I thought lie 
already Jtnew almost everything. I make 
the suggestion not solely for his benefit, but 
for the benefit of thousands of which that 
picture was au illustration ; and the sugges¬ 
tion is, never let your calves suck ; never let 
tlie cow know she is a mother, but as soon 
as she drops her calf remove it from her, this 
done, you have only to teach your calf to 
drink —not such as we have seen recom¬ 
mended. In order to teach it to drink you 
must huve a little patience at first. Get the 
mother’s warm milk in a pail or bucket and 
after moistening your fingers, insert them 
into the calf’s mouth and bend its head 
down into the puil at once—don’l let it stand 
with its head up and suck, for this is one of 
the instincts you have to overcome. After 
getting its nose down into the milk, gently 
withdraw your fingers, insert them again 
when it misses them, again withdrawing 
them as soon as you get it to drink ; if pa¬ 
tiently and carefully done, you will rarely 
have to give it the finger the third time you 
feed it., and afterwards you will have no 
trouble, but set the bucket in some place 
where it can be made fast and the calf will 
help itself. This plan lias these advantr ges : 
you cun turn your calves and cows together 
in the same pasture; your cow will never 
trouble about her calf ; nor the calf be anx¬ 
ious about its mother ; you will not have a 
slabbety udder to wash off each time you 
milk, and you will nut have to keep one of 
the men folk round to take off the calf 
when you think it has got enough. Try the 
above plan, and mv word for it you will never 
try the old way ol' letting calves suck. An¬ 
other advantage which 1 think comes from 
the above plan is, that cows will never suck 
themselves ; in fact, they don’t know how 
to* suck. x - 
Gibson Co., Ind. 
----♦ ♦♦■-- 
Horn Ail and Tail Sickness— At a meet¬ 
ing of the Hampshire Farmers’ Institute, 
held at t he Massachusetts Agricultural Col¬ 
lege, Dr. Noah Cressey stated that he never 
met with a disease for which the name horn 
ail seemed appropriate. He showed, by many 
horns that he exhibited from healthy cattle, 
all of which were hollow, that a hollow horn 
is not very alarming, Hollow horns an* 
natural. Matter iu them is the result ol 
catarrh. Softening and breaking of the 
by the application of phosphatic manures. 
The tail is sometimes injured by an acumenr, 
the bone being broken and failing tore-unite. 
