1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
HOW TO RUN AN INCUBATOR. 
CONFLICTING ADVICE FROM EXPERTS. 
The Whole Story Told. 
Part I. 
Being engaged in raising chickens on a small 
scale, using two makes of incubators, and hav¬ 
ing more chickens die in the shell than desirable 
when almost ready to hatch, induced me to ex¬ 
periment a little for myself. With the incubators, 
came thermometers which, tried side by side, 
varied two degrees, and upon adding a third, I 
found two registering 103, while the other marked 
101. All being of different makers and marked 
tested, the standard used by one maker is, evi¬ 
dently, wrong, and the probable cause for loss of 
eggs. The instructions are to run the eggs at 102 
and 103, but one manufacturer writes me to run 
104 to 105. One says to air the eggs daily, another 
says that, unless the eggs get too hot, airing is 
unnecessary. Some machines require the egg 
trays taken out for turning, others do not require 
it. It appears to me that, when the temperature 
of the room is down to near the freezing point, it 
must be too sudden a change to expose the eggs 
from 103 degrees to about 60 or even less. One 
instructs full, open ventilation without adding 
moisture, another advises graded ventilation and 
moisture after the first week. No doubt, when 
the weather is settled and warm, some regular 
rules could be safely followed; but during such 
weather as we had during the past two months, 
no set rules are safe to follow. Will some expert 
tell us just how to run an incubator under various 
conditions of temperature, and in moist and dry 
situations 1 w. h. s. 
Pennsylvania. 
The conflicting advice received by 
W. H. S. frcm the different manufactur¬ 
ers is due to the different construction 
of their machines. The one who ad¬ 
vised that airing is unnecessary, prob¬ 
ably makes a machine with a great 
amount of ventilation, while the other 
has only the ordinary amount. There 
are very few machines now with auto¬ 
matic egg-turning devices, for turning 
eggs without removing from the egg 
chamber, and nearly all authorities pre¬ 
fer taking them out for turning, when 
they are sure to get a slight airing twice 
each day. If the change from 103 de¬ 
grees to 60 degrees or less for the few 
minutes required for turning, is too 
great, what about the sitting hen that 
must come off occasionally for food and 
water, even though the temperature is 
20 degrees or less ? She will stay off in 
zero weather much longer than the time 
required to turn the eggs from an incu¬ 
bator. In my opinion, the change, if 
not long enough to chill the eggs, will 
give stronger chicks than the continu¬ 
ally closed machine or the hen that sits 
more closely. It is much easier to get 
the desired air-space in the eggs when 
the incubator-room is at 50 degrees than 
when at 80 degrees, and I find it much 
easier to get out good hatches of strong 
chicks in the early Spring than in hot 
weather. 
Care of Breeding Stock. —If we ex¬ 
pect good hatches, we must have good, 
strongly-fertilized eggs from vigorous, 
healthy stock. To get good, hatchable 
eggs, we feed very little soft food, and 
that very light, cut clover hay forming 
the bulk of it, with about four pounds 
of ground meat to each 100 hens. At 
least two-thirds of the grain feed is 
cracked corn, all grains being scattered 
in litter during cold weather and some¬ 
times covered with earth in the yards 
with plow or cultivator when the 
weather is pleasant, thus keeping them 
busy as much of the time as possible. 
Be careful not to overfeed, or give much 
stimulating food intended to force the 
fowls for heavy egg production. Any 
refuse vegetables obtainable will be a 
help. 
Location of Incubator. —An incuba¬ 
tor should never be placed in a wet or 
poorly ventilated cellar, nor any place 
that would be dangerous to the health 
of human beings. A dry and well-ven¬ 
tilated cellar will answer nicely, as the 
cellar is not so susceptible to the sudden 
outside changes as a room above ground ; 
but if at all damp, it is much better to 
keep it in a room above ground. Where- 
ever it is kept, the air must be kept as 
pure as possible by ventilation, without 
strong draughts. 
Temperature. — See that the ther¬ 
mometers are correct. They should be 
tested at least once each season. The 
manufacturers usually use seasoned 
tubes for incubator thermometers, but I 
have found it safest to test them at the 
beginning of each hatching season, and 
be sure to test them at 102 to 103 de¬ 
grees, as they might be all right at 80 or 
90 degrees, and all wrong at 102, owing 
to incorrect grading of the scale. The 
best way to test them is beside a reliable 
physician’s thermometer in water 
warmed to 102 degrees, carefully mark¬ 
ing them if found incorrect. Stir the 
water continually while testing. 
The temperature should be kept as 
nearly even at 102 degrees as possible, 
though a frequent variation from 98 to 
107 degrees is not so weakening as 
though running evenly at 105 degrees, 
as is frequently caused by the thermom¬ 
eter registering too low. I have even 
had good hatches on two or three occa¬ 
sions when the temperature went as 
high as 110 and 112 degrees for a short 
time, due to the poor construction of the 
regulator. The eggs can stand a much 
greater variation the last week than the 
first. On another occasion, with a good 
machine, I neglected to connect the 
regulator after cleaning the machine for 
another hatch, filled it with fresh eggs, 
closed the doors, and did not see it until 
the next day, when the temperature was 
118 degrees. I then connected the regu¬ 
lator, but after a week’s incubation the 
eggs were apparently as clear as when 
put in the machine. 
Position of Thermometer. —When the 
thermometer is kept lying on the eggs, 
as is the usual method, care should be 
taken that the bulb rests on a fertile 
egg, and that it contains a living germ ; 
after the first 10 days, then the animal 
heat begins to develop. During the 
last week, an egg containing a living 
chick will be one to two degrees warmer 
than an infertile egg directly beside it. 
Thus if the bulb were resting continually 
on an infertile or dead egg, we would be 
in the same fix as though the thermom¬ 
eter registered too low, and if changed 
from fertile to infertile, as would be the 
case were they not tested, we would be 
continually adjusting the regulator, and 
wondering why the machine does not 
regulate itself more closely. 
On the whole, I prefer having the ther¬ 
mometer hung just above the eggs; in 
this way, we get the temperature of the 
egg chamber, and all eggs are subjected 
to the same degree of heat, the same as 
when under a hen. There are some ma¬ 
chines, of course, in which they could 
not be hung in this manner, especially 
those with the heater tank very close 
above the egg trays. The Cyphers ma¬ 
chine is especially adapted to this hang¬ 
ing thermometer, the supply of heat 
being forced downward over the eggs 
through a porous diaphragm instead of 
being radiated by a metal tank. 
J. K. STEVENSON. 
Scott’s Emulsion of Cod- 
liver Oil with Hypophos- 
phites is pure and palatable. 
For years it has been used 
for coughs and colds, for con¬ 
sumption, for those whose 
blood is thin or colorless, 
whose systems are emaciated 
or run down. 
For children it means 
health and strength, stronger 
bones and teeth, and food 
for the growing mind. 
Baby gains in weight and 
thrives when Scott’s Emul¬ 
sion is added to its milk. 
50c. and $ 1 . 00 , all druggists. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, Chemists, New York. 
1 43 
“ALPHA-DE LAVAL” 
CREAM SEPARATORS. 
De Laval Alpha “Baby” 
Cream Separators were 
first and have ever been 
kept best and cheapest. 
They are guaranteed su¬ 
perior to all imitations and 
infringements. Endorsed 
by all authorities. More 
than 150,000 in use. Sales 
ten to one of all others 
combined. All styles and 
sizes— $50.- to $225.- Save 
$5.- to $10.- per cow per 
year over any setting 
system, and $?.- to $5.- 
per cow per yer r over any 
imitating sepaiator. 
New and improved ma¬ 
chines for 1809. Send for 
new Catalogue containing 
a fund of up-to-date dairy 
information. 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO. 
Randolph & Canal Sts., I 74 Cortlandt Street, 
CHICAGO. I NEW YORK. 
I 
Gilt=Edge Butter 
is the only money-making kind. But to 
make it, and the most 
of it, you must use 
the latest improved 
machinery. It is just 
this sort of product 
that has built up the 
demand for our 
Empire 
Cream 
Separators. 
They get all the cream from the milk and 
leave it in the best condition for churning. 
Lightest running and simplest in construc¬ 
tion. Our catalogue will tell you why. 
U, S. Buttei Extractor Co., Newark, N. J. 
To Make Dairying Pay 
is a problem that is 
easily solved if the 
farmer has good cows 
and a Safety Hand 
Separator to do the 
skimming. The ma¬ 
chine will pay for itself 
in six months, and will 
last a lifetime. There 
is a considerable saving 
of labor in its use when 
compared with the pan 
system, aside from 
the 20 to 25 per cent 
saving of butter 
fat. Our free circu¬ 
lars tell all about it. 
P. M. SHARPIES, 
Branches: West Cheater, Pa. 
Toledo, O. Omaha, Neb. 
Elgin, Ill. St. Paul, Minn. 
Dubuque, la. San Francisco, Cal. 
JUNE BUTTER IN WINTER. 
WELL - CO LO REJ> ItUTTER SELLS A T 
HIGH Jilt TRICES TUAN Till1 
UNCOLOREIt PROD UCT. 
W . It . it Co.’x Improved Hut lev Color the 
Standard Everywhere . 
In the Winter time the only way to make butter 
that looks like the Juno product is to use Wells, 
Richardson & Co.’s Improved Butter Color, which is 
used by nearly all the creameries and best butter- 
makers in the country. In the dairy schools, this 
Color is the standard, and is recommended by the 
Instructors. It was awarded the gold medal for 
purity at the Omaha Exposition. 
If you have never used butter color, try Wells. 
Richardson & Co.’s Improved Butter Color and see 
how it adds to the appearance of your butter. If you 
are using any other color, one test of this will prove 
its superiority in strength, shade, and freedom from 
sediment. 
If you are not using our color, send 4 cents for 
postage on a free sample, to the manufacturers, 
Wulls, Richardson & Co., Burlington, Vt. 
EATS THEM ALL 
B ! _ 
Beats the old shallow pan and the 
most improved deep setting process 
because it getsmore ci eam—isacleaner 
skimmer and is so much less trouble, it 
comes within the reach of everybody 
and requires no expensive power plant 
to run it. Our Improved Patent 
Aquatic Cream Separator 
taken all the cream out. of milk more 
cheaply than it can be done in any other way. 
Just as good for one cow as more. Sizes up to 40 
cows. Prices, $5. to $11. Catalogue nncltesti- 
monfaJs FREE. They are ^oo«l Nellcra. 
We want AgenlM la every locality. 
AQUATIC CREAM SEPARATOR CO. 
119 Factory Sqr. Watertown, N. Y. 
Top Price Butter. 
The kind that a fancy private 
trade demands, is colored with 
Thatcher’s Orange Butter Color — 
the color that does not contain 
any poison. Send for a sample. 
THATCHER NFS. CO., Potsdam, H.T. 
m : HUMANE 
of your neighbor’s herd tv 
horns of your 
herd and that 
----UY USING- 
.5* U * 8 clean on all aides, does not crush. One clip and the horns are off. 
Fully Warranted. Descriptive circulars FREE. A. C. BROSIUS, Cochranville, Pa. 
/L. Tin’ keystone 
UcHORNiNG 
M — KNIFE' — 
WHAT IS THE BEST SEPARATOR? 
THE IMPROVED UNITED STATES. 
Why—Because it has the Triple Current Bowl 
which recovers all the cream in the milk. 
•Skims Perfectly Clean ; Is Very Easy to Ope rata. 
a „ Williamsburg, Iowa, July 28,1898. 
T , ? improved U. S. Separator is giving splendid satisfaction. 
It skims perfectly clean and is very easy to operate. We would 
not thmk of handling any milk without the Improved U. S., 
which I consider the best separator on the market. 
J. W. THOMAS, Steward Iowa Co. Poor Farm. 
Write for catalogues and further information to 
VERMONT FARM MACHINE CO., - Bellows Falls, Vt. 
1 
I 
ii 
m 
A CUSTOMER WRITES; 
I was much gratified a few days ago when renewing the floor slats 
in the stalls of my stable, to find that the planking underneath 
which had been coated with your P & B Paint, prior to the placing 
of the slats, nearly five years ago, was in perfect condition. It is 
the most successful coating of this kind I have ever used.” 
The above is one of many letters received testifying 
to the durability as well as to the acid, alkali and 
[|j waterproof qualities of 
I P 6c B PRESERVATIVE PAINT 
p] It is of great value for preserving all wood and metal 
pa] however exposed. 
THE STANDARD RAINT COMRANY , 
Sole Manufacturers, 
81-83 John Street, New York. 
IMlJMai lMPPPiiaiiaiiian isi iaiianziianHiiiaiiisiiEiiEiiisiiEiiEi ^ 
