1914. 
THE RURAL N EW-YOR KBR 
©07 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 
[Here are more comments on the case 
recently reported by Mr. Cosgrove where 
the eggs were claimed to be infertile.] 
I would find out through his banker or 
some friend or acquaintance in his town 
whether or not the complainant was a 
novice, and whether or not he was tell¬ 
ing the truth, or ask him to return the 
clear eggs. For obvious business reasons 
I would make him a satisfied customer. 
New York. monticello egg farm. 
It. is odd that an experienced “hen 
man” like George A. Cosgrove has to ask 
whether he shall replace egg settings that 
his customers report not hatching. There 
should be a contract and lacking that, a 
settled practice in such matters. I be¬ 
lieve that all a dealer in eggs or any¬ 
thing else should bo required to do is 
to affirm that his goods are what they 
purport to be to the extent of his knowl¬ 
edge and belief, and he takes no further 
responsibility. Anything like a guaranty 
should be stated in so many words. How¬ 
ever, if his own settings of eggs are found 
not. to hatch he should then make good 
such of the same lots as he has sold. lie 
is bound to take all reasonable measures 
to find what the quality is. Eggs have 
hatched badly in this section this season. 
The Spring was wet and cold. j. w. c. 
Western New York. 
If justice is to be done to both seller 
and buyer the matter should end just 
where it is. The seller knows about what 
per cent, of fertility his eggs are running 
and doubtless can produce witnesses to 
prove it. The buyer in this case has 
produced no proof that the eggs were “all 
infertile.” But if he can show any rea¬ 
sonable proof that there were many in¬ 
fertile eggs, or that his hatch was poor it 
would be good business practice to allow 
him the benefit of the doubt and replace 
them on liberal terms. I believe the ma¬ 
jority of purchasers are honest, but have 
known of instances when the claims of 
purchasers seemed to me unjust, as eggs 
incubated in large numbers a few days 
before and a few days later at our plant 
showed high fertility, while a claim of 
poor fertility was made for eggs sold in 
the meantime. I believe eggs should be 
fresher if shipped, than when incubated 
at home as the content becomes weaker 
with age and is liable to injury from 
jolting. At this farm we find it most sat¬ 
isfactory to guarantee a definite per cent, 
of fertility, and agree to replace all clear 
eggs returned within 10 days of ship¬ 
ment. As white eggs may be tested on 
the third day of incubation this is ample 
time, but for brown eggs it might be ad¬ 
visable to allow a little longer time. 
New York. eknest c. benedict. 
It would seem that the answer to the 
questions asked by Mr. Cosgrove might 
be found in the dictum laid down by a 
man who was more than ordinarily suc¬ 
cessful in building up a business, i.e., 
“The buyer is always right.” It will not 
pay to leave any buyer sore if it can be 
prevented by any possible means. The 
reason is. of course, one of policy. Duty 
need not be considered. In the case cited 
the buyer should have his money back, 
or more eggs, as he chooses. The rule 
should apply even when it is very evi¬ 
dent that the buyer is dishonest. He’ll 
boost you some day. c. A. w. 
Shawnee, Okla. 
I have bought eggs and I have sold 
them. I once paid $20 to a reputable 
breeder for 15 eggs and got seven chick¬ 
ens. Another time I paid $50 for 15 
eggs that came halfway across the coun¬ 
try and didn’t get a chick. I sent no 
complaint in either case. I knew I was 
taking chances. The eggs were reason¬ 
ably fertile. A combination of circum¬ 
stances worked against me. If a poultry 
breeder advertises to replace infertile 
eggs free, or in case of a poor hatch 
duplicate the order at. half price, and 
take the word of the customer, lie should 
do as he agrees. Personally I think that 
when a breeder knows his stock is vig¬ 
orous, and that the percentage of in¬ 
fertile eggs is small, he is justified in 
looking with suspicion at a complaint 
that all or nearly all the eggs were infer¬ 
tile. The same rules of honor and hon¬ 
esty apply in this as in all lines of busi¬ 
ness, but I hold that the purchaser as¬ 
sumes more or less risk whenever he 
sends for eggs. He should ascertain, if 
possible, the reliability of the party with 
whom ho deals and then be sure that lie 
does his part to insure ... 
W. II. II USE. 
In an advertisement of eggs for hatch¬ 
ing there is an assurance of the eggs 
producing chickens implied to the buyer 
sufficient to induce him to risk his money 
for the eggs. This implied assurance 
makes the seller responsible to a certain 
degree. He can send no eggs but such 
as of which, from proper production and 
tost of similar eggs, he has good evidence 
that they are fertile. The sale also cre¬ 
ates the relation of buyer and seller with 
its mutual rights. The seller, however, 
cannot be made responsible for the re¬ 
sults of incubation in tin' hands of the 
buyer. Wrong conditions during hatch¬ 
ing arising either from carelessness or 
lack of knowledge may destroy the fer¬ 
tility of the eggs. True, the seller’s eggs 
should be tested at tin 1 end of a week’s 
incubation, and the result reported to 
him. But the buyer may be a farmer. 
His crops—the main income—rush him 
daily, his mind is absorbed by these; or 
it may be his first experience in hatching 
eggs purchased from breeders and he 
naturally supposes from the advertise¬ 
ment that every egg will hatch, so that he 
gives them no further thought after set¬ 
ting them until on the twenty-first day 
he looks for his chickens. The seller 
should allow for these things and in or¬ 
der to “bear one another’s burdens,” in 
case of a just complaint, should replace 
the eggs at half price or half the eggs 
free of charge, and if the season of full 
rates is over, at half the reduced rates. 
This is the law of humanity. 
This is where the buyer is an honest 
man and his complaint true and just. 
But there are many dishonest persons in 
the country, some among all classes of 
people, some who will report "None 
hatched: all infertile,” when they had a 
full hatch, in order to obtain more eggs 
for nothing. The dealer cannot make 
good reported failures without investiga¬ 
tion. Therefore let G. A. C. investigate 
his case. If the buyer is a reliable, hon¬ 
est man, he has standing in his com¬ 
munity and will be glad to furnish re¬ 
ferences. Send to him for a reference of 
his standing from his pastor (he should 
be a member of some church) his banker, 
postmaster and groceryman. If these 
testify to his honesty and veracity his 
complaint is true. He failed somewhere 
in the hatching although the eggs were 
fertile. But after paying out his money 
for the eggs we may reasonably suppose 
he did the best he could to hatch them. 
Share his loss half and half. It is right 
and good to be generous. If he refuses 
to furnish reference he is a fraud. 
Illinois. j. c. s. 
What Causes Crippled Chicks. 
W ILL you please let. me know just 
how much influence the air in the 
incubator has upon the hatch? 
The hatch which I had a week ago was 
about 72 per cent, of the eggs set, and 
what I would expect this time of year. 
My hatch this week, however, was but 
55 per cent, of the eggs set. Further, 
we had more cripples than at any pre¬ 
vious time. As far as I can tell the only 
condition that differed from previous 
ones was the atmosphere of the cellar 
itself. We did not have as much air as 
there has been at other times. While 
I he windows were open as far as they 
had been previously, it was enough warm¬ 
er out of doors to make it rather “close” 
in the cellar. Can you tell me whether 
this would cause the difference in the 
two hatches, or can you offer any other 
explanation ? c. w. n. 
Ilomer, N. Y. 
Regarding the crippling of the chicks, 
would say that in our experiment station 
work we have found the cellar air has 
comparatively no effect upon incubation. 
This air, with the exception possibly of 
the danger of the fumes from the kero¬ 
sene oil, which may be vaporized by al¬ 
lowing too much kerosene oil on the 
lamps after filling, or the possibility of 
the proximity of the can or the spilling 
of the kerosene on the floor of the incu¬ 
bator cellar, has no effect on incubation. 
We are not altogether sure that the vap¬ 
orized kerosene oil does not have some 
effect upon the development of the chicks. 
We are working on this problem at the 
present time. Otherwise the air is not 
of any importance, as the carbon diox¬ 
ide in it is the chief factor and this nev¬ 
er exceeds an amount that would be ser¬ 
ious to incubation. I judge the trouble 
that this inquirer has had is one of tem¬ 
perature, for most of the crippling is 
caused by that factor and this is most 
likely to occur during the first five days 
of incubation. During these first five 
days the primordial cells, or the base¬ 
ment cells that go to form the tissues of 
the chick, are laid down during this time. 
Any excess temperature or any abnormal 
temperature at this time will multiply 
the number of these cells, and cause crip¬ 
ples more often than at any other period. 
I should suggest that C.W.'II. have several 
thermometers in different parts of the in¬ 
cubator. to test out whether or not one 
part of her incubator was much hotter 
than the others; to see to it also that her 
incubator was level. With all types of 
incubators we strive to get at the factor 
that causes a certain condition, but it is 
difficult to identify the identical thing 
that does the damage. We all know that 
when we catch cold we are likely to re¬ 
member we were sitting at a window 
some particular time, and usually connect 
a cold and the draught as the cause and 
effect, but I imagine a great many times 
we lose the real cause and lay it up to 
something that we guess, so with incuba¬ 
tion. there is a danger with just that sort 
of thing. It is well to remember that the 
first five days of incubation are more 
dangerous than any other period during 
the hatch, and for that reason tempera¬ 
tures need to be watched very carefully 
during this time. e. h. lamson, jr. 
Storrs Exp. Station, Conn. 
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