A GOOD INCUBATOR

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1666, 3 February 1904, Page 71 (Supplement)

A GOOD INCUBATOR

A good incubator must poseess the following points; if it has less points it is not a good incubator:— 1. A uniform temperature must be automatically maintained, and mat temperature should not vary more than one or two degrees in any part of the egg chamber, that is, either Up or down from, that degree at which the operator wishes to maintain the heat.

2. It should be easy to heat, and economical in the consumption of oil.

3. It must be to made that a prouer supply of fresh, air is admitted constantly to the egg chamber. 4. No draught® of any kind should be possible. 5. There must be ventilators so arranged that they can be closed in any cold weather or opened very wide in hot weather. r 6. There should be ventilators in tne bottom so that the carbon-dioxide can easily be conveyed' away from the egg chamber.

7. A good machine must have a safetyvalve which will open ao those time when the animal heat rises, because cn a hot day the eggs may overheat from me heat caused l in no other way than by the animal heat produced in and by the e<'gs them solves.

8. : 'Some provision must be made so that moisture can be supplied, from none at all to saturation if needed. In me Peerless no moisture is needed except on special occasions. 9. There should be some method of turning the eggs so that you have not to handle each, and every egg. 10. There should) be a nursery for’ the chickens underneath tne egg tray; the temperature is niot quite) so warm asi that of the egg tray. This nursery snould be so arranged that the chicks will drop into it as soon as hatched.

A knowledge of these ten points will enable anyone to sexect a good incubator. Should a macnino not possess atf these points, do not buy it, for it will be dear at any price, even as o gut. The writer lias operated many machines, and of all those in this colony tne three beet, proved by careful work, are the Peerless, the Prairie State, and the Cypher. The Peerless seems to possess • some points of advantage, thus:—A large nursery is provided under the egg tray, arranged in such a way that it can be reamoved. from the chamber without opening the glass door, in front of the egg tray. The nursery is very roomy, and the largest and best on any of the machines at present in tiio colony. It also has a arrangement which turn the e"gs exactly over, whether they be large or small eggs. The arrangement for the conveyance from the egg chamber of all carbon-dioxide is very good. The construction of the three machines mentioned leaves little to be desired, fine nrst lias three Avails and two doors, and .-m two latter have two Avails and a double glass door. In America there are twenty standard make® of incubators, any one of which has “good" marked upon it.