Page:Home labor saving devices (1917).djvu/106

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only a few days before they are to be set. The number of eggs to be put under each hen will vary with the season, the size of the hen, and the size of the eggs; but it is usually safe to put about thirteen eggs under a hen of average size.

Egg Tester.—Test the eggs in a dark room on the seventh and fourteenth days for the removal of infertile eggs. This may be done by a very simple home-made tester made of a pasteboard or wooden box, with a hole the size of an egg bored in the front, and an opening in the top through which the smoke is to pass. If a wooden box with a bottom is used, an opening must be made in front, with a door so as to put the lamp in. A box without a bottom may be used and simply set right over the lamp. Either a lamp, candle, or lantern may be used on the inside of the box. Holding the egg in front of the box and letting the light shine through it will show the condition of the egg. An infertile egg will be clear, while a fertile egg has a spider-like center with threads leading out from it. All infertile eggs must be removed.


Poultry is classified as the egg breeds, the meat breeds, the general-purpose breeds, and the ornamental breeds.

The egg breeds are small fowls which mature quickly. They