Space in the _Rural_ is valuable, and so important a subject as
artificial incubation cannot perhaps be made entirely plain to a
novice in a few articles; but as interested parties have written for
additional information, it may interest others to answer them here.
Among the questions asked are: "Does the incubator described in the
_Rural_ dispense entirely with the use of a lamp, using at intervals a
bucket of water to maintain proper temperature? I fear this will not
be satisfactory unless the incubator is kept in a warm room or
cellar."

All incubators must be kept in a warm location, whether operated by a
lamp or otherwise. The warmer the room or cellar, the less warmth
required to be supplied. Bear in mind that the incubator recommended
has four inches of sawdust surrounding it, and more sawdust would
still be an advantage. The sawdust is not used to protect against the
outside temperature, but to absorb and hold a large amount of heat,
and that is the secret of its success. The directions given were to
first fill the tank with boiling water and allow it to remain for 24
hours. In the meantime the sawdust absorbs the heat, and more boiling
water is then added until the egg-drawer is about 110 or 115 degrees.
By this time there is a quantity of stored heat in the sawdust. The
eggs will cool the drawer to 103. The loss of heat (due to its being
held by the sawdust) will be very slow. All that is needed then is to
supply that which will be lost in 12 hours, and a bucket of boiling
water should keep the heat about correct, if added twice a day, but it
may require more, as some consideration must be given to fluctuations
of the temperature of the atmosphere. The third week of incubation,
owing to animal heat from the embryo chicks, a bucket of boiling water
will sometimes hold temperature for 24 hours. No objection can be
urged against attaching a lamp arrangement, but a lamp is dangerous at