THE INCUBATOR THERMOMETER.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 534, 18 January 1913, Page 2

THE INCUBATOR THERMOMETER.

The incubator thermometer is responsible to a very great extent for the ultimate results, attending the operation of artificial hatching., Should the instrument be inaccurate to the extent of a couple of degrees either day, the eggs in the machine will either be spoiled or rendered weak in their embryos. It is by the aid of the 'tlfermometer that (the regulator governing the heat in the egg chamber is set so that the necessary temperature may be ensured. If the instrument is inaccurate, it means that the heat in the incubator will Be inaccurate, and the ultimate results a failure. When procuring an incubator thermometer, it is unwise to consider cheapness by investing in an instrument of foreign origin, but one should be procured from a maker of good repute. It sometimes happens that, in transit, the mercury column of the thermometer becomes divided, and should this occur the instrument should have its bulb inserted in water heated to about i2odeg. When it is seen that the mercury has risen to the air bubble in the top of the, tube, the instrument should be quickly taken out of the water to prevent bulb from bursting through internal pressure. Sometimes without dipping in wa-, ter the mercury can be joined by giving the tube a sharp jerk, to throw the mercury towards the bulb, .or by holding the'instrument upright and tapping the palm of the hand gently with the bulb.' In using the instrument in the incubator the bulb should be arranged so as to rest a quarter of an inch above the top of the egg placed immediately under it. If it is placed directly upon the egg there is a risk of operating the machine at too low a temperature, owing to the fact that such an egg' may be an infertile one, and seyerel degrees cooler than what a fertile one would be.