Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1856-05-02

1sput Of the Committee appointed
Il the Nay Meeting Of Tho Frank
lin County Agricultural Society,
70 Investigate the Cause and Cure
q the Gaps IN Chioksns
Your Committee. feeling the impor-
lance Of The subject committed 10
them. have not been In haste 10 put
Il Through" bat have given IL that pa
DENT investlgation which lis Importance
deserves.
We think II Is not attaching too
much importance to the proceeds Of
the poultry gard. to say that no de-
partment Of farming pays better than
Il does. when vol regulated and well
stocked. Whether We regard them
a. . source Of income, or matter Of
convenienee and luxury. eggs and
chickens stand second TO nothing. IL
Il important. then. that whatever tends
70 diminish lhe profit or pleasure sho'd
Be removed. UnquesuonkbIy the
gaps IN young chickens is the greatest
enemy TO the race. II vermin slay
DER thousands. these slay their ten
thousands
Il Is now no longer question what
causes The Gaping. nor Is It's cure
very diilicult or uncertain. Il Is
caused BY worms in the wind pipe.
and these may generally be removed.
BY thrusting feather. properly trim
med. into tho wind pipe. and after
turning Il around a few times, with.
drawing Il. A little practice viii
give great skin in this Surgical opera
ton though Il may result IN the death
Of . few Of the. first patients, as is Of
ten the case In the first efforts Of young
practitioners upon the human race.
But what causes the worms Is an
other and more difficult question. Al
pressns. we think the true inquiry Is
what localities are infested. and what
free. II Is evidently local cause
Nothing is more apparent than thal
some places arc fatal to young chick
ems. While others are free from the dis
ease.
In prosecuting our inquiries W.
have been met with various theories
and opinions. which we have tried e
compare and sin. and draw from sh'
whole such conclusions As may lead q
correct views in regard to this scourg'
Of the poultry yard-this blight upoI
the profits and pleasure Of every fami
~, for none are so poor As not to hav'
ahen and chickens. mono so rich as. 4
be able to do without them.
WeIfound some who assumed tina
an annual change Of ROSTERS win pre-
vent the gaps: To this we objesi
because we have seen the most fata
prevalence in such yards. We know
some neighbors who Esve obtained
their eggs from the sane place, ye
some lose nearly all the young chick
ems and others none. Others, among
whom Is DR.. Raymond. the ex-Presi
dento Of this Society, assume that Il !
in the feeding. He thinks that chick
ems which are fed on dry meal, or dr.
corn or wheat, are not in danger q
the gaps. But in our inquiries "
have found this preventive TO fail. find
ing severe cases Of fatal gaps. wher
this kind Of food was used.
One poultry raiser of some note
whom we consulted. assured us, shorl
after the appointment Of the Commit
tee. that We need seek no further, tha
he had found the secret: Gaps wer
caused by over feeding. Keep chick
ems on shcrt allowance. said he, an
there Is no danger. We made not
Of his theory. and called Ia the fal
for the result Of his summers experl
msnsing. on the Homeopathic sysieI
Of feeding. In answer to our inquir
ne said he had had rather bad luck
bis starved chickens capped aud dice
Even resort 10 the stnfing systeI
would not save them.
There are some facts well know
and universally acknowledged in Ia
question. II IA well known that CHI
kens raised Ia the woods are no. atle'
Ted with tho gaps. The settler. who's
log cabin Is surrounded with the nj
tive forest. loses none or next TO nor
from this dire disease. His her
scratch freely IN the leaves and loo'
earth that surround the little LOT,
Il admitted again, on all hands. thl
chickens which run in grassy doc
yards are subjectto this disease.
In prosecuting our inquiry. viewer
Il one time ready TO conclude thl
vet grass was the great cause. but "
fsll upon fact which disproyed thi
Ono Of the most fatal yardswe yisite
was wholly destitute Of verdurc. e,
cept the trees which grew in Il, Will
belonging 70 tho same man. We foun
On another part ofhis premises. thrift
broods. defying the gaps, al,houg
Matched from the same eggs and fed I
ths same food. This called for furth.
Investigation. The healthy brood
ware in the garden whore there WI
"a abundance Of loose earth. III
others we're in hard yard though