Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-06-11
The Gapes ia Chickens.
GEN: W. II. NOBLE, bRrDGEroRr, CONN
ADVENT OF THE Pest.

nave always ureAueu Vlsit vi tue
gapes to my poultry Till few years
since it had never been known in this
neighborlbodr But in an evil hour,
was tempted to cross a large white
hen with my fowls of that pet color
She came from a farm where about
one-third of the chickens yearly died
with the gapes. Often whole early
broods were swept away. l had often
seen the poor wee things gasping for
breath, sickly-lo oking and stunted
They stood around in torment when
they should have been on joyful
hunt after worms and grubs Those
which lived through the virulent sea-
son of the pest were greatly behind
the size and vigor TO which they were
entitled. believe in the doctrine OF
the survival Of the 6ttest. But /
don't think the 6ttcst survive in any
better shape for running the gauntlet
of disease and hardship for dear life.
Now / did not suspect that those con-
traband gapes would have hid some
where in the substance or apparel OF
that old hen, and travelled with her
to torment me. l don't know of any
theory about the pest which furnishes
it with lodging or resting place in
the precincts of q full-grown fowl.
Yet as 1t came aud set down big
death list in my flock with the advent
of this white hen, | cannot but think
that the seed of the gapes took pas
sage with her, like rats oh ship. Al
any rate, the next spring lots of my
nice chicks gave up lite under The
painful all.
UNrRUsrwoRrHx NosrRUMs AND SAFE
REMEDIES.
l tried to conquer the trouble By
fishing the worms from their throats
with hair snares and feathers but
am not handy at such work. The
business, too, is tedious, aud one
which can not be safely deputed to
Patrick. If this is done, the gapt
worms and the chicks will be buried
IN the same graves In throat swab:
of Kerosene or turpentine, or in anti
nermin cures mixed in food, / never
put much faith. The first might xii
the worms, but would be pretty sure
TO kill the chicks, too. AS to the
food mixture, l never could see exact
ly how cure taken into the stomach
would kill a worm in the windpipe
The remedy would have such round
about road to get at the cape cause
that fear it would, tire out on tbs
journey.
Then l bethought me of the insect
smiters. lime, sulphur and carbolic
acid. | Stacked a barrelful Of lime
wash to about the thickness of paint
Into this I stirred from ten to twelve
pounds of sulphur -four. Into each
pailful used, l mixed about table
spoonful of carbolic acid. With this
on a broom or brush / sloshed over
every part of my hennery, roosts,
floor and wells, as we'll as every chick
en- coop, outside aud in. Particularly
over the floors of the latter heavy
coating was flu shed. In the chicken
GOODS this regimen was renewed again
aud again, especially with each new
brood in the breeding season. The
work is done very quickly. When
Patrick finds out that he has not a
Job of delicate and artistic whitewash
| ing on hand, he soon learns to des-
pise economy of materials. The re-
suit is that the gapes have left.
have not lost chick from it in more
than two years nor have | seen a
symptom of it's life in my broods.
say, therefore, here is remedy
that suits all phases and years of hen
life. It's just as good for the old as
the young; for the mites Of spider lice
and for those bigger crawlers that so
torment our fowls, as for killing throat
worms. | have no doubt that other
methods of defence and cure, from
tlmo to time Pit forward in Rural and
kindred journals. have 5reat and per-
haps equal merit. The fumigation
of a brood with tobacco or sulphur
smoke in close quarters or coops; the
thorough saturation of the dwelling
and premises of our feathered pets
with the dust of hellebore or Persian
insect powder, well diluted with fine
dry ashes of wood or coal, or with
-four of sulphur, all do blessed work
for our goultry. These fumes and
dust, breathed and blown into the
throat and lungs and into the plum
age OF our birds, strike the vermin
where they live, and stick to their
hides to kill.
LOTS OF SURE CURES.
/ think we should criticise and
charity adopt all cures put forward
for ails, which do not hint some trial
or reason for their use. we know
that everything in my mixture is
terror to insect tribes. But virtues
are claimed for many things which
are mere whim~whams aud senseless
faneies. No untried remedy put
toward for any all, which does no.
logically sanction a hope of cure,
deserves our tests.
l am often amused at the thousand
and one remedies put out for the ails
Of animals, trees or fruit. Lots of
them are mere enthusings Of those
who are always ready with a cure.
The curculio has had ruin threatened
to his waste and lie over and over
again; but the rascal still lives and
hurts, A good specimen of these
random remedies was given by an
able lawyer and senator to a profess
ional friend, as sure to keep his plums
from curculio ravages. 1t was to
bore in the plum tree trunk a hole
large enough to admit a roll of sui
phur, and after placing it there, to
plug the opening; then the sap cur
,o,te rorld obeo,b ,ba c,,I,b,, 81