Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-09-04
The Kind Of On ions That Pay.

ss soon as gathered, because they
will not keep and only onions which
are thoroughly cured should be stored.
The standard crate used for storing
onions is 20x16 inches and IA inches
deep The material used for the sides
and bottom is tbree-eights of an inch
thick and 2R inches wide, four pieces
being used on each side. This allows
sufficient ventilation. Onions are often
stored in sacks and in piles upon a
| board floor but crates are preferable
because of ease of handling and bet
ter facilities for ventilation. If stored
in bulk in heaps on the floor no pile
should be more than eight or ten
inches deep, for if ventilation is i'm
perfect the onions are likely to heat
and spoil.
| Onions are usually stored in special
! houses built for this purpose The
conditions necessary for successful
storing are a comparatively low tenn
perature, plenty of ventilation, dry
atmosphere and protection from freez-
| ing. Special structures are built for
this purpose. and are so constructed
that plenty of ventilation may be Sc
cured through drain pipes in the foun-
dation and air tues at the top. In
wet or cold weather these ventilators
are closed, as dampness encourages
| the decay of onion bulbs.
A little heat from a small stove is
necessary during wet or very cold
weather. The best temperature is "a
! to 36 degrees F., but as long as the
! temperature does not fall below SO de
grees there is little danger of damage
being done.
For home use onions are often
stored in dry loft where they will
keep nicely. They should not be al
/ lowed to freeze, as freezing will cause
them to deteriorate rapidly after they
thaw. If they should happen to freeze.
they should be kept frozen until used.
terlal, such as the carcass of bird
/ that has died with the disease or the
blood of a sick bird that has been
! killed. The latter method of spread is
of great Importance, as it is the Gus
tom of many pOultrymen to kill a sick
bird by chopping off its head and al
lowing the blood to become scattered
over the premises. Healthy birds
pick up small particles of blood and
thus become infected When this dis
ease is suspected the sick fowls should
be killed by stretching the neck so
that the spinal column, etc, are sep
arated. but the skin of the neck re-
tains the blood M king it possible to
burn or bury deep The entire carcass.
The disease is often brought on the
farm by purchased birds, especially
individuals that have chronic form
of the disease, or by obtaining eggs,
sacks of feed, etc, from infected
farms. 1t is also spread from farm to
farm by pigeons or other birds, and
by dogs. cats and other animals, in
Guiding man In fact, the disease can
be spread in any way that particles of
dirt can be carried from place to
place.
Prevention and Treatment
| If disturbances of the nature men
toned above occur in the flock a Wig
orous search should be made to dis
cover the cause. The feed and drink
should be investigated carefully; the
house examined for mites; the fowls
bodies for lice. and distant parts of
the range carefully searched to dis
cover and remove any decomposing
organic matter which the fowls might
! eat.
! Wherever practicable the sick birds
should be isolated from the rest of the
/ flock 1t is advisable to give a level
teaspoonful of epson salts to each
mature fowl The salts should be dis
! solved in warm water and mixed with
a mash to be given after one days
fasting, Enough potassium perman
ganate in the drinking water to turn
it a claret red is also advisable True
cholera is seldom, if ever. cured by
medicinal treatment. while the other
arrangements OF a similar nature are
more easily prevented than cured,
AS general rule, the poultryman is
reasonably safe in attributing sick
ness in his flock to causes other than
4 cholera. At least % per cent. of all
such diseases in Wisconsin are not
/ cholera. but are merely due to unhy
gienic and unsanitary conditions.
However. should the symptoms give
reasonable indication of cholera
prompt measures must be taken. or
the disease may ravage an entire
neighborhood. II, after careful search.
no cause can be found. a diseased
bird. together with any information at
hand should be sent to the agricul-
tural college for examination.