Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-05-28

N'iS
The gapeworm is seldom. If ever
troublesom, in a sandy-soil country.
have kept poultry in South Jersey fol
q years, and in all that time never
heard Of a Rapeworm existing in this
locality, a fact that convinces me that
1t thrives only in heavy-soil sections of
the country.
This affliction shows itself. generally,
In chicks between the ages of six to eight
weeks, and never after the bird is four
months old. 1t is due to small. thread
IKE worms in the windpipe. The symp-
toms are gaspinE, with the mouth wide
open. Sometimes the chick, in its strane-
ling, runs backward, sneezes, has great
difficulty in swallowing, becomes enact
ated, and finally dies.
1t is claimed that the disease was dis
covered about 1880 by a DR.. Wiesenthal.
At Baltimore, Md, when it particularly
afflicted turkeys. In 1906 to 1909 it be-
came epidemic in England among chick
ans. For 80 or more years the disease
mas been very prevalent in England
Where half a million chickens are de-
stroyed annually. France, too. suffers
serious loss each year, where the disease
has existed for fully so years.
The name is derived from the prom
nent symptoms, viz: gaping. This gan
ng has led some to believe that the tro,-
Die exists even with grown fowls but
mat is a mistake. Fowls gape from 9TH
n causes. such as disturbances of the
digestive organs.
FOUND IN WINDPIPES.
A post-mortom will find the ranovoroe
adhering to the windpine. They are
small, round, red worms. usraI1v attach
cd 10 each other and to the membrane in
pairs umale and female). having the an
pearance of p double-hoaded worm. The
male is about one-ffth Of an inch long.
While the female will measure half inch.
In 1866 Or. II. y. Walker, of the T-nI-
ted States Agricultural department. dis
covered that If the newly Matched en-
bryos were introduced into a chick. in
eight days there were to be found in
the windpipe full-grown worms. The
eggs require a temperature above froez-
ing, as they are killed at 30 degrees.
This disease is peculiar 70 warm and
damp weather, usually doing its most
deadly work in May. Wet weather has
tens the ravages of this disease. It is
more or less prevalent in heavy soils,
which is evidently conclusive evidence
that the disease owes its origin to a mol |
luted soil.
In 1905 DR.. E. Gardner, who spent
several years in a close study of the game |
question, reported that it first occurred |
to him THAI young chickens did not get |
the sapes under certain conditions ard !
others did ID6nr liv,ro-.
He found that the common cartbvorm |
was a prime factor in the condl,lon moni-
fest. He noticed that chicks vhe, ,et
out early in the morning piclei IN the
worms and became affected, and .bus,
that gathered their worms from the man.
ure pile became more so.
RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS.
Arrangements We're made for a series
OF experiments, with the following re-
suits:
IN the hrst trial he arranged Is chick
ems In three groups OF % each. feeding
the first lot no worms, second lot worms
washed, and third lot worms wit, oirt
on fresh from the soil and manu-o milo
with this result:
EXPERIMENT NO. l.
Group l. % chickens, fed on worms
and kept where they could not get amy
None affected.
Group >, % chickens, fed worms wa shed
clean. Three chickens affected.
Group 3, % chickens, fed worms from
the soil not washed. Seventeen chickens
affected.
EXPERIMENT NO. . !,
Group !, fed no worms. None affected
Group ., fed worms washed clean. Two
affected.
Group 3. fed worms from rot.ea dung.
hills, Twenty-Five affected.
EXPERIMENT NO. 3
Group l, fed no worms. None affected.
Group ?, fed worms from new manure
Fourteen affected.
lhese chlckens were under a test Of
4 lays duration. Those that became af-
tected developed the condition within
-FOUR lays after eating the unwashed
worms, and within six lays after eating
the washed worms.
This would indicate that there is n
certain amount Of slime on the worms ,
body. and this contains parasites COM
mon to the worm. In the act of the
chicken swallowing, certain portions ,
work down the Windpipe, making their /
home there. G
TEST WITH FIFTY CHICKENS. &
Another experiment made by DIR. Gard ,
ner was with 80 chickens he had in a ,
special run These were fed for 10 days n
with one pound and seven ounces Of s
washed clean, and thoroughly q
s~terilized In a blchloride of mercury q in d
600 and ? in 1000 solution, with the re- t
,ult OF no gapes. So the gapeworm germ v
must be on the outer coat Of the worm a
md not inside it, 9
Now the fact that earthworms live Il
md thrive in South Jersey, and also the c
act that chicks in that locality are not q
ifflicted with the gapes, one might he
ed to the conclusion that the sandy soil
cts as a cleanser Of the body Of the u