The Present Status of the Blackhead Problem

at their own homes. Representative specimens of the different breeds of poultry were cooped along both sides of the car, allowing an aisle down the middle. Various kinds of poultry appliances, diseases, models of poultry houses, poultry rations, market eggs and so on were on exhibition. l)emonstrations in candling eggs for market and killing and dresslng fowl for the market were also given. T h ~ slatter feature always gave the youngsters a good deal of amusement. A regular lecture car was attached to the l~oultrycar so that the boys and girls could be conducted from the lecture car to the poultry car without too much disorder. They gathered in the lecture car, where they were asked questions about their own poultry a t home. This was followed up by questions on how to tell one breed from another. Four white birds were always brouqht in the car and the boys and girls were asked to point out any differences. It was surprising and amusing to see the keen powers of observation that have been developed in some of them. But few of them knew that there are single combs and rose combs, red lobes and white lol~es,or yellow and light and dark feet, but once these points are mentioned the young minds are sure to retain them. Time and time again I overheard the youngsters after a lecture, "White lobes, white eggs-red lobes, brawn eggs, except one breed and that breed has also five toes.: This line of work was followed up by d~scussingpoultry piseases and showing them diseased specimens. Another thing which I always took special pains to bring out was the way to tell good eggs from bad eggs. Boys and girls on being asked how to tell them apart will invariable tell you to "shake the egg and if it rattles it is bad," or "put it in water and if it floats it's had." These ideas can quickly be obliterated by going throurh these performances and follow~ng up hy qiving a demonstration in candling to show them where they were wrong. Only once. and the lesson was learned. I hold that this line of work was conducive of as much qood as any line we might have conducted. W e often had to hold outdoor meetings in order to accommodate them all, and also to allow the older people to gather what information they wished to have. Last season at fifty-odd stops we spoke to a total of over 3,000 boys and girls, and this season on another railroad we spoke to 2,500. In the fall, during October, the school fairs were held. W e had eight of these last year. The largest number of chickens shown at any of these fairs was 287. The attendance in almost every case was very good indeed. The older people became almost as much enthused as the boys and virls. The prize moneys were paid by the Department of Agriculture and also by the School Board-each paying one-half. Last year we introduced what we con-

sider a novel feature in connection with these clubs. W e had a boys' and girls' section in the Provincial Dressed Poultry Show, and the members of any of the clubs could show dressed poultry and eggs a t this show. There was no entry fee and the express charges on all exhibits were paid by the department. This prize list drew out the following entries : 32 turkeys, 28' ducks, 28 geese, 62 chickens, 9 dozen eggs,

T H E P R E S E N T S T A T U S OF T H E B L A C K H E A D PKOBLEAI. The paper referred to the studies on blackhead carried on at the Rhode Island Experiment Station. I t was shown that so f a r as preventive measures were concerned, notwithstanding the material knowledge added regarding the etiology of the disease, little has been gained in its prevention, while attention has been focussed upon means for merely avoiding the parasites. The turkey raiser, a t least in the east, must accept the probability of infection of his stock and combat the parasites after they have entered the intestinal tract of the hirds. Recent experiments indicate that this can be best accomplished by modified n-ethods of feeding, perhaps combined with the use of certain drugs, calculated to have ZL germicidal action. At the present time, use is being made of milk soured artificially Iw B. bzclgariczts, and the results already indicate the value of this preparation, when used in conjunction with other modifications in the feeding schedule. The results are shown by a diminished mortality due to blackhead and bv a decreased severity of the cecal lesions in the birds which succumh to the disease. The soured milk appears to accomplish its effect, not by destroyinr! the parasites, but by preventing their rapid development in the intestinal tract. PHILIP B. HAPLEY, 32

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and made a very creditable showing for amateurs. This season the clubs are operated much the same way. I n some instances the municipality has taken hold of the project and is rendering very material assistance. Many new lines might be taken up, such as the publishing of a monthly poultry paper, giving a regular poultry course, the introduction of a four or six weeks' summer poultry school at the college for these club memhers, the running of an annual excursion to the college, laying competitions, and so on, all of which would help to make the work more instructive and interesting to the club members. M. C. HERNER.