Vol. XVI. No. 393. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



1.57 



POULTRY NOTES. 



ROUP. 



Information regarding the nature and treatment of 

 roup, which is admittedly the most dreaded because it is 

 the most widespread, disease of poultry, aad the one more 

 diflicult to handle than all others put together, is contained 

 in an article in The Agricultural Gazette of Xcc: South 

 Wales, for March 1917. 



Much has been written in connexion with roup, 

 «nd various remedies have been suggested from time 

 to time for eradicating the disease. There is a wide- 

 spread notion amongst poultry keepers that, so long as 

 everything is kept clean, fresh clean water regularly supplied, 

 the poultry house disinfected, and the chickens do.sed with 

 chemicals from time to time, immunity from disea.se is 

 sufficiently ensured. But this is a fallacy that is calculated to 

 keep poultry keepers from a proper appreciation of the real 

 cause. Cleanliness and sanitation, while commendable and, 

 of course, (juite necessary to the health of the birds, are not 

 sufficient in themselves to keep away roup. Good, airy, 

 well- ventila led poultry houses, and .-^iruug well-developed 

 stock are the best safeguards against this. 



The remedies suggested in the journal above-rjuoted 

 appear to be simple, practical and inexpensive. It is 

 stated that scientific research into the nature and cause 

 of this disease amongst poultry has established the fact 

 that it is net caused by any one specific microbe, hut by 

 a class of microbes; hence the difficulties in the way of 

 preparing a serum with which to combat it as is done in the 

 case of diphtheria in human beings, although the two 

 diseases are in many respects .analogous, and, indeed, the 

 disea.se of poultry is often called diphtheric roup. 



There are three recognized kinds of the disease known 

 as roup. The tir.-t, and most difficult to cure is ih.at affecting 

 the head with a putrid discharge from the nostrils, comni n- 

 cing like a catarrh, and often spreading to the eye, which 

 becomes swollen and filled with pus. The best method of 

 treating this form of roup is to syringe out the nostrils, and, 

 if neces.sary, the eyes, at least twice a day with equal parts of 

 peroxide of hydrogen and water; but the following may also 

 be used with some measure of success: kero.sene (undiluted), 

 or a strong solution of permanganate of potash, or boracic 

 acid and salt solution, using a teaspoonful of boracic acid 

 and half a teaspoonful of common salt dissolved in half-pint 

 of boiling water. If no other suitable .syringe is handy, 

 a common sewing machine oil-can may be used for the 

 purpo.se. A good way to get the bird to clear its head and 

 nostrils of the mucous is to submerge the head up to the 

 eyes in a .solution of permanganate of potash made about the 

 colour of claret. The immersion should take place for a few 

 seconds, the birds head being held in such a position thai it 

 cannot breathe without taking in the solution; this will cause 

 it to eject much of the objectionable matter. If this is done 

 previous to the syringing, the latter will be much more 

 effective. 



The second kind is what is known as diphtheric roup. 

 This may be recognized by a thick, fUse membrane somewhat 

 of the character of mucous filling the throat and mouth. This 

 is most deadly if left to itself, as it will quickly choke the 

 bird; but it is, perhaps, the most easily trea'-,ed. Flowers of 

 sulphur lightly dusted into the mouth and throac twice 

 daily for two or three days, will usually clear it. 



The third variety is known among poultrymen as 

 canker; this form is less prevalent, and, perhaps, less 

 contagious than are the others; but it attacks young and old 

 alike. It has, however, a less debilitating effect upon the 

 birds. In fact, they may have this disease and still appear 

 in the best of health. The .symptoms of canker are a gasping 

 or choking sensation, and the bird will sometimes cry out 

 in its endeavour to get its breath. Upon examination they 

 will be found to have a cheesy-looking substance growing 

 round the windpipe, and sometimes in the mouth on the side 

 of the throat or even on the tongue. In cases where it is 

 round the windpipe it may grow to such an extent as to 

 block up the air passage, causing asphyxiation. 



The remedy is to remove this substance with a piece of 

 wire bent in the form of a small loop, taking care that the 

 affected part is not made to bleed; also, when round 

 the windpipe, that no particle is allowed to fall in that 

 aperture, or the result will be fatil. After the removal 

 of the substance the affected part may be painted with a 

 saturated solution of permanganate of potash, or glycerine 

 and iodine in the proportion of 1 part iodine to 10 of glycerine. 

 Another, but rather drastic, remedy is to apply very finely 

 powdered bluestone and permanganate of potash in equal 

 quantities well mixed. In each case the remedy should be 

 applied twice daily. 



Spraying Yellow Pine-apple Plants with Iron 

 Sulphate Solutions. — The yellowing of pine-apples on the 

 black manganese soils of the island of Ohau in Hawaii has been 

 a serious problem to growers for a number of years. From 

 a study of the ash analyses of different kinds of plants, it has 

 been found that the plants to which the manganese soil appear- 

 ed toxic, such as pine-apple, corn, pigeon pea, have less iron in 

 their ash when grown on manganifetous soils than when grown 

 on normal soils. Ash of such plants as gu^vas and weeds 

 growing wild on the manganese soils without apparent ill 

 effects showed no decrease in iron, yielding even more iron 

 than when grown on normal soils. The other elements in the 

 ash showed no such significant variation. It thus appears 

 that the unhealthy growth on the manganese soil is due to 

 lack of iron in the plants, and that the plants are suffering 

 from iron starvation in spite of the abnormally large quan- 

 tities of iron pre.sent in the manganese soils. 



According to Press Bulletin No. 51, issued by the Hawaii 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, Honolulu, which deals 

 with these matters, the application of solutions of iron salts 

 to the leaves has been found to be the only promising treats 

 ment. The application of iron to the soil has no effect. 

 Extensive experiments conducted have demonstrated the 

 practical value of the iron spray treatment, especially if the 

 spraying is carried out directly the first indications of yellow- 

 ing make their appearance It is hardly necessary to enter 

 here into the details of the work since this affection of the 

 pineapple does not occur in the West Indies. Details may 

 be obtained by reference to the Bulletin quoted in the course 

 of the foregoing note. 



