594 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



for their cause to the errors and short-comings, carelessness, and inhumanity of those who are 

 responsible for the unprofitable and unfortunate results attending their ignorance and 

 indifference. The different diseases herein noted embrace all the maladies that are habitual 

 among domestic poultry. If any other occur in the experience of American fanciers or 

 breeders of fowls, they are exceptional not generally prevalent. And we apprehend that 

 if such exceptional cases are known, they may be readily traced to a correspondence with 

 some one of the leading &quot;diseases&quot; herein mentioned; the cause for which will also be found 

 to be similar to those which we have endeavored briefly but clearly to explain. 



There is one important recommendation in ministering to these fowl-ails, which we have 

 always found so necessary to average success in treating the invalids, that we feel constrained 

 to insist upon, its observance, for the common benefit of poultrymen and the stock. And this 

 is that fowls should never be over-dosed. The less medicine given them as a rule the 

 better they will be off, in the end. They need but very little in quantity, at any time, to 

 operate on them to their advantage, or their destruction. It is easier to kill a good bird with 

 over-dosing, than to work its recovery by judicious physicking. And many of the mineral 

 and powerful medicines proposed by those who have never studied a domestic fowl s actual 

 construction and constitutional habits, are utterly useless as remedies for their little ailments. 

 So we repeat that the simplest remedials are always the best. 



What we understand the nature of, and what we know will work in a certain way, 

 regularly and effectively such as sulphur, castor-oil, powdered rhubarb, alum, sal-soda, 

 alcohol, camphor, cayenne, tincture of iron, garlic, etc., when properly administered, are the 

 sort of medicines which should be made use of and not the numerous chemicals and 

 minerals advised by those who do not appreciate a fowl s composition, or natural formation. 

 In a department prepared like this, for a work so extensive and embracing so many subjects, 

 the space allotted for the full treatment of the subject of diseases of poultry is necessarily 

 limited. But the writer has given his views upon the leading ails that fowls are subject to, 

 and many hints contained herein will be found valuable to both fanciers and growers of 

 poultry. It must not be forgotten that filth, cold, and wet yards, poor shelter, improper 

 food, tainted drink, starvation, neglect, sunless houses in winter, or lack of shade in summer, 

 close confinement, lousy nests, dirty floors, foul feed troughs, want of ventilation, etc., etc., 

 are the causes of fowl disease, and death among them. 



Reform this, altogether, or do not attempt to breed poultry, is our advice. And if the 

 suggestions made herein towards the performance of the higher and better part in fowl- 

 keeping be followed we are quite confident that poultry breeders will be troubled very little 

 with &quot;diseases&quot; among their flocks. With the nicest care and the best arrangements, 

 however, fowls in American poultry yards and runs will inevitably get sick, more or less as 

 they will elsewhere. During the past few years, it has been noticeable that more complaints 

 were current than ever hitherto, of ails among fowls. And this fact induced the author to 

 prepare these pages, in a concise and complete form limiting the article exclusively to the 

 subject of diseases of domestic poultry. As we stated in the opening of this subject, it is 

 important that we know clearly what the matter is with our fowls when out of trim before 

 we begin to dose them. This being satisfactorily determined, we can then go about assisting 

 them to throw off the disorders, and do this intelligently. 



