12 



arc urged to become more familiar with the different steps in the plan. 

 [nformation concerning the National Plan may be obtained by writing 

 either to the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, State House, 

 Boston, or to the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, 

 D. C, for Miscellaneous Publication No. 300 (revised January 1940), en- 

 titled "The National Poultry Improvement Plan." The primary objec- 

 tives of the plan should receive careful consideration by the Massachu- 

 setts poultry industry. It should be emphasized, however, that certain 

 features ot the plan are inferior in soundness of disease control and 

 eradication to the Massachusetts regulations. 



At the Thirteenth Annual Conference of Laboratory Workers in Pul- 

 lorum Disease Control (representing delegates from Connecticut, Del- 

 aware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, 

 New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Vir- 

 ginia and West Virginia), held May 22-24, 1940, the following recom- 

 mendations concerning U. S. pullorum grades were unanimously approved: 



a. That the Conference go on record as reasserting disapproval of the 

 pullorum tested grade. 



b. That no grade lower than pullorum passed he approved. 



c. That discontinuing the pullorum clean grade would be a decidedly back- 

 ward step, and that the dropping of this grade be opposed. 



d. That when breaks occur in hitherto clean flocks, such flocks be removed 

 immediately from the pullorum clean list ; that, when two consecutive agglu- 

 tination tests made on such flocks (the first from four to six weeks follow- 

 ing the disqualifying test, and the second from four to six weeks later) reveal 

 no reactors, the flocks may be returned to the pullorum clean list, provided the 

 disqualifying test showed not more than 0.5 percent infection in the entire 

 tested flock, or there were not more than five positive reactors in the flock. 



e. That the Conference reassert its adherence to the standard tube agglu- 

 tination method, and that it recognize no other testing method as standard 

 or approved. 



f. That the rule requiring that all chickens over four months of age be 

 tested shall apply to both pullorum passed and pullorum clean flocks. 



g. That the Conference place itself on record as strongly urging its 

 members to conduct turkey testing programs, in order to determine the 

 real value of the pullorum agglutination test as applied to turkeys, with 

 the ultimate view of applying the same routine testing plan to turkeys 

 that is now carried out on chickens, provided the method is found to be 

 of real merit. 



The committee recommends further that until t lie full merits of turkey 

 testing are established, poultrymen be urged not to incubate chicken 

 and turkey eggs on the same premises, and not to brood and rear chickens 

 and turkeys on the same farm or premises. 



h. That no eggs from pullets be used for hatching until the pullets 

 have been tested and their pullorum-free status has been established. 



Massachusetts poultrymen are urged to make the fullest use of the 

 official grading of pullorum disease tested flocks. 



5. Factors Influencing Efficiency and Economy of Testing — In order that 

 the te^timj, work may be organized on an economical basis and the same 



