1908.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 159 



the run of a large, dry, open barn cellar ; the remainder were 

 kept in a single long poultry house, divided into sections 

 with partitions of wire netting. Both lots were allowed free 

 range, all mingling together in one flock during the day. 



It was learned from the owner on April 27 that the two 

 weeks preceding the date of sending the dead fowls to the 

 station (April 18), between fifty and sixty fowls, a part from 

 each flock, had died very suddenly. It was also learned that 

 during the winter of 1906 about one hundred and twenty-five 

 birds had died from flocks kept in the poultry house and barn 

 cellar during that winter. No cause was found to account for 

 this large mortality. Taking into account the history of the 

 case and the symptoms exhibited by the birds as given by the 

 owner, it seems probable that the loss in 190(5 was also due 

 to fowl cholera. There is no positive proof that this was the 

 case. 



It was reported by the owner of the flock in question that 

 his birds frequently came in contact with fowls kept on the 

 opposite side of the street, and that individuals from both flocks 

 ranged over the same ground. 



In dealing with the last and larger flock, circumstances did 

 not seem to warrant the application of the line of drastic treat- 

 ment that had been carried out with the flock dealt with earlier 

 in the year. Deaths had occurred among fowls kept in the 

 poultry house and in the barn cellar; all had run together, 

 when the weather permitted their being outside the buildings, 

 and it seemed certain that the infection had become widely 

 spread about all parts of the farm in the immediate vicinity of 

 the buildings. 



To arrest the spread of the disease, the owner was advised 

 to thoroughly clean all parts of the buildings with which the 

 fowls had come in contact, including a removal of the surface 

 soil from the barn cellar and pens in the poultry house. He 

 was further advised to follow this cleaning with a liberal appli- 

 cation of a coal tar disinfectant and a fresh lime whitewash. 

 As a further precaution against the spread of the infection 

 through the medium of food and water contaminated with in- 

 fectious fecal matter, specially constructed automatic feed boxes 

 and drinking fountains were recommended. In addition, it was 



