200 OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS 



as has been said, turkeys are especially sensitive to foul con- 

 ditions, and the young of all kinds of poultry are more sensitive 

 to such conditions than the adults. The germs of the disease 

 pass into the soil with the excrement of affected birds and may 

 remain there for several years. Young birds feeding on land 

 containing these germs may take up some with their food. If 

 the birds are vigorous and thrifty and the land is not badly in- 

 fected, no harm may be done, but if the birds are weakly and 

 the land is so badly infected that they are constantly taking up 

 more germs, the disease soon develops in acute form. 



Many people suppose that if once they have serious trouble 

 with this disease, it is useless for them to try to grow turkeys, but 

 this is an error. The germs of the disease are distroyed by cul- 

 tivating the land and exposing them to the sun and air. Three 

 or four years of cultivation will rid a piece of land of disease 

 germs, no matter how badly it is affected. The infection is not 

 usually distributed in dangerous quantities all over a farm or all 

 over the land on which the turkeys and fowls have ranged. It 

 is principally on the land near the farm buildings. There would 

 be very little danger from diseases of this kind on farms if those 

 who feed the poultry would make it a practice to scatter food on 

 clean grass or cultivated ground at a little distance from the 

 buildings, instead of giving it (as too many do) on ground that 

 is bare year after year and never cultivated. 



On a large farm the turkeys should not require close attention 

 after they are two months old. A little food may be given to 

 them in the morning and again in the evening, to keep them 

 familiar with the person in charge, and if they are inclined to 

 stray too far, they should be rounded up soon after noon and 

 started toward home. Having started in that direction, they may 

 be left to come at their leisure. They should pick the most of 

 their living until the time comes to begin to fatten them. Begin- 

 ning about three weeks before they are to be killed, they should 

 be fed two or three times a day all the whole corn they will eat. 



