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cannot cure the disease. If the cause is removable, a serious outbreak 

 of the disease can be prevented by proper hygienic and sanitary 

 measures, which make the cause much less liable to appear; or, if 

 the measures adopted are sufficiently thorough, the cause may be pre- 

 vented from putting in an appearance. Gapes is caused by the small 

 red worms and their progeny. 



"Treatment. The most satisfactory treatment is prevention of 

 contagion, combined with extraction of the worms from the infected 

 chicks. All sick birds should be removed to quarters apart from the 

 well ones. All coops and runs where infected birds have been should 

 be thoroughly disinfected. The coops should have a thorough appli- 

 cation of hot whitewash. The ground of runs should be w r ell lined 

 with air slaked lime, spaded up, and should be sprinkled with one of 

 the following solutions: A two per cent solution of sulphuric acid 

 in water; or two ounces of copperas (sulphate of iron) dissolved in a 

 bucket of water ; or a solution of permanganate of potassium in water, 

 half an ounce of the crystals in a barrel of water; or a strong solu- 

 tion of creolin, two tablespoonfuls in each gallon of water. 



"The ground should be well sprinkled with one of the above 

 solutions, after infected chicks have been removed, then plow or 

 spade and sprinkle again. Repeat this disinfection whenever infected 

 < hicks have been running on the ground. Scald all drinking vessels 

 used by sick birds, and be sure that the water used is boiling. If there 

 are many earthworms and slugs in ground which has been occupied 

 by chicks with gapes, get rid of the worms with one of the patented 

 worm exterminators sold by nearly all seedmen. Always burn all 

 chicks which die of the gapes, and whenever you find gape worms, 

 or extract them from sick chicks, be sure to burn the worms. Disin- 

 fect all droppings. Earthworms do not cause gapes, but may become 

 contaminated with the eggs or embryonic gape worms, and so become 

 a source of infection in ground where the disease has existed. 



"A small piece of copperas placed in the drinking water is said 

 to prevent contagion. Tincture of assafoetida, a teaspoonful in a 

 quart of water, is used for the same purpose, and is said to have a 

 curative action. Three drachms of salicylate of soda in a quart of 

 drinking water is also recommended as a preventative. 



"How to Remove the Worms. Extracting the worms from the 

 windpipe is absolutely necessary to effect a cure. The operation is 

 simple and only requires patience and a delicate touch. A loop of 

 horsehair, stripped feather tip, or one of the wire gape worm extrac- 

 tors, is the only instrument needed. Prepare a solution of one tea- 

 spoonful of creolin in a pint of cold water. Dip the extractor in this, 

 both before and after using. The operator should sit in a comfortable 

 position in a strong light with all tilings convenient for the operation, 

 the affected chicks in a coop by his side, and an empty coop to receive 

 the treated chicks near at hand. 



"Hold the chick firmly in the left hand with its neck well 

 stretched and head firmly between the thumb and forefinger. The 

 mouth should be open and the neck held straight out from the body. 



"With the chick held firmly and neck well stretched, dip the 

 extractor in the creolin solution, shake off any excess of fluid, insert 

 the extractor gently into the windpipe, and withdraw it with a 

 slightly twisting motion. This will bring out most of the worms, and 



