BY GEORGE BYRON MORSE 65 



long been known that this particular mold infects the inside of eggs and it 

 is easily conceivable that the incubation of the egg would furnish the 

 necessary heat and moisture required for the development of the mold. 

 Any pure-blood researcher would easily think up a dozen lines of investiga- 

 tion to be pursued in connection with this mold infection. 



The gape worm, although well studied, can still furnish us with some 

 interesting matter for investigation. For instance, we should have a better 

 treatment than that of slowly digging out the worm from the windpipe by 

 means of a horsehair or a timothy head. Then, too, is it the earth worm 

 or the old hen that keeps up the supply ? 



Suppose we take the chicken or fowl. Here we still find coccidiosis, 

 flagellosis, aspergillosis and several of the bacterial infections. The gape 

 worm and Rettger's bacillus drop out, but in their place we find fowl 

 cholera, meat poisoning or infection with the so-called hog cholera organism 

 and several bacilli that have been recognized in association with roup. 

 Here comes up also the investigation of the treatment of roup. Is it 

 actually worth while to attempt to treat a flock when once the infection 

 has secured a good start? Can the birds be successfully treated? Would 

 it not be best, when once the disease is recognized, before it has produced 

 symptoms in the exposed birds, to kill them off for market, disinfect the 

 premises thoroughly and start fresh? 



There is a rather large group of diseases of the liver that are popularly 

 classed under the designation "spotted liver,'* "liver disease," etc. These 

 should be differentiated and studied, placed upon their proper ground as 

 infectious diseases as most of them are, and classified as to their curability, 

 the desirability of attempting a cure or the necessity of undertaking most 

 radical measures for their eradication. Instead of calling them all tuber- 

 culosis and saying that they are caused by overfeeding, let us at least rec- 

 ognize that there are tuberculosis, aspergillosis, coccidiosis, (especially if the 

 blackhead disease of turkeys be completely demonstrated to be a coccidiosis 

 and the subject is sure to receive most careful researching at the hands of 

 our talented fellow member Dr. P. B. Hadley, of the Rhode Island Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station), cercomoniasis, and liver invasions by the two 

 malignant tumor formations, sarcoma and carcinoma, to say nothing of a 

 disease apparently a blood disorder, known as leukemia which also produces 

 minute spots in the liver. 



It would be a splendid thing for the poultry industry if we could during 

 the coming year run down even a fourth of the lines of investigation sug- 

 gested. Should any one fear a dearth of work after all the foregoing has 

 been accomplished, I would simply remind him that the field is unlimited. 



