March, 1936] Agricultural Research in N. H. 25 



This year birds were vaccinated by means of two sewing-machine 

 needles placed in the end of a small wooden stick about }i of an inch apart. 

 These needles were dipped in the vaccine before each bird was vaccinated, 

 and then pushed through the web of the wing and pulled back. This inocu- 

 lated four small places in the skin in a single operation, which insured a bet- 

 ter take than was procured by the previously recommended method of 

 inoculating on the unfeathered portion of the leg with a small scalpel which 

 made a single small incision of the skin. Another advantage of the wing 

 method is that it does not decrease the market value of the birds if they 

 should be sold before the vaccination lesions disappeared. 



To check the degree of immunity produced by the wing method of vac- 

 cination, inoculated chicks were later tested by scarifying* the comb and 

 inoculating with vaccine. The immunity proved to be solid. (C. L. Martin 

 and C. A. Bottorff — Purnell Fund.) 



Pullorum Testing 



During the past fiscal year 239.487 blood samples from 225,299 birds 

 were tested for pullorum. This was an increase of 29,733 samples over the 

 ])revious season of 1933-1934 and an increase of 19,856 birds tested. More 

 than one fifth of the total number of adult birds in the state of New Hamp- 

 ^hire were tested and, of these birds tested, 99.85% were found to be free 

 from pullorum. 



In complying with the National Poultry Improvement Plan the terms 

 "Pullorum Accredited" and "Pullorum 100% Free" flocks were changed 

 to "Pullorum Clean" and "Pullorum Passed" flocks respectively. The third 

 grade of "Pullorum tested" is not recognized as official in New Hampshire. 

 There were 75 Pullorum Clean flocks having 94,947 birds, and 111 Pullorum 

 Passed flocks having 112,219 birds tested during the season. There were 11 

 flocks, in which only part of the flock was tested, and among the 5,377 birds 

 tested in these flocks, no reactors were found. There were 16 flocks of the 

 206 flocks tested in which infection was found. This was an increase of 6 

 flocks over the season of 1933-1934. 



Breaks occurred in one Pullorum Clean flock that had previously tested 

 100% for 8 years with no reactors found, and in two Pullorum Passed 

 flocks which had been negative for one year and four years respectively. 

 (C. A. Bottorff — Miscellaneous Income.) 



Infectious Laryngotracheitis Control and Vaccination 



Due to the outbreak of infectious laryngotracheitis the previous season, 

 funds were secured to erect a building and laboratory for research on the 

 control of this disease and the manufacture of vaccine. The building and 

 laboratory were completed in ^lay 1935. The Federal license #194 was 

 issued by the Bureau of Animal Industry on May 29th, 1935. Only a small 

 amount of vaccine was disposed of to New Hampshire poultrymen by the 

 end of the 1934-1935 season. 



Experiments on vaccination and duration of immunity are planned, with 

 studies on methods of preserving the virus. (C L. Martin and C. A. Bot- 

 torff — Miscellaneous Income.) 



